UK Tightens Visa Rules, May Ban Universities From Admitting Nigerian students, others

The United Kingdom has introduced tougher immigration rules that could see universities lose the right to recruit international students, including Nigerians, if they fail to meet new compliance standards.

The UK Home Office said the reforms aim to reduce visa system abuse linked to study, work, and tourist routes connected to rising asylum claims.

Under the new rule, universities risk losing their sponsorship licence if more than 5% of student visa applications are refused, down from the previous 10% threshold.

Institutions will also be judged on performance, including a 95% enrolment rate and 90% course completion rate, compared to earlier targets of 90% and 85%. Failure to meet these standards could lead to sanctions, including losing the ability to admit foreign students.

The Home Office said: “High drop-out rates can indicate students have entered the illegal working economy rather than studied whilst high visa rejection rates or low enrolment figures suggest some institutions have not done enough due diligence on applicants.”

The policy follows earlier restrictions on study visa applicants from countries including Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan. The government also said asylum claims from international students have dropped by 30% following stricter enforcement.

About 306,000 students with expiring visas have been warned to leave the UK or face removal if they submit unfounded asylum claims.