Crackdown on legal visa abuse stems surge in asylum claims
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-03)

Government action led to a 10% fall in student asylum claims.

The significant growth in asylum claims from legal migration routes has been stemmed following tough new measures introduced in the first year of this government.

The crackdown included a record number of credibility interviews and mandating a genuine study requirement for short-term student routes, as part of the Plan for Change to strengthen border security and close asylum hotels.

These have resulted in a significant increase in visa application refusals and a 10% fall in student asylum claims, new Home Office data shows.

Asylum applications from work, study and tourist visa-holders more than tripled under the previous government and accounted for 37% (41,400) of overall claims in the year ending June 2025.

International students made up the highest proportion of claimants at 40%, followed by 29% from work visas and 24% visitors.

Stricter screening has seen refusal rates for short-term study visas increase from 45% to 68%, while skilled worker rejections surged from 3% in 2023 to 21% in June 2025. Among nationalities with high rates of asylum claims, the refusal rate was much larger still – lessening asylum accommodation pressures.

To reduce this further, the government has launched a direct messaging campaign to remind students their visas are expiring. The first-of-its-kind communication comes during the autumn period where asylum applications typically spike and is part of continued Home Office measures to improve visa compliance.

Border Security and Asylum Minister Dame Angela Eagle said:

We are taking decisive action to halt the significant growth we inherited in asylum claims from legal routes – which had more than tripled since 2022.

While the UK will always be open to the best of international talent, our visa system must not be used as a backdoor to claim asylum.

Through innovative measures like directly messaging students for the first time, the government is working to prevent dubious claims that cause unacceptable delays, incur costs to the taxpayer and threaten the integrity of Britain’s borders.

Nearly 10,000 students and dependants received the guidance last week, with tens of thousands more expected to receive it over the coming weeks as their visa expiry dates approach.

It warns that claims without merit will be swiftly and robustly refused, and those without a legal right to remain in the UK must leave or face removal.

Meanwhile, the Home Office is improving data-sharing with education institutions to support them in recruiting genuine students. Engagement activity spans the sector, including representative bodies and individual institutions.

Education providers responsible for offering places to international students must also treat their roles as sponsors with the diligence and seriousness that those roles demand.

In the Immigration White Paper, the government committed to raising the minimum requirements for institutions sponsoring students, and reducing the ability for graduates to remain in the UK after their studies on the Graduate route from 2 years to 18 months.

Alongside these measures, the introduction of visit visa requirements has all but eliminated asylum claims on arrival from countries where evidence showed high levels of abuse.

While asylum seekers on work and study routes typically claim at the end of their visa, visitors more often apply on arrival.

Asylum claims on arrival by tourists from Colombia and Jordan plummeted by 98% and 97% respectively within 3 months of introduction, while Trinidad and Tobago saw an 84% reduction. Overall, port asylum claims are now down 75% from their peak.