Revised UK Visa System Proposed: Potential Limitations for Certain Country's Applicants
UK's Visa Crackdown: Getting a work or study visa in the UK might be a challenge for citizens from specific countries, as the UK Home Office is focusing on nations with the highest rate of visa overstays and asylum claims. According to a BBC report, the Home Office is scrutinizing countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nigeria.
THE ASYLUM CRACKDOWN
The investigation started due to the misuse of the immigration system by individuals from certain nationalities. These people arrived legally on work or study visas but chose to stay past their permitted duration and apply for asylum. Successfully granted asylum allows them to reside and work in the UK permanently.
Asylum seekers may prolong their stay in the UK indefinitely, even after rejection, through extended appeals. This strategy exploits a loophole in the system.
Though the finalized data and statistics have yet to be released, more countries might face increased scrutiny at the visa application stage. Since 2020, the UK's Home Office has not published any official statistics on exit checks due to the COVID-19 pandemic [3].
WHAT THE DATA REVEALS
Preliminary data suggests that the UK received over 108,000 asylum claims in 2024 – the highest since 1979, when record-keeping began. More than 10,000 asylum seekers came from Pakistan alone, followed by Sri Lanka and Nigeria with 2,862 and 2,841 nationals, respectively [5].
In comparison, the number of Indian students in the UK, while substantial (732,285 in 2024), did not feature prominently on the asylum seekers list. The UK's net migration stood at a record 9,06,000 as of June 2023, dropping to 7,28,000 by 2024 due to measures introduced by the UK's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak [5].
ENHANCANCED SCRUTINY
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is looking to implement a new system that will flag and deny work and study visas to individuals deemed a 'risk' of claiming asylum post-entry. Applicants applying for taxpayer-funded accommodation, such as hostels, might face increased scrutiny of their financial statements [4].
The Home Office will also monitor behavioral patterns, like low university course engagement, to identify potential risks [4].
Sources:1. BBC, Crackdown planned on asylum seekers who abuse visa system, URL2. The Times, UK rolls out visa crackdown for asylum seekers, URL3. The Guardian, UK asylum seeker numbers at highest since 1979, URL4. UK Home Office,Data not existent5. Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, Data not existent.
Frustratingly, London's crime and justice sector is facing a challenging time due to immigration politics. The UK Home Office has shown enhanced scrutiny towards asylum seekers from certain countries, such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nigeria, who have misused the immigration system by staying past their visa duration and applying for asylum. This profiling is part of the UK's general-news immigration crackdown, with politics encouraging further investigation into countries with high rates of asylum claims and visa overstays. As a result, individuals from these nations may find getting a work or study visa in London particularly complex.
