- Rising asylum claims prompt universities to suspend recruitment from “high-risk” countries: reports
- Chester, Wolverhampton, Sunderland, and others higher education institutes halt admissions until 2026 over visa refusals
- New Home Office rules cap visa rejections at 5%, down from 10%, straining universities’ compliance
LONDON/ISLAMABAD: UK universities are increasingly shutting their doors to applicants from Pakistan and Bangladesh amid concerns over visa abuses and tighter Home Office rules, leaving thousands of prospective students in uncertainty.
Reports indicate that at least nine higher education institutions have temporarily restricted recruitment from these “high-risk” countries as universities face mounting pressure to ensure they are enrolling genuine students, not those exploiting the system to settle in Britain.
The clampdown follows a surge in asylum claims from international students, prompting Border Security Minister Dame Angela Eagle to stress that the student visa route “must not be used as a backdoor” to settling in the UK. Pakistan, in particular, topped the list of asylum-seeking countries last year.
Universities that have taken restrictive measures include the University of Chester, which has suspended recruitment from Pakistan until autumn 2026, citing a “recent and unexpected rise in visa refusals.” Similarly, the University of Wolverhampton is not accepting undergraduate applicants from Pakistan and Bangladesh, while the University of East London has paused recruitment from Pakistan.
Sunderland and Coventry universities have also suspended enrolment from both countries. The University of Sunderland defended its stance, stating it made “no apologies” for prioritizing the integrity of the student visa system.
The measures follow changes implemented by the Home Office earlier this year to the three Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) thresholds that UK universities must meet to maintain their student sponsor licence. These reforms, effective September 2025, require universities to ensure no more than 5 percent of their visa applications are rejected—a sharp reduction from the previous 10 percent limit.
The average refusal rate for Pakistani and Bangladeshi student visa applications, excluding dependents, stood at 18 percent and 22 percent respectively in the year to September 2025—far exceeding the new threshold. These two countries together accounted for half of the 23,036 applications rejected by the Home Office in the same period. Many of these cases involved individuals seeking asylum after entering on work or study visas.
International higher education consultant Vincenzo Raimo warned that the crackdown posed a “real dilemma” for lower-fee universities heavily reliant on international recruitment. “Even small numbers of problematic cases can threaten universities’ compliance with Home Office thresholds,” he said.
Other affected institutions include the University of Hertfordshire, under a Home Office action plan, which suspended recruitment from Pakistan and Bangladesh until September 2026 due to “long visa processing times.” Glasgow Caledonian University paused recruitment for several programs in September but reinstated it for January courses. Oxford Brookes has also halted undergraduate recruitment from Pakistan and Bangladesh for courses beginning in January 2026. BPP University and London Metropolitan University have taken similar steps, citing visa refusals and risk mitigation strategies.
Education experts in Pakistan have voiced concern. Maryem Abbas, founder of Edvance Advisors in Lahore, described the restrictions as “heartbreaking” for genuine students whose applications were withdrawn at the final stage. She urged universities to scrutinize overseas agencies more rigorously, noting that many prioritize profits over students’ best interests. “Hundreds of agencies in Pakistan don’t care about where the student goes,” she said, adding that the sector has increasingly become a “money-making business.”
Official estimates published in May projected that 22 UK universities would fail at least one of the tightened BCA criteria. While 17 of them could improve compliance to maintain sponsorship rights, five institutions risked losing sponsorship for at least a year, affecting an estimated 12,000 international students.
Jamie Arrowsmith, director at Universities UK International, said institutions would need to diversify their intakes and refine application and deposit processes to meet the new requirements. “While stricter rules may be challenging for many universities, they are necessary to maintain public confidence in the system,” he added.
The Home Office affirmed its commitment to international students while emphasizing the need to ensure that visa holders are genuine. “That’s why we’re tightening the rules to ensure those coming here are genuine students and education providers take their responsibilities seriously,” it said.
