The United Kingdom has unveiled tougher immigration measures that could prevent universities from recruiting international students if they fail to meet stricter visa compliance and student retention standards. The new rules, announced by the UK Home Office on Thursday, form part of efforts to curb rising asylum claims associated with……
The United Kingdom has unveiled tougher immigration measures that could prevent universities from recruiting international students if they fail to meet stricter visa compliance and student retention standards.
The new rules, announced by the UK Home Office on Thursday, form part of efforts to curb rising asylum claims associated with work, study and visitor visas.
Authorities said foreign students account for the largest share of such claims.
Under the revised framework, universities risk losing their licence to sponsor international students if more than five per cent of visa applications linked to their institutions are refused. The previous threshold stood at 10 per cent.
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The Home Office said it is able to monitor both student visa refusal rates and the institutions responsible for recruiting affected applicants.
In addition to tighter visa scrutiny, universities could also face sanctions if large numbers of international students fail to enrol after receiving admission or do not complete their academic programmes.
To remain compliant, institutions must now achieve a minimum enrolment rate of 95 per cent and a course completion rate of 90 per cent. The former benchmarks were 90 per cent and 85 per cent respectively.
Explaining the rationale behind the move, the Home Office stated: “High drop-out rates can indicate students have entered the illegal working economy rather than studied whilst high visa rejection rates or low enrolment figures suggest some institutions have not done enough due diligence on applicants.”
The latest restrictions follow an earlier crackdown introduced three months ago when the UK imposed what it described as an “emergency brake” on study visa applications from nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. The measure was prompted by unusually high asylum claim rates, which the Home Office characterised as an “unsustainable threat”.
According to the ministry, tougher enforcement actions have already produced results, with asylum applications from international students dropping by 30 per cent over the past year.
The Home Office also disclosed that it has contacted about 306,000 students whose visas are approaching expiration, warning that asylum claims deemed unfounded would be rejected swiftly and that individuals without legal permission to remain in the country would be required to leave or face removal.
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