The United Kingdom has introduced tougher immigration rules that could see universities lose the right to recruit international students, including Nigerians, if they fail to meet new compliance standards.
The UK Home Office said this in a statement on Friday, stressing that the reforms aim to reduce visa system abuse linked to study, work, and tourist routes connected to rising asylum claims.
According to the Home Office, under the new rule, universities risk losing their sponsorship licence if more than 5% of student visa applications are refused, down from the previous 10% threshold.
It noted that institutions would also be judged on performance, including a 95% enrolment rate and 90% course completion rate, compared to earlier targets of 90% and 85%.
The Home Office reiterated that failure to meet these standards could lead to sanctions, including losing the ability to admit foreign students.
“High drop-out rates can indicate students have entered the illegal working economy rather than studying whilst, high visa rejection rates or low enrolment figures suggest some institutions have not done enough due diligence on applicants,” the Home Office said
The policy follows earlier restrictions on study visa applicants from countries including Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan.
The government also said asylum claims from international students have dropped by 30% following stricter enforcement.
About 306,000 students with expiring visas have been warned to leave the UK or face removal if they submit unfounded asylum claims.
