UK Universities Suspend Admissions from Pakistan and Bangladesh Due to Rising Visa Misuse Concerns

Following a concerning rise in asylum applications from international students, multiple British universities have implemented admission restrictions for applicants from Pakistan and Bangladesh, triggering significant controversy among prospective students.

London:

Several UK universities have begun limiting or completely suspending admissions from Pakistan and Bangladesh, responding to increasing visa abuse concerns and pressure from the UK Home Office to reduce fraudulent applications.

The Financial Times reports that at least nine academic institutions have halted recruitment from these "high-risk" countries after noting a troubling surge in asylum applications submitted by international students.

According to the report, the University of Chester has suspended student recruitment from Pakistan until autumn 2026, citing an unexpected increase in visa denials. Similarly, the University of Wolverhampton and the University of East London have stopped accepting undergraduate applications from Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals.

Sunderland and Coventry universities have also implemented comparable restrictions, aiming to maintain the "integrity" of Britain's student visa system. These widespread measures follow the UK government's strengthening of Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) thresholds that determine whether institutions can sponsor international students.

The updated regulations require universities to maintain visa application refusal rates below 5 percent, significantly reduced from the previous 10 percent threshold. However, current visa rejection rates for Pakistan and Bangladesh stand at 18 and 22 percent respectively, substantially exceeding the new limits.

Additional institutions including Glasgow Caledonian, Oxford Brookes, Hertfordshire, BPP University, and London Metropolitan have also suspended recruitment from these countries, citing extended visa processing periods and "compliance risks." London Metropolitan University reported that Bangladeshi applicants alone represented 60 percent of their visa refusals.

Education consultant Maryem Abbas described these policies as "heartbreaking" for legitimate students whose academic aspirations in the UK have been suddenly halted. She attributed responsibility to both British universities and Pakistani agencies for establishing a profit-oriented system that facilitates questionable applications. While the Home Office maintains it "strongly values" international students, it insists that stricter regulations are necessary to prevent the visa system from becoming a "backdoor to migration."