The British Home Office has begun a campaign warning tens of thousands of foreign students that they will not be allowed to remain in the UK once their visas expire.
According to the BBC, the government says the measure comes in response to what it described as a “worrying” increase in students applying for asylum after their study visas end.
Mass Notifications
Around 130,000 students and their families will receive emails or text messages reminding them of their obligations. The messages warn: “If you apply for asylum that does not meet the criteria, it will be immediately rejected. If you do not have the legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you do not, you will be removed.”
Officials argue the step is necessary to maintain control over migration and prevent misuse of the student visa system.
Wider Migration Measures
The initiative is the latest in a series of government actions aimed at reducing immigration. Interior Minister Yvette Cooper told Parliament that the first returns of migrants to France, under a new bilateral deal, will begin later in September.
The so-called “one in, one out” scheme, agreed with President Emmanuel Macron’s government, will see migrants who cross the Channel in small boats returned to France, while the UK accepts the same number of asylum seekers who applied through official channels.
Hotels and Asylum System Under Pressure
The government also announced a suspension of applications from recognized refugees seeking to bring family members into the country. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to accelerate the evacuation of hotels currently housing asylum seekers.
The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, has been at the center of protests in recent weeks after a resident was accused of sexually assaulting a teenager—allegations he denies. Starmer said his government intends to clear all asylum seekers from hotels by the end of the current parliamentary term in 2029, though he hinted the process could be completed earlier.
Mounting public discontent over immigration has boosted the populist Reform UK party, led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, which continues to show strong poll numbers. Analysts note that the Labour government is under growing pressure to demonstrate a tougher stance on migration.
