By Sesi Noah The Home Office has launched a new campaign to deal with what it calls a worrying rise in students staying in the UK by apply...
By Sesi Noah
The Home Office has launched a new campaign to deal with what it calls a worrying rise in students staying in the UK by applying for asylum. For the first time, the government is sending texts and emails to students, telling them the consequences of overstaying. The message is clear:
If you have no legal right to stay in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you.
Officials say too many students are using the asylum system to stay in the UK after their studies end, even when nothing has changed in their home countries. Last year, about 15% of asylum applications—around 16,000—came from people who originally entered on student visas.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK will always support genuine refugees, but stressed that students shouldn’t claim asylum unless there’s a real reason. She warned that the rise in these claims is putting extra pressure on asylum housing and hotel services.
So far, about 10,000 students with visas close to expiry have already been warned, and another 130,000 students and their families will be contacted soon.
The campaign is part of a wider crackdown on immigration rules under the Labour government. In May, the Home Office said universities will face tougher rules to keep their ability to sponsor international students.
While much attention has been on people arriving by small boats, the government is increasingly worried about legal arrivals—like students—switching to the asylum system. Last year, out of 108,000 asylum applications, around 40,000 came from people who entered legally. Students made up the largest group, almost six times more than in 2020.
Although the number dropped by 10% this year, the government wants further reductions. Cooper said that even though student cases make up just over 10% of asylum claims, to fix the system, we need to tackle every part of it.
The government has also cut the time international graduates can stay after finishing their courses—from two years to 18 months.
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