The Government is launching a new crackdown to stop migrants from using universities as a way into the UK, according to reports. Under the reported new plans, universities will not be allowed to accept students from overseas if they fail to prevent their courses from being used as a back door for asylum claims.
The proposals are expected to be announced next month and will see institutions penalised if less than 95% of international students they accept fail to start their course, or less than 90% continue to the end, reports say. It is set to be the latest in a number of measures recently introduced by the Government with pressure mounting over its immigration record, with small boat crossings in the English Channel at a record for this point in the year (25,000). It is thought the new move aims to prevent what is described as a growing number of foreign nationals using study visas to enter the UK before then claiming asylum.
As part of the plans, reported by The Times, universities that accept foreign students will be hit with sanctions if more than 5% of their visas are rejected.
Last year, there were 16,000 asylum claims from people who arrived in the UK on a study visa.
The Home Office said the majority of students that claim asylum do so as their visa begins to run out.
The worst-performing universities will be ‘named and shamed’, according to The Times, with limits introduced on the number of new international students that can be accepted until improvements are made.
Institutions that fail to do so will have their ability to sponsor study visas revoked, the report added.
Officials in the Home Office have reportedly identified Pakistani, Nigerian and Sri Lankan visa holders as the most likely to go on to apply for asylum.
Border Security Minister Dame Angela Eagle said: “The evidence is clear: targeted visa restrictions work.
“They protect our borders, reduce pressure on our asylum system, and ensure the immigration system also serves Britain’s interests.
“The UK will always welcome genuine visitors, workers and students, but we will not tolerate this kind of systematic abuse.
“The rules must be respected and enforced, and we will not hesitate to impose even tighter visa controls where necessary.”
However, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the proposals only “amount to minor tinkering around the edges and will make little real difference”.
“No one who says they are coming here as a student should be able to later claim asylum or use a student visa as a basis to be able to stay permanently,” he said.
Universities UK, which represents more than 140 institutions, told The Times that many unis go beyond Home Office requirements and carry out additional steps when assessing international applications to ensure people were not using the course as a back door to claiming asylum.
The news of the plans comes after the Government announced a crackdown on Channel smuggling gangs with a new £100 million funding boost.
The investment will pay for up to 300 extra National Crime Agency officers (NCA), detection technology and new equipment, the Government said.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “This additional funding will strengthen every aspect of our plan, and will turbo-charge the ability of our law enforcement agencies to track the gangs and bring them down, working with our partners overseas, and using state-of-the-art technology and equipment.
“Alongside our new agreements with France, this will help us drive forward our Plan for Change commitments to protect the UK’s border security and restore order to our immigration system.”
The package will also support the pilot of the new ‘one-in, one-out’ returns agreement between the UK and France.
Ms Cooper will reportedly sign a deal on Wednesday for the pilot to start.