UK universities to lose their licence to bring in international students if more than five percent of their visa applications are refused

The United Kingdom has introduced new immigration rules that could see universities banned from recruiting foreign students if they fail to meet stricter compliance requirements. The changes, announced by the Home Office on Thursday, are aimed at tackling high asylum claims linked to work, study and tourist visas, with foreign students accounting for the largest share.

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Under the new rules, universities could lose their licence to recruit internationally if more than five percent of their visa applications are refused. Previously, the visa refusal benchmark was set at 10 percent. The Home Office, which issues visas, said it can track both the proportion of student visa refusals and the universities recruiting affected applicants.

Universities will also be stripped of the right to recruit international students if too many drop out or fail to complete their studies. Under the updated requirements, foreign students are now mandated to reach a course enrolment rate of at least 95 percent and a course completion rate of at least 90 percent. Previously, the benchmarks were 90 percent and 85 percent, respectively.

“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 Home Office said in a statement.

The changes come just three months after the UK placed an “emergency brake” on study visas for nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan. The Home Office said asylum claims from those countries had reached levels it described as an “unsustainable threat.”

Asylum claims by students have since fallen by 30 percent in the past year alone following stricter enforcement, according to the Home Office.

The ministry also said it has contacted 306,000 students whose visas are due to expire, warning that unfounded asylum claims will be swiftly rejected and that those without the right to remain must leave or face removal.