Tens of thousands of international students in the UK are being directly contacted by the government with warnings that they face removal if they overstay their student visas.
The Home Office said this action comes in response to a concerning rise in the number of students entering the UK on study visas and later seeking asylum after their visas expire. For the first time, the department is issuing text and email alerts to warn these students.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC that some individuals are applying for asylum “even when nothing has changed in their home country.” She noted that many remain in the asylum system for years, putting additional pressure on housing and accommodation services.
“We will continue to support genuine refugees,” Cooper said, “but if there has been no change in their home situation, they should not be seeking asylum at the end of their studies.”
In the year leading up to June, around 13% of asylum applications—approximately 14,800—came from individuals who originally entered on student visas, nearly six times the number recorded in 2020. Although this figure has declined by 10% recently, the government aims to reduce it further.
So far, 10,000 students with visas nearing expiration have been contacted, and many more are expected to receive similar warnings this autumn.
The message states: “If you make an asylum claim without merit, it will be swiftly and firmly rejected. If you have no legal basis to stay in the UK, you must leave. If not, you will be removed.”
The UK has already introduced stricter visa regulations, including measures that could strip universities of sponsorship licenses if students fail to complete their courses.
Additionally, the permitted post-study stay for international graduates has been cut from two years to 18 months.
As Parliament reconvened on Monday, Cooper also announced a temporary halt to new refugee family reunion applications and confirmed that the first returns under the UK-France “one in, one out” migration agreement will begin later this month.