Tens of thousands of foreign students are being contacted directly by the UK government as part of a sweeping plan to overhaul the asylum system. The Home Office confirmed that warnings are being issued via text and email to students whose visas are about to expire, cautioning them against overstaying or making asylum claims deemed to lack merit.
The move follows what officials described as an “alarming” increase in asylum applications from former international students. According to government figures, around 13% of asylum claims in the year to June — about 14,800 cases — came from people who had originally entered the UK on study visas. This represents nearly six times more than in 2020. Although the figure has dropped by 10% in recent months, ministers say they are determined to reduce it further.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the policy in a BBC interview on Tuesday, stating that many applicants were claiming asylum “even when things haven’t changed in their home country.” She said the practice burdens the asylum system, adding: “We obviously will do our bit to support genuine refugees, but if nothing has changed in their country, people should not be claiming asylum at the end of a student course.”
So far, 10,000 students with visas nearing expiry have been contacted, with tens of thousands more expected to receive messages this autumn. The government’s warning reads: “If you submit an asylum claim that lacks merit, it will be swiftly and robustly refused… If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you.”
The crackdown is part of a broader immigration agenda outlined by Cooper in Parliament on Monday, which includes a temporary suspension of new refugee family reunion applications and preparations for the first migrant returns under the UK’s new “one in, one out” agreement with France later this month.
Other measures recently introduced include tighter visa rules for universities, making it harder for them to retain sponsorship licences if students fail to complete courses, and reducing the post-study visa period for overseas graduates from two years to 18 months.
While the government says the changes are necessary to protect the integrity of the asylum system, critics remain unconvinced. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused Labour of offering “nothing but more slogans,” while political commentators suggest Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure to define his approach in contrast to Reform UK’s immigration stance.
The government insists its plans mark the beginning of a “major overhaul” of the system, though questions remain about how the proposals will be implemented in practice.
