….Nearly 15,000 students sought asylum after visa expiry in 2025
…Nigerians among thousands flagged in Home Office campaign
The United Kingdom government has placed international students, including thousands of Nigerians, on a strict watchlist following rising cases of visa breaches and asylum claims.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), tens of thousands of foreign students are currently being contacted by the UK Home Office and warned against overstaying their visas, with the threat of deportation hanging over violators.
The Home Office confirmed on Tuesday that it had begun sending emails and text messages to students, warning them of “swift removal” if they remain in the country beyond the validity of their visas.
The measure is part of a fresh clampdown on what officials described as an “alarming increase” in asylum applications by students after their visas expired.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC that many students were now seeking asylum “even when things haven’t changed in their home country,” a development she said undermines the integrity of the immigration system.
Official records revealed that between January and June 2025 alone, about 14,800 asylum claims — representing 13 per cent of all applications — came from people who initially entered Britain on student visas.
The latest campaign follows Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s tough stance on illegal migration. In a recent post on his official Facebook page, Starmer declared: “My message is clear: Illegal entry means detention. Illegal work means arrest. Foreign national offenders will be deported.”
Starmer’s administration has already introduced tighter immigration rules, including compulsory English language tests for all applicants.
In May, shortly after Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch renewed calls for the controversial “deportation bill,” the Prime Minister announced the end of Britain’s open border policy.
The crackdown is not limited to students. Earlier this year, the UK government suspended the recruitment of caregivers from Nigeria and several other countries over exploitation concerns, while more than 100 occupations were removed from its immigration system.
The escalating restrictions are expected to unsettle thousands of Nigerian students and families who depend on British education as a pathway to career and residency opportunities.
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