A Bangladeshi migrant, Habibur Masum who brutally murdered his wife in broad daylight should never have been granted a student visa to study in the UK, senior Tory leaders have claimed.
Habibur Masum, 27, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 28 years after stabbing his wife, Kulsuma Akter, more than 25 times in Bradford city centre last April. Despite entering the UK in 2022 on a student visa to pursue a master’s in marketing at the University of Bedfordshire, Masum required a Bengali interpreter throughout his three-week murder trial, raising serious concerns about the English proficiency checks used by UK universities for international admissions.
Why is UK’s student visa system under scrutiny?
Shadow education secretary Laura Trott has urged the Office for Students (OfS) to investigate whether the university breached its registration conditions. She stated “ongoing concerns” about the UK student visa regime and added that the soaring number of international students, particularly on postgraduate courses at the institution, many of whom gain entry by taking tests like Duolingo to prove English skills.
The University of Bedfordshire is already under “enhanced monitoring” by the OfS over course quality concerns. The university has not responded to questions regarding its vetting of Masum’s language abilities.
Who is Habibur Masum?
Habibur Masum came to the UK from Bangladesh after enrolling at the University of Bedfordshire in 2022. While reports initially claimed he studied English literature in the UK, court documents revealed he studied the subject in Bangladesh.
His inability to follow English court proceedings without an interpreter has ignited a wider debate over the standards applied in granting student visas. During his trial at Bradford Crown Court, harrowing CCTV footage showed him mercilessly stabbing his wife as she walked with their child in a pram. The judge branded him “violent, self-centred, jealous, controlling and coercive.”