Universities will be barred from accepting foreign students if they fail to prevent their courses being used as a back door for migrants claiming asylum in the UK.
As part of a fresh government crackdown, universities will be penalised if fewer than 95 per cent of international students accepted on to a course start their studies, or fewer than 90 per cent continue to the end. Institutions that accept foreign students will face sanctions if more than 5 per cent of their visas are rejected.
The plans, which are expected to be announced next month, are designed to prevent the growing numbers of foreign nationals using study visas to enter the UK and then claim asylum.
The UK is also set to begin a pilot scheme with France to return migrants. Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, is expected to sign a deal on Wednesday so that about 50 people a week who enter the UK on small boats are sent back to France during a trial of the plans, before it is rolled out fully.
Under the terms of the “one in, one out” deal, the UK has pledged to take the equivalent number of asylum seekers through a legal route, as long as they have not previously tried to enter the country illegally.
Government sources said the signing ceremony was an indication of tacit endorsement of the bilateral deal by the European Union, given the commission has spent weeks assessing its legal implications and migration is a bloc-wide issue. They were confident the EU had “given the green light”, allowing the returns deal to begin imminently.
Last year 16,000 asylum claims related to foreign students who had come to the UK legally on a study visa, some of whom went on to claim free, taxpayer-funded accommodation and allowances while awaiting the outcome of their asylum application.
The Home Office has said that the majority of students claiming asylum do so as they approach their visa expiry date, indicating they are using the student route to make claims for humanitarian protection when circumstances in their country have not changed.
The worst-performing universities will be named and shamed. Limits will be imposed on the number of new international students they can recruit until they have improved and those who fail to do so will be stripped of their ability to sponsor study visas altogether.
Foreign students contributed £12.1 billion in revenue to universities in 2023-24, nearly a quarter of their total income. There were 732,285 overseas students studying at UK higher education providers in the same academic year, 25 per cent of the total student population.
At some universities, international students account for as many as two thirds of all students. Those in big cities such as London and Manchester tend to attract the highest numbers but other institutions with a high proportion of international students include the University of Hertfordshire, with 55 per cent, the University of Bedfordshire (38 per cent), Coventry University (42 per cent) and Southampton (36 per cent).
Universities UK, which represents more than 140 institutions, said many universities went beyond the Home Office requirements by taking additional steps when assessing international applications to ensure people were not using the course as a back door to claiming asylum. It said the Home Office must share more up-to-date data with universities to respond to emerging risks.
Last year 40,000 asylum claims were lodged by people who had come to the UK legally on a visa, 37 per cent of the total 108,000 asylum claims in 2024 and more than the 35,000 asylum applications from migrants who arrived on small boats.
Nearly 10,000 asylum seekers who initially came to the UK on a visa were living in taxpayer-funded accommodation, such as hotels, at some point last year.
Cooper is also planning to announce new sanctions on countries whose citizens are routinely abusing Britain’s visa routes. This could include restricting the number of visas allowed each year or withdrawing visa-free travel for citizens of countries with high asylum rates.
Home Office officials have identified Pakistani, Nigerian and Sri Lankan visa holders as the most likely to go on to apply for asylum. Visa applicants from these countries will face closer monitoring, including investigating their social media interactions and scrutinising their bank statements for signs that their real intention is to claim asylum.
Dame Angela Eagle said targeted visa restrictions would ease pressure on the asylum system
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Dame Angela Eagle, the border security minister, said: “The evidence is clear: targeted visa restrictions work. They protect our borders, reduce pressure on our asylum system, and ensure the immigration system also serves Britain’s interests.
“The UK will always welcome genuine visitors, workers and students, but we will not tolerate this kind of systematic abuse. The rules must be respected and enforced, and we will not hesitate to impose even tighter visa controls where necessary.”
However, the Conservatives said much more radical changes were necessary to clamp down on abuse.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “These proposals amount to minor tinkering around the edges and will make little real difference, which is typical of announcements by this government.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said the government’s proposals amounted to “minor tinkering” that would not solve the problem
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“Far too many foreign students are using the pretext of study as a route into the UK. Some courses are extremely low quality and have students who barely speak any English.
“A number of universities are essentially selling UK visas rather than selling an education. This abuse needs to be shut down. The last Conservative government rightly ended the farce of students being able to bring family in with them but a lot more real action is now needed.
“No one who says they are coming here as a student should be able to later claim asylum or use a student visa as a basis to be able to stay permanently.”