UK universities slash intake from Pakistan and Bangladesh amid visa crackdown

Several universities in the United Kingdom have suspended or restricted admissions for students from Pakistan and Bangladesh following tougher immigration rules and rising concerns over alleged visa abuse.

The move, detailed in a report by the Financial Times, comes as at least nine higher-education institutions classify those countries as “high-risk” for student visas and tighten their enrollment policies to protect their right to sponsor international applicants.

Among the institutions taking action, University of Chester has suspended recruitment from Pakistan until autumn 2026, citing a “recent and unexpected rise in visa refusals.”

The University of Wolverhampton is no longer accepting undergraduate applications from either Pakistan or Bangladesh, and University of East London has paused recruitment from Pakistan altogether.

UK crackdown — key numbers & facts

• At least 9 UK universities have restricted or suspended admissions from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

• Visa refusal rates: Pakistan ~18%, Bangladesh ~22% — far above the new 5% sponsor limit.

• New Home Office rule: Institutions risk losing their licence if refusal rates exceed 5%.

• Recruitment paused by: University of Chester, Wolverhampton, East London, Sunderland, Coventry, Hertfordshire, Oxford Brookes, Glasgow Caledonian and BPP University.

• 1 in 2 refusals in the last year involved applicants from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

• 23,036 student visa refusals recorded by the Home Office in the year to September 2025.

• Common reason cited: surge in asylum claims lodged by students after arrival.

• Pakistan student visas granted in 2025: approx. 36,900 (third highest nationality).

• Critics say poor oversight of recruitment agents has encouraged visa misuse.

• UK universities warn the new rules could hurt institutions dependent on international fees.

Other institutions — including University of Sunderland, Coventry University, University of Hertfordshire, Oxford Brookes University, Glasgow Caledonian University and private provider BPP University — have either halted or scaled back admissions from the two countries under what they describe as risk-mitigation steps.

The crackdown follows major regulatory changes introduced in September 2025. The UK Home Office tightened the Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) guidelines, reducing the allowable student-visa refusal rate for sponsor institutions from 10 percent to just 5 per cent.

However, visa refusal rates in 2025 for applicants from Pakistan and Bangladesh — 18 percent and 22 percent respectively — far exceed that threshold.

Together, students from the two countries made up half of the 23,036 study-visa refusals reported by the Home Office during the year to September 2025.

Spike in rejections

The spike in rejections and a wave of asylum claims by international students spurred the move, prompting government officials to warn the study route “must not be used as a backdoor” to settlement in Britain.

The crackdown has sparked frustration among education advisers, many of whom say the restrictions unfairly penalise genuine students caught up in stricter institutional compliance. One such adviser, from a Lahore-based agency, called the decision “heartbreaking.”

Universities UK International has acknowledged the urgency of the situation, calling for diversification in recruitment — including tighter vetting and better partnerships with overseas agents — to retain their sponsor licences while continuing to admit international students. Meanwhile, the Home Office has defended the move as necessary to maintain the integrity of the student visa system.