UK Cracks Down on Overstaying Students: Leave or Face Removal
The UK Government has launched a crackdown on International Students overstaying their visas, warning tens of thousands of students to leave the Country or face removal.
In a first-of-its-kind move, the Home Office is proactively contacting students via text and email to issue formal warnings about the consequences of overstaying.
The campaign targets students who have used or might use the asylum system as a means to remain in the UK after their studies end.
According to Home Office data, around 15% of asylum applications last year – approximately 16,000 – were submitted by people who originally arrived on student visas.
While the data does not specify how many of those were made after visas had expired, officials say the pattern is clear enough to warrant immediate action.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper emphasized that the Government will support genuine refugees but warned students against claiming asylum without valid reasons.
“If nothing has changed in their country, people should not be claiming asylum at the end of a student course,” she said.
Cooper also noted that the growing number of students entering the asylum system is placing added pressure on already overstretched asylum accommodation and hotel services.
The warnings come amid growing concerns about students using the asylum system to stay in the UK.
Around 10,000 students whose visas are nearing expiry have already received direct warnings, with a further 130,000 students and their families expected to be contacted in the coming months, coinciding with the busy autumn intake period.
The message being sent to students 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.”
This crackdown is part of a broader tightening of immigration rules under the Labour Government.
The Home Office has also announced stricter thresholds for Universities sponsoring International students, requiring them to maintain higher course completion rates and face visa refusal thresholds.
Additionally, the Government has reduced the amount of time overseas graduates can stay in the UK after completing their courses from two years to 18 months.
The Government insists that it is committed to fixing the asylum system and reducing the pressure on overstretched asylum accommodation and hotel services.
Cooper acknowledged that student visa asylum claims account for just over 10% of total applications but insisted that “to fix the system, we must tackle every single bit of it.”
The number of successful asylum claims from skilled worker visa holders has also declined, according to recent Home Office figures.
The UK Government’s efforts to reduce the number of asylum claims from International Students are part of a larger effort to overhaul the immigration system and ensure that it is fair and effective.
