UK warns Nigerian students over visa overstays

The UK government has begun directly contacting tens of thousands of Nigerian and other international students, warning them to leave the country when their visas expire or face removal, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

 The Home Office has launched a new campaign to address what it describes as an “alarming” increase in student visa holders attempting to remain in the UK by claiming asylum. In a first-of-its-kind move, students are being contacted via text and email with formal warnings about the consequences of overstaying.

“If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you,” the messages read, according to the BBC.

Home Office data shows that around 15 per cent of asylum applications last year—roughly 16,000—were submitted by individuals who originally entered the UK on student visas. While it is unclear how many applied after their visas expired, officials say the pattern is significant enough to require immediate action.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC that some students are “claiming asylum even when things have not changed in their home country.” She emphasized that the government will continue to support genuine refugees but warned that students finishing their courses should not use asylum claims as a way to stay.

The rising number of students turning to the asylum system has also put pressure on overstretched asylum accommodation and hotel services. Around 10,000 students whose visas are nearing expiry have already received warnings, with a further 130,000 students and their families expected to be contacted in the coming months, coinciding with the busy autumn intake period.

The messages sent to students state in full:

“If you submit an asylum claim that lacks merit, it will be swiftly and robustly refused. Any request for asylum support will be assessed against destitution criteria. If you do not meet the criteria, you will not receive support. If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you.”

The crackdown is part of a broader tightening of immigration rules under the Labour government. In May, the Home Office announced stricter thresholds for universities on visa refusal and course completion rates to maintain their ability to sponsor international students.

While public attention has focused on small boat crossings across the Channel, ministers are increasingly concerned about legal entrants, such as students, who later switch to the asylum system. Of the 108,000 asylum applications made in the UK last year, about 40,000 were from people who arrived legally, including on work, study, or visitor visas, compared with around 35,000 from small boat arrivals. Student visa holders made up the largest group among legal entrants seeking asylum, nearly six times higher than in 2020, though numbers have since fallen by 10 per cent.

Cooper stressed that student visa asylum claims, while just over 10 per cent of total applications, must be addressed as part of broader system reforms. The government has also reduced the time overseas graduates can remain in the UK after completing their courses from two years to 18 months, and successful asylum claims from skilled worker visa holders have declined according to recent Home Office figures.