Several universities in the United Kingdom have suspended or restricted admissions for students from Pakistan and Bangladesh following tougher immigration rules introduced by the Home Office and rising concerns over alleged visa abuse, the Financial Times has reported.
At least nine higher education institutions have placed the two countries in a “high-risk” category for student visas and have tightened their enrolment policies to protect their ability to sponsor international applicants, according to the report published on Thursday.
The move follows a surge in asylum claims lodged by international students, prompting UK ministers to warn that the study route “must not be used as a backdoor” to settlement.
universities heavily dependent on overseas enrolments. Even limited numbers of problematic cases, he warned, could jeopardise compliance with the tightened thresholds.
The measures have drawn frustration from education advisers. Maryem Abbas, founder of Lahore-based Edvance Advisors, described the decisions as “heartbreaking” for genuine students whose applications were being rejected at the final stage.
She argued that weak oversight of recruitment agents had contributed to the rise in misuse of the student route, turning it into a “moneymaking business”.
Universities UK International said some institutions would need to diversify international recruitment and strengthen application checks to retain their sponsorship rights. While the new rules may prove “challenging”, it said they were essential to maintain confidence in the system.
A Home Office spokesperson told FT that the government “strongly values” international students but is tightening rules to ensure those who come to Britain are genuine and that education providers uphold their responsibilities.
