LONDON: The British government is reportedly considering stricter student visa regulations for nationals from countries such as Pakistan, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka, which are perceived as having higher rates of students who later seek asylum, according to a government official.
The proposed changes are part of broader efforts to reduce net migration, which reached 728,000 in the year ending June 2024.
The move comes in the wake of disappointing local election results for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, with voter discontent over illegal immigration pushing the government to adopt a tougher stance.
The Home Office has confirmed that it will publish a new Immigration White Paper next week, aimed at overhauling what it describes as a “broken immigration system.”
Legal migration continues to dominate UK political discourse and was a central issue during the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Government statistics reveal that 108,000 people applied for asylum in the UK last year, with 16,000 of them having initially entered the country on student visas. Although no specific nationalities were named, officials noted that students from Pakistan, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka were among the most likely to later seek asylum.
In response to Labour’s electoral setbacks, several MPs have called for stronger action. Jo White, a representative of Labour MPs from “Red Wall” constituencies, urged the government to stop “tiptoeing around” the issue and to implement clear, decisive measures to address public concerns.
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