The United Kingdom (UK) has introduced tougher immigration measures that could see universities lose the right to recruit international students if they fail to meet stricter compliance requirements.
Announced by the UK Home Office on Thursday, the new rules are part of efforts to curb what the government describes as abuse of the visa system, particularly through study, work and tourist visa routes that have been linked to rising asylum claims.
Under the revised framework, universities risk losing their licence to recruit overseas students if more than five per cent of visa applications submitted by prospective students are refused.
Previously, the visa refusal benchmark was set at 10 percent.
The Home Office said it monitors both visa refusal rates and the institutions associated with unsuccessful applications, enabling authorities to identify universities that may not be carrying out adequate checks on applicants.
In addition to visa refusal rates, institutions will be assessed on student enrolment and course completion figures.
Universities that fail to meet the new benchmarks could face sanctions, including the loss of their ability to admit international students.
Under the updated requirements, universities must achieve a course enrolment rate of at least 95 per cent and a course completion rate of at least 90 per cent.
The previous thresholds were 90 per cent and 85 per cent respectively.
Explaining the rationale behind the changes, the Home Office said: “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 measures follow earlier restrictions imposed by the UK government on study visa applications from nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan.
The Home Office introduced the move after describing asylum claims linked to applicants from those countries as an “unsustainable threat.”
According to the department, asylum claims from international students have fallen by 30 per cent over the past year following stricter enforcement measures.
The Home Office also disclosed that it has contacted around 306,000 students whose visas are approaching expiry, warning them that unfounded asylum claims will be rejected and that individuals without legal permission to remain in the country must leave or face removal.
The latest changes form part of the UK government’s broader efforts to tighten immigration controls while maintaining what it describes as a credible and compliant international student visa system.
