LONDON: Several universities in the United Kingdom have suspended or tightened admissions for students from Pakistan and Bangladesh, following tougher immigration rules introduced by the Home Office and growing concerns over alleged visa misuse, the Financial Times reported.
According to the report published on Thursday, at least nine higher education institutions have placed applicants from both countries in a “high-risk” visa category and introduced stricter enrolment measures to protect their international student sponsorship licenses.
The shift comes after a sharp rise in asylum applications submitted by international students, prompting UK ministers to caution that the study visa route “must not become a backdoor” to permanent settlement.
Among the institutions implementing restrictions, the University of Chester has halted recruitment from Pakistan until autumn 2026, citing a “recent and unexpected increase in visa refusals.”
Meanwhile, the University of Wolverhampton has stopped accepting undergraduate applications from both Pakistan and Bangladesh, and the University of East London has temporarily paused all student recruitment from Pakistan.
Other institutions, including Sunderland, Coventry, Hertfordshire, Oxford Brookes, Glasgow Caledonian, and private provider BPP University, have also halted or scaled back admissions from the two South Asian nations.
The restrictions follow a regulatory overhaul that took effect in September, which lowered the maximum visa refusal rate permitted for institutions sponsoring international students from 10 percent to 5 percent.
However, visa refusal rates for applicants from Pakistan and Bangladesh remain significantly higher—18 percent and 22 percent respectively—well above the revised threshold, according to the Financial Times.
Combined, students from the two countries account for half of the 23,036 visa refusals issued by the Home Office in the year leading up to September 2025.
Asylum claims from both nationalities have also increased, with many cases involving individuals who initially entered the UK on study or work visas.
International higher education consultant Vincenzo Raimo told the Financial Times that the crackdown had created a “real dilemma” for lower-fee universities that rely heavily on international enrolments.
He warned that even a small number of problematic cases could threaten institutions’ compliance under the stricter visa thresholds.
A Home Office spokesperson told the FT that the government “strongly values” international students but is tightening regulations to ensure that those entering the UK are genuine applicants and that education providers meet their responsibilities.
