UK Tightens Student Visa Rules, Threatens Universities Over Foreign Admissions Compliance

(Universities Students. Photo by Leadership News)

The United Kingdom has introduced stricter immigration rules that could strip universities of their ability to recruit international students, including Nigerians, if they fail to meet tougher new compliance benchmarks.

The UK Home Office said the reforms are aimed at curbing visa system abuse across study, work, and tourist routes that have been linked to rising asylum claims.

Under the new framework, universities risk losing their sponsorship licence which allows them to admit foreign students if more than 5% of their student visa applications are refused, a significant tightening from the previous 10% threshold.

Institutions will also be held to higher performance standards, including a 95% student enrolment rate and a 90% course completion rate, up from earlier targets of 90% and 85% respectively.

The Home Office explained that high dropout rates may indicate that students have entered the illegal working economy rather than pursuing their studies, while elevated visa refusal rates or low enrolment figures suggest that some institutions have not carried out adequate checks on applicants.

The policy builds on earlier restrictions that had already been applied to visa applicants from countries including Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan.

The government also noted that asylum claims from international students have fallen by 30% following stricter enforcement measures.

Around 306,000 students with expiring visas have been warned to leave the UK or face removal if they submit what the government considers unfounded asylum claims.