UK warns international students to leave when visas expire
By The Citizen Reports
The British government has begun sending direct messages to tens of thousands of foreign students, cautioning them to depart the country once their visas run out or risk deportation, the BBC reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, the Home Office introduced a new initiative in response to what it called an “alarming” surge in student visa holders attempting to prolong their stay by applying for asylum.
For the first time, officials are reaching out to students via email and text to outline the consequences of overstaying.
The government expressed worry that more students are turning to the asylum process as a way to remain in the UK after completing their studies.
One of the messages being circulated states, “If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you.”
Official data shows that roughly 15 per cent of asylum requests last year—about 16,000—came from individuals who originally entered on student visas. Although it is unclear how many applied after their visas had expired, authorities believe the trend is significant enough to require urgent measures.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC that some students are “claiming asylum even when things have not changed in their home country.”
She added, “We obviously will do our bit to support genuine refugees, but if nothing has changed in their country, people should not be claiming asylum at the end of a student course.”
Cooper also highlighted the strain that the rising number of asylum claims from students places on the UK’s housing system, particularly accommodation and hotels for asylum seekers.So far, around 10,000 students with visas close to expiration have received these warnings.
The Home Office expects to contact another 130,000 students and their dependents in the coming months, in line with the busy autumn academic intake, the BBC reported.
The message being sent further reads, “If you submit an asylum claim that lacks merit, it will be swiftly and robustly refused.
Any request for asylum support will be assessed against destitution criteria. If you do not meet the criteria, you will not receive support. If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you.”The move forms part of broader immigration reforms introduced by the Labour government.
In May, the Home Office announced stricter requirements for universities, linking their ability to sponsor international students to higher standards on visa refusals and course completion rates.
While much of the immigration debate in Britain has focused on Channel crossings, officials say they are also increasingly troubled by those who entered legally but later shifted to the asylum system.
Figures show that of the 108,000 asylum applications lodged last year, about 40,000 came from people who arrived through legal routes, compared with 35,000 from small boat arrivals.
Students accounted for the largest share of these legal entrants seeking asylum, with numbers nearly six times higher than in 2020.
Although applications from students have since dropped by 10 per cent, the Home Office insists further reductions are necessary. Cooper noted that student visa holders represent just over one-tenth of all asylum claims but maintained that “to fix the system, we must tackle every single bit of it.”
The government has also reduced the time foreign graduates can remain in the UK after completing their degrees, cutting it from two years to 18 months. Recent figures show that successful asylum claims from skilled worker visa holders have also decreased.