‘If you overstay your visa, we’ll deport you,’ UK warns foreign students

Tens of thousands of foreign students in the UK are receiving direct warnings from the government that they will be deported if they remain in the country after their visas expire. The Home Office said the action comes in response to a sharp rise in international students applying for asylum once their study visas end, despite little change in conditions in their home countries.

For the first time, text and email messages are being sent to students whose visas are due to expire. Around 10,000 have already been contacted, with many more expected to receive the warnings this autumn. The message makes clear that asylum claims without strong grounds will be “swiftly and robustly refused,” and that those without legal right to stay “must leave” or face removal.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the growing number of students using the asylum system was placing additional pressure on accommodation and hotel spaces. She stressed that while the UK remains committed to supporting genuine refugees, the government will not accept claims from those who simply overstay at the end of their studies.

Official figures show that 13% of asylum applications in the year to June came from people who first entered on study visas, amounting to about 14,800 cases—nearly six times more than in 2020. While applications have dropped by 10% since then, ministers want the number reduced further.

The clampdown comes alongside other measures to restrict student and graduate migration. Universities now face tougher rules on maintaining sponsorship licences if students fail to complete courses, while the post-study work visa has been shortened from two years to 18 months.

Cooper also confirmed that new refugee family reunion applications have been temporarily suspended, and that the first returns under the UK’s new “one in, one out” deal with France will begin later this month.