UK government warns foreign students over visa overstays
The UK government has begun directly contacting tens of thousands of international students, warning they face removal if they overstay their visas, reports a Kazinform News Agency correspondent.
The Home Office said the campaign was launched in response to an “alarming” rise in students legally entering on study visas but later applying for asylum after their visas expire. For the first time, foreign students are being proactively contacted by text and email.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that some are claiming asylum “even when things haven’t changed in their home country.”
She added: “We obviously will do our bit to support genuine refugees, but if nothing has changed in their country, people should not be claiming asylum at the end of a student course.”
Official data show that around 13% of asylum applications in the year to June – about 14,800 cases – came from people who had originally arrived on a study visa. The Home Office says this is nearly six times higher than in 2020.
The messages warn: “If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you.” About 10,000 students have already been contacted, with tens of thousands more to follow in the autumn.
Earlier, it was reported that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump had proposed limiting the length of stay for foreign students, exchange visitors, and journalists in the United States.
