THE United Kingdom (UK) government has contacted tens of thousands of international students directly through text and email, warning them they would face deportation if they overstay their visas.
The UK’s Home Office launched the new campaign following what it described as an ‘alarming’ rise in international students who enter the UK legally on student visas but go on to seek asylum after their visas expire.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC that some international students were seeking asylum “even when things haven’t changed in their home country.”
Home Office data reveals that roughly 13 per cent of about 14,800 cases of asylum applications in the UK since January were made by individuals who had entered the UK on a study visa.
Pakistan accounted for the largest share of these applications, with 5,700 cases, followed by students from India, Bangladesh, and Nigeria.
In Nigeria, many students, professionals and other citizens attempt to leave the country for greener pastures, including the UK, in what is known as ‘japa’ in local parlance.
According to the UK Home Office, while asylum applications from student visa holders have declined compared to last year, the figure remains nearly six times higher than in 2020.
In recent months, the Home Office has increasingly focused on curbing the use of study visas as a pathway to asylum claims.
The ICIR reported in May, that the department revealed plans to introduce new and tighter visa access for citizens of Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, citing concerns over high rates of visa overstays and a surge in asylum applications from these countries.
Starting this September, the plans will introduce tougher requirements on visa refusal and course completion rates that universities must meet to retain their ability to sponsor future visas.
The Home Office announced in March that 43 failed asylum seekers and foreign offenders were returned on a charter flight to Nigeria and Ghana.
The ICIR reported that data from 2024 revealed a sharp rise in UK visa rejections for Nigerians, with the rejection rate increasing from one in 31 applications in 2022 to one in eight by late 2023.
Recall that the UK government announced a rise in visa fees for students, tourists, and other travelers in March.
The student visa fee was increased from £363 to £490, reflecting a 35 per cent rise.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.