The United Kingdom is preparing to implement significant restrictions on visa access for nationals from Pakistan, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka as part of a broader initiative to address what it sees as growing abuse of the asylum system. According to The Times, the new measures will primarily target employment and student visa applicants from countries identified by the Home Office as having a high risk of overstaying and subsequently seeking asylum.
This policy shift comes amid a marked rise in asylum applications, with the UK receiving 108,138 claims in 2024—an 18% increase over the previous year and the highest figure since 2002. Pakistan (10,542), Afghanistan (8,508), and Iran (8,099) accounted for a quarter of all claims, raising concerns over patterns of misuse.
The proposed measures will be outlined in the forthcoming Immigration White Paper, which will set out Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s approach to reducing net migration. Central to the plan is a strategy to deny visas to individuals who fit the profile of those likely to submit asylum applications after arrival, particularly via work and study routes.
A senior government source cited by The Times described the misuse of employment and student visas as a “backdoor” to permanent residency. Unlike these temporary visa categories, asylum claims can offer a path to indefinite leave to remain, allowing applicants to delay or prevent removal from the UK through legal appeals.
The Home Office is also expected to tighten scrutiny of financial documentation submitted with visa applications. Officials will analyze bank statements to challenge asylum claims that contradict prior financial representations, particularly those that suggest applicants are destitute and in need of state-funded accommodation.
Figures for 2023–24 show that the UK hosted 732,285 international students, with the largest contingents coming from India (107,480) and China (98,400). However, the overall issuance of work and student visas declined in 2024 compared to 2023. The government is increasingly concerned by data showing that nearly 10,000 asylum seekers currently housed at public expense initially entered the UK on valid work or study visas. In 2023, 40,000 asylum claims—37% of the total—were submitted by individuals who held such visas.
As part of the reforms, international graduates will be required to leave the UK unless they secure a skilled job that meets salary thresholds and can demonstrate sufficient funds to support themselves. In addition, new rules will block access to publicly funded accommodation for individuals on temporary visas, unless they are officially recognized as destitute or at risk of becoming so.
These measures signal a stricter stance by the UK government on immigration enforcement, particularly in curbing the use of legal migration routes as a pathway to claim asylum.
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