UK varsities tighten rules for Pak students

At least nine higher education institutions have classified Pakistan as "high-risk" for student visas

Several universities in the United Kingdom have suspended or restricted admissions for students from Pakistan and Bangladesh amid stricter immigration rules and growing concerns over alleged visa abuse, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

At least nine higher education institutions have classified the two countries as "high-risk" for student visas and tightened enrolment policies to protect their ability to sponsor international applicants, the newspaper report said.

The move follows a surge in asylum claims lodged by international students, prompting UK ministers to warn that the study route "must not be used as a backdoor" to settlement. it also follows a regulatory overhaul in September that lowered the maximum visa refusal rate for institutions sponsoring international students from 10% to 5%.

The University of Chester, for instance, has suspended recruitment from Pakistan until autumn 2026, citing a "recent and unexpected rise in visa refusals." The University of Wolverhampton is no longer accepting undergraduate applications from Pakistan or Bangladesh.

The University of East London has paused recruitment from Pakistan entirely. Other institutions, including Sunderland, Coventry, Hertfordshire, Oxford Brookes, Glasgow Caledonian, and private provider BPP University, have also curtailed admissions under risk-mitigation measures.

Pakistani and Bangladeshi student visa refusal rates currently stand at 18% and 22%, far exceeding the new limit. Applicants from these two countries account for half of the 23,036 student visa refusals recorded by the Home Office in the year ending September 2025.

Asylum claims from both nationalities have also risen, often involving students who initially entered the UK on study or work visas. International higher education consultant Vincenzo Raimo described the crackdown as creating a "real dilemma" for lower-fee universities dependent on overseas enrolments, warning that even a few problematic cases could jeopardise compliance with tightened thresholds.

Education advisers have expressed concern over the measures. Maryem Abbas, founder of Lahore-based Edvance Advisors, called the decisions "heart-breaking" for genuine students whose applications are being rejected late in the process.

She noted that weak oversight of recruitment agents had contributed to the misuse of the student route, turning it into a "moneymaking business."