The United Kingdom has announced a tightening of its immigration policies, which could lead to universities losing their ability to enroll international students, including those from Nigeria, if they do not meet stricter compliance benchmarks.
On Friday, the UK Home Office released a statement outlining the reforms, which are designed to curb visa misuse in study, work, and tourist categories that have been linked to a surge in asylum applications.
Under the revised rules, higher education institutions may lose their sponsorship licenses if more than 5% of student visa applications are rejected—down from the previous allowance of 10%. The Home Office further stated that schools will be evaluated based on their performance, including a required 95% enrollment rate and a 90% course completion rate, up from earlier targets of 90% and 85%.
The Home Office warned that failure to meet these benchmarks could result in penalties, including the revocation of permission to admit foreign students. It noted that high dropout rates often indicate that students are entering the illegal workforce rather than focusing on their studies, while high visa refusal rates or low enrollment suggest that some institutions are not adequately vetting applicants.
This move comes after earlier restrictions on study visa applicants from countries such as Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan. The government also reported a 30% drop in asylum claims from international students following stricter enforcement measures.
Approximately 306,000 students whose visas are expiring have been advised to leave the UK or face deportation if they file unfounded asylum claims.