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The UK Home Office has launched a major campaign warning international students that they will be removed from the country if they remain after their visas expire.
For the first time, around 130,000 students and their families will be contacted directly by email and text, with officials citing an “alarming rise” in asylum applications from those whose study visas have lapsed.
The Home Office message makes the warning clear: “If you submit an asylum claim without merit, it will be swiftly refused. If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave; otherwise, we will remove you.”
Union leaders, however, criticised the move. Jo Grady, General Secretary of the University and College Union, called it an “attack on international students,” arguing it was more about political point-scoring than genuine immigration control.
Data shows that in the year to June 2025, more than 41,000 asylum claims came from people who had entered Britain legally on visas, with students making up 16,000 of those cases, which is nearly six times higher than in 2020. While recent figures show a 10% drop, ministers are pressing for sharper declines.
The policy shift comes amid mounting political pressure on the Labour government to take a tougher stance on migration, with opposition parties urging ministers to declare a “national emergency.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the campaign, saying it was a practical approach compared to the costly Rwanda scheme run by the previous Conservative government.
