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 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.
