LONDON – In another bad news for Pakistanis, the government of United Kingdom is considering to restrict visas for Pakistanis, it emerged on Tuesday.
The move – which will also tighten visa conditions for other nationalities – comes after the ruling regime lost the local elections in the country.
The UK government is expected to announce a policy update regarding immigration in which new student visa applications from countries such as Pakistan, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka would be rejected.
No official word has been made by the Home Office as of now; however, sources close to the power corridors have confirmed that student visas would be restricted in the upcoming update.
Official confirmation regarding the student visa restrictions is expected next week when an Immigration White Paper would be released though the official data suggests that student visas are abused to seek asylum in the UK which is why the government would restrict student visas.
In this regard, the government has stated that 16,000 out of the 108,000 asylum seekers last year initially entered the country on student visas and then sought asylum in the country at the end of their student visa validity.
Pakistan, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka are set to face the visa ban primarily because these are the top countries of origin among those who enter the UK on a student visa and then apply for visa switch to seek residency in the country before seeking citizenship.
The official data from the Home Office released at the start of 2025 confirms that Pakistanis are at the top when it comes to those seeking asylum in the country.
In terms of figures, 10,542 Pakistani nationals claimed asylum last year which is why the government is expected to restrict student visas for Pakistanis in a new immigration plan. It is surprising to know that 25 percent of all the asylum claims originate from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq as per the official data.
Although the government has been tightening the visa conditions when Rishi Sunak was the premier, Keir Starmer, the incumbent premier had also promised to reduce both illegal and legal migration though experts believe the latest immigration policy change was triggered by the results of local elections.
Interestingly, UK local election results swung against Prime Minister Keir Starmer due to growing voter frustration over economic stagnation, rising living costs, and immigration which some believe is the reason why the immigration white paper would set the direction for policy changes and tightening of visa conditions for some nationalities including Pakistan.
The visa restrictions come on heels of the measures introduced by Rishi Sunak including increasing the minimum salary for skilled overseas workers wanting to come to the UK from £26,200 to £38,700 and banning care workers from bringing family dependents. Moreover, the Sunak regime had also banned students from bringing in dependents with very few exceptions.
