The UK government has begun directly contacting thousands of international students, warning them to leave once their visas expire or risk removal, the BBC reported on Tuesday. The unprecedented campaign, launched by the Home Office, uses text messages and emails to caution students against overstaying.
According to the report, around 10,000 students nearing the end of their visas have already received messages stating: “If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you.” Officials said more than 130,000 students and their dependents are expected to be contacted over the coming months, coinciding with the busy autumn intake season.
The move comes amid what the Home Office described as an “alarming” rise in student visa holders overstaying and switching to the asylum system. Government data shows that in 2024, 15 per cent of asylum applications — about 16,000 — came from people who originally entered the UK on student visas. Many of these claims, officials noted, were lodged only after visas had expired.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the campaign, arguing that some individuals were abusing the system. “Some students are claiming asylum even when things have not changed in their home country,” she said. “We will always support genuine refugees, but people should not be using asylum as a way to remain in the UK after studies.”
Cooper added that the increase in such claims was putting pressure on already overstretched asylum accommodation and hotel services. In 2023, the UK received 108,000 asylum applications. Of these, 40,000 came from people who entered legally on work, study, or visitor visas, while another 35,000 were linked to small boat crossings across the English Channel.
Data further revealed that student visa holders were the largest group of legal entrants applying for asylum, with figures nearly six times higher than in 2020. Although recent statistics show a 10 per cent drop, the Home Office insists more reductions are needed.
“Student visa asylum claims may account for just over 10 per cent of applications, but to fix the system, we must tackle every single part of it,” Cooper stressed.
The messages being circulated warn students that unmerited asylum claims will be “swiftly and robustly refused” and that only those meeting strict criteria for destitution support will be assisted.
