UK Considers Cracking Down on Student Visas from Asylum Hotspots

The UK government is contemplating new measures to limit student visa approvals for nationals from countries with high rates of asylum claims. This potential policy shift aims to address concerns over individuals entering the UK on student visas and subsequently seeking asylum.

Countries such as Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have been identified as having significant numbers of nationals who enter the UK on student visas and later apply for asylum. In the year leading up to June, approximately 16,000 of the 108,000 asylum seekers in the UK had entered the country on student visas.

The government’s proposed measures include developing profiling models with the National Crime Agency to identify high-risk applicants and implementing stricter scrutiny of visa applications. Critics argue that such profiling could lead to discriminatory practices, while the government maintains that these steps are necessary to prevent abuse of the immigration system.