Labour unveils asylum crackdown to end ‘abuse’ of British universities

Labour has launched a crackdown on asylum claims from migrants on student visas, threatening punishments for higher education institutions across the country that fail to meet strict targets.

Speaking to GB News, Migration Minister Mike Tapp said his party's “firm but fair” measures would help “stop our immigration system being abused”.

Last year, nearly 11,000 people claimed asylum after arriving in the UK on a student visa.

This daunting figure is, in itself, 30 per cent down on the numbers seen under the previous Conservative government.

Despite the drop, Mr Tapp said measures to reduce numbers must “go further” while sitting down with the People's Channel.

He said: “We’ve seen far too many come on visas that are (for) work or study and then go on to claim asylum. We need to ensure that our visa routes are not being abused in that way."

Under the new plans, institutions that sponsor study visas will be required to meet stricter compliance standards, including higher thresholds for student attendance and course completion.

Those falling short could initially be placed under enhanced monitoring and improvement plans before facing restrictions on the number of international students they can recruit.

Persistent offenders could ultimately lose the right to sponsor overseas students altogether.

“There's obviously some discretion in some cases, but being quite firm on this means that universities are more likely to reach the standards that we as a country expect,” Mr Tapp explained.

However, the Dover MP admitted it would be “difficult to say” how many institutions would currently fail the new targets.

Previously leaked Home Office data highlighted concerns about a small number of institutions accounting for a disproportionate number of student-to-asylum cases.

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The figures, covering the year to March 2023, showed more than a third of claims were linked to just six institutions, with Study Group UK accounting for 804 cases.

It was followed by the University of Portsmouth (395), De Montfort University (310), the University of Hertfordshire (275), Coventry University (217) and the University for the Creative Arts (194).

Mr Tapp explained universities and colleges have been given a 12-month window to amend irregularities in their sponsorship programmes.

To that end, a new traffic light rating system will be introduced in summer 2027, publicly ranking institutions based on their compliance performance.

The scheme will classify universities according to how effectively they meet Home Office standards.

“What we do as the university, if it seems to be getting close to failing one of the metrics, then they'll be put on a 12-month plan, which means we can work together to help them combat the issues that are leading to them being on amber, for example.”

When asked, Mr Tapp confirmed that compliant institutions whose students claim asylum after leaving would not face sanctions.

“If they've left study, then it's not the university's responsibility,” he said.

However, Mr Tapp assured: “We're looking at how people are coming in on work visas and abusing that too, so there's a lot of work across the whole system to create this more orderly and controlled system.”

Mr Tapp was keen to stress the crackdown was being carried out hand in glove with higher education officials across the country.

He said: “This is a problem for all of us, and by working together and by me listening to them, and them, of course, understanding what the Home Office are looking to achieve, we're more likely to have even more success than we already are.

“I'm looking forward to working with universities going forward to ensure that as many as possible are complying.”

Mr Tapp also insisted prospective international students would still be welcome.

“It's really important that we're attracting the brightest and the best to this country, and we're really proud that we do that," he commented.

“There's nothing wrong with having international students coming here. Actually, I celebrate that… but at the same time, we have to have compliance.

“We want the brightest and the best, but of course, it has to be the right people.

“International students that are here, I say, welcome. You're valued, work hard, and there are great working opportunities in the country after you've finished your studies.

“For those who are fleeing war and persecution, we're a compassionate nation, and of course, we look to help, and we're developing safe and legal routes as well to help with that.

“We want an immigration system that's controlled, that's orderly, that's firm, but also it's fair, so we do attract the brightest and the best.”

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