Students and workers from Pakistan are likely to be banned from studying and working in the UK. The applications for employment and study visas from nationalities including Sri Lankans, Nigerians, and Pakistanis, who are most likely to overstay and seek asylum, will be restricted by the Home Office, reports The Times.
Pakistan (10,542), Afghanistan (8,508) and Iran (8,099) were the most common nationalities claiming asylum in 2024, together representing 25% of people claiming asylum.
108,138 people claimed asylum in the UK in 2024, which was 18% more than in 2023 and 5% more than the previous recorded peak of 103,081 in 2002
Foreigners who meet the description of someone who would later apply for asylum and come from nations where asylum claims are common in the UK will have their visas denied as part of Labour’s measures to crack down on system abuse.
Asylum grants permanent UK residency, unlike work and study visas, which are temporary. Rejected asylum seekers can, therefore, prolong their stay by appealing against deportation.
Bank statements provided by visa applicants will also be used by officials to disprove assertions that they are impoverished and in need of taxpayer-funded lodging, such as hotels.
Measures to prevent work and study visas from being used as a backdoor into Britain’s asylum system will be announced in the government’s Immigration White Paper, detailing Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to reduce net migration.
Latest figures for 2023-24 show there were 732,285 international students in the UK, with most coming from India (107,480) and China (98,400). However, the number of UK work and study visas dropped in 2024, compared to the year before.
The UK is also set to implement reforms that will mandate foreign graduates to leave the country unless they secure a graduate-level job based on skill levels.
Last year, 40,000 UK visa-holder asylum claims were lodged, accounting for 37% of the total. Over 35,000 asylum applications came from small boat migrants. Nearly 10,000 claimants living in taxpayer-funded accommodation, including hotels, were originally on work or study visas, The Times reported.
The UK is set to ban taxpayer-funded accommodation for migrants on work or study visas, unless they are destitute or likely to become destitute, and require proof of sufficient funds to sustain themselves in the UK.
Asylum seekers can claim protection for family members, with a surge in Indians and Nigerians claiming study and work visas with dependants in the last three years, reported The Times.