UK TO IMPOSE VISA RESTRICTIONS ON NIGERIAN, PAKISTANI, SRI LANKAN STUDENTS
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The United Kingdom, UK is stepping up efforts to restrict visa access for nationals of Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
This comes as a result of internal assessments which revealed that applicants from these countries are statistically more likely to overstay their visas and later seek asylum.
According to a report by The Times, the U.K. Home Office, working alongside the National Crime Agency (NCA), is developing data-driven models aimed at helping caseworkers flag visa applicants—particularly those applying for work or study permits—who may be using legal entry routes as a means to file future asylum claims.
The proposed restrictions are expected to affect two major visa categories: the Skilled Worker visa (Tier 4), which allows entry to individuals sponsored by U.K. employers, and the Student visa (Tier 2), intended for international students.
The initiative comes amid growing political and public pressure on the Home Office to address the rise in asylum applications from individuals who initially entered the country legally.
Government data released in March revealed that nearly 10,000 asylum seekers in 2023 had first arrived on student or work visas.
Many were later accommodated in government-funded housing, including hotels.
Pakistani, Nigerian, and Sri Lankan nationals represented the largest share of these cases.
The profiling strategy, however, has drawn criticism from immigration experts and civil rights advocates, who question the fairness, accuracy, and ethical implications of targeting applicants based on nationality and predictive modeling.
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