EU tightens borders, puts Bangladeshi irregular migrants on fast track to deportation: Nikkei Asia
The European Union's sweeping new migration and asylum rules are set to significantly tighten the bloc's response to irregular migration from Bangladesh, placing Bangladeshi asylum seekers among those most likely to face accelerated border procedures and faster deportations.
The EU's Migration and Asylum Pact, which came into force on June 12, introduces a unified framework for screening irregular arrivals, processing asylum applications at the EU's external borders and swiftly returning those deemed unlikely to qualify for international protection.
The changes carry particular implications for Bangladesh. According to a new Nikkei Asia report titled "EU migration pact faces test from Bangladesh to its borders," 248,810 Bangladeshis entered the European Union through irregular routes between 2015 and 2025, making them, alongside Afghans and Pakistanis, one of the largest groups of Asian migrants arriving in Europe without authorization.
Under the new system, asylum applicants from countries with a first-instance recognition rate below 20% will automatically undergo accelerated border procedures. Bangladesh falls well below that threshold, with only about 2% of first-time asylum applications by Bangladeshi nationals receiving approval in recent years.
As a result, many Bangladeshi migrants are expected to receive decisions more quickly and face expedited returns if their claims are rejected.
"The pact is a response to the biggest crisis we faced in 2015," Monique Pariat, former director-general for migration and home affairs at the European Commission, told Nikkei Asia. "It took us eight years to define and agree on a shared EU migration management system."
Migration experts, however, caution that tougher enforcement alone is unlikely to stem irregular migration from Bangladesh, where economic aspirations continue to drive many to undertake dangerous journeys.
"People believe that if they can reach Europe, all their problems will be solved. That is why many invest all their savings in attempting irregular migration," Shariful Hasan, a migration expert at BRAC, told Nikkei Asia.
The report says the Mediterranean route via the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Libya has emerged as the principal pathway for Bangladeshi migrants after trafficking networks adapted to shifting conflicts and migration patterns across the Middle East and North Africa.
Research by the Mixed Migration Centre cited in the report found that 64% of migrants surveyed in 2025 said stricter border controls did not influence their decision to migrate.
Roberto Forin, the centre's deputy director, warned that without expanding legal migration pathways, tougher border enforcement could instead increase the profits of human-smuggling networks while doing little to reduce demand for irregular migration.