Tens of thousands of international students in the UK are being contacted directly by the government with a warning: leave when your visas expire or face removal, the BBC reported on Tuesday.
The Home Office has launched a campaign to address what it calls an “alarming” rise in student visa holders attempting to stay by claiming asylum. For the first time, students are receiving text and email messages outlining the consequences of overstaying.
“If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you,” the messages warn, according to the BBC.
Government figures show that around 15% of asylum applications last year—about 16,000—came from people who initially entered on student visas. Officials argue the trend is significant enough to demand immediate action.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC that some students are “claiming asylum even when things have not changed in their home country.” While stressing support for genuine refugees, she said those using the system to stay longer are adding pressure to already overstretched asylum accommodation and hotel services.
Roughly 10,000 students with visas near expiry have already received warnings, with another 130,000 students and their families expected to be contacted in the coming months, coinciding with the autumn intake.
The crackdown comes as part of wider immigration reforms under the Labour government. Universities now face stricter thresholds on visa refusal and course completion rates to retain their ability to sponsor foreign students.
Although small boat crossings have dominated the immigration debate, ministers are increasingly focused on legal entrants—such as students—who later switch to asylum claims. Of the 108,000 asylum applications filed last year, about 40,000 came from people who had originally entered legally, compared to 35,000 from small boat arrivals.
Student visa holders represented the largest share of legal entrants seeking asylum, with applications nearly six times higher than in 2020. Although that figure dropped by 10% last year, the Home Office says further reductions are necessary.
To tighten the system further, the government has cut the post-study work period for overseas graduates from two years to 18 months.
