The United Kingdom is set to introduce stricter rules that could prevent universities from sponsoring international students, as part of efforts to curb alleged visa abuse and reduce asylum claims linked to study routes.
The UK Home Office announced the reforms on Thursday, saying the measures form part of a wider crackdown on immigration loopholes involving student visas.
A statement on its X handle said UK “universities will face a ban on recruiting international students if they fail to enforce new rules.”
Under the updated Basic Compliance Assessment framework, the Home Office said, “higher education institutions sponsoring student visas must now achieve a visa refusal rate below 5%, an enrolment rate of at least 95%, and course completion rate of at least 90%.”
The new policy will take effect immediately in phases, while a “traffic light” compliance rating system for universities is scheduled to be introduced from summer of 2027.
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