UK Universities face Foreign Student Ban amid Immigration Crackdown

Universities in Britain could be banned from accepting foreign students if they fail to prevent their courses from being used as a back door for migrants claiming asylum in the UK.

The Home Office is planning to tighten immigration rules in a bid to tackle what it calls the “misuse and exploitation of student visas”.

The measures are part of its immigration white paper first unveiled in May 2025.

Under the new rules, which are set to be announced in September 2025, universities will face penalties if fewer than 95% of international students accepted onto courses start their studies.

They will also be penalised if fewer than 90% complete their degrees, or if more than 5% of visa applications are rejected.

Government sources told The Times that some students are now claiming asylum at the end of their courses despite “nothing substantive” having changed in their home countries.

Officials said student visas are increasingly being used as an “entry point” for those who want to work in the UK “without any intention to complete the course”.

The worst-performing universities will be publicly named under the plan.

Institutions will face caps on the number of new international students they can recruit until they improve.

Those that fail to comply will lose their ability to sponsor study visas entirely.

International students are a vital source of income for British universities. They paid more than £12 billion in tuition fees in 2022-23.

The number of sponsored study visas has surged from around 200,000 in 2016 to nearly 500,000 in the year to June 2023.

Official figures also show that asylum claims made by visa holders have increased sharply since mid-2021, with almost half made by students.

Lower-ranking universities have seen a 49% increase in student visa approvals in two years since 2021, while the number of visas granted to the top 100-ranked institutions has dropped by 7%.

Almost 10,000 asylum seekers who initially entered the UK on visas lived in taxpayer-funded accommodation such as hotels at some point in 2024.

Home Office officials said Pakistani, Nigerian and Sri Lankan visa holders are the most likely to claim asylum.

Dame Angela Eagle, the border security minister, told The Times:

“The UK will always welcome genuine visitors, workers and students, but we will not tolerate this kind of systematic abuse.”

“The rules must be respected and enforced, and we will not hesitate to impose even tighter visa controls where necessary.”

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, criticised the plans as inadequate. He said the proposals amounted to “minor tinkering around the edges” and would “make little real difference”.