UK universities restrict admissions for Pakistani and Bangladeshi students amid rising visa refusals

UK universities restrict admissions for Pakistani and Bangladeshi students

Several leading universities across the United Kingdom have suspended or restricted new admissions for students from Pakistan and Bangladesh following the enforcement of stricter immigration controls and an alarming rise in visa-refusal rates, according to a recent report by the Financial Times. The move, widely discussed across world news platforms and global education forums, has sparked concern among thousands of prospective applicants who were preparing to begin their studies in early 2026.

Under the UK Home Office’s updated regulations, higher-education institutions sponsoring international students must now maintain a visa refusal rate below 5 per cent, a significant tightening compared to the previous limit of 10 per cent. However, official data shows that refusal rates for Pakistani and Bangladeshi applicants have jumped to approximately 18 per cent and 22 per cent respectively in the year ending September 2025, far exceeding the permissible threshold.

As a result, at least nine British institutions — including the University of Chester, University of Wolverhampton, University of East London, University of Sunderland, Coventry University, University of Hertfordshire, Oxford Brookes University, Glasgow Caledonian University and private provider BPP University — have paused, limited, or postponed admissions from what are now classified as “high-risk” countries.

The University of Chester has suspended all student recruitment from Pakistan until autumn 2026, citing a sharp and unexpected rise in visa refusals. The University of Wolverhampton has stopped accepting undergraduate applications from both Pakistan and Bangladesh, while the University of East London has halted all new applications from Pakistani students entirely.

The restrictions come at a time when UK authorities are expressing increasing concern over a surge in asylum claims filed by international students, many of whom first entered the country on study or work visas. Government officials have repeatedly stressed that the student visa route “must not be used as a backdoor” to long-term residency, a stance that has influenced the stricter enforcement mechanisms now being applied across universities.

Education advisers in Pakistan have described the sudden wave of suspensions as distressing and deeply unfair to genuine applicants who have followed all legal requirements. Many argue that weaknesses in the oversight of recruitment agents have allowed fraudulent applications to increase, transforming what should be a regulated academic process into what some experts have called a “moneymaking business.” The consequences of these systemic lapses, they say, are now falling squarely on genuine students.

For thousands of hopeful applicants, the timing of the restrictions could not be worse. Many had already received conditional offers, paid processing fees, arranged accommodation, and prepared financial documents. With some academic programmes scheduled to start within weeks, students and families now find themselves facing severe uncertainty, financial losses, and the emotional strain of watching dreams abruptly placed on hold.

Despite ongoing appeals from education consultants and student groups, UK institutions have indicated that the restrictions will remain in place until visa refusal rates from Pakistan and Bangladesh fall below the new compliance threshold, a requirement that observers say may take considerable time.