Connect with us

Education

Leave before visa expires, UK warns foreign students

Published

8 months ago

on

Tens of thousands of international students in the United Kingdom are being directly contacted by the government with a warning: leave the country when your visa expires or face removal, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

The Home Office has launched a new campaign aimed at tackling what it describes as an “alarming” rise in student visa holders attempting to stay in the UK by claiming asylum.

In a first-of-its-kind move, the government is now proactively contacting students via text and email to issue formal warnings about the consequences of overstaying.

The campaign came amid growing concern in Whitehall about students using the asylum system as a way to remain in the country after their studies end.

“If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you,” the messages read, as reported by BBC.

According to Home Office data, around 15 per cent of asylum applications last year—approximately 16,000—were submitted by people who originally arrived on student visas. While the data does not specify how many of those were made after visas had expired, officials say the pattern is clear enough to warrant immediate action.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC that some students are “claiming asylum even when things have not changed in their home country.”

She added, “We obviously will do our bit to support genuine refugees, but if nothing has changed in their country, people should not be claiming asylum at the end of a student course.”

See also  Military defends Borno strike as death toll rises

Cooper also said the growing number of students entering the asylum system is placing added pressure on already overstretched asylum accommodation and hotel services.

Around 10,000 students whose visas are nearing expiry have already received direct warnings.

A further 130,000 students and their families are expected to be contacted in the coming months, coinciding with the busy autumn intake period, according to the BBC.

The message being sent reads in full, “If you submit an asylum claim that lacks merit, it will be swiftly and robustly refused.

“Any request for asylum support will be assessed against destitution criteria. If you do not meet the criteria, you will not receive support.

“If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you,” as reported by BBC.

The crackdown is part of a broader tightening of immigration rules under the Labour government. In May, the Home Office announced that universities would face stricter thresholds on visa refusal and course completion rates to maintain their ability to sponsor international students.

While much public attention has focused on small boat arrivals across the Channel, ministers are increasingly concerned about legal entrants—such as students—who later switch to the asylum system.

Of the 108,000 asylum applications made in the UK last year, around 40,000 came from people who arrived legally, including on work, study, or visitor visas. By contrast, about 35,000 came from small boat crossings, BBC reported.

Among legal entrants, student visa holders made up the largest group seeking asylum, with numbers almost six times higher than in 2020. Although the figure has since fallen by 10 per cent, the Home Office wants further reductions.

See also  Reps seek urgent upgrade of ABU, UI, UNN

Cooper acknowledged that student visa asylum claims account for just over 10 per cent of total applications but insisted that “to fix the system, we must tackle every single bit of it.”

The government has also moved to reduce the amount of time overseas graduates can stay in the UK after completing their courses, from two years to 18 months.

The number of successful asylum claims from skilled worker visa holders has also declined, according to recent Home Office figures.

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

TUMBLR

INSTAGRAM

Post Views: 1,670
Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Education

Tinubu Makes Fresh Appointment In Education Sector (Full List)

Published

2 days ago

on

April 22, 2026

By

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Prof. Modupe Adeola Adelabu as Chairman of the Governing Board for the National Examination Council (NECO) and retained the current registrar, Professor Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi.

It was reports that the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Wednesday, disclosed that Tinubu made new appointments in the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE), the Federal Polytechnic in N’yak Shendam, Plateau State, and the National Library of Nigeria, all institutions under the Federal Ministry of Education.

According to the statement, Dr Bongfa Binfa was appointed as Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, N’yak-Shendam, Plateau State, while the tenure of Prof. Chinwe Veronica Anunobi was renewed as Director/Chief Executive of the National Library of Nigeria.

Tinubu approved the appointment of Binfa to succeed the pioneer Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, N’yak-Shendam, Dr Mukaila Zakari Ya’u, whose tenure expired on March 16, 2026.

Binfa’s appointment will be for a single term of five years, following the conclusion of the process for appointing a new Rector through a public advertisement in national dailies in September 2025.

Tinubu also appointed Professor Babatunde Salako as the NBTE chairman and reappointed the incumbent executive secretary, Prof Idris M Bugaje, for a second and final five-year term.

The statement stressed, “Professor Adelabu, who chairs NECO, is a retired Professor of educational administration who rose through the ranks to full professorship at the Obafemi Awolowo University. She was a former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State (2013- 2014) and the Chairman of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) between 2018 and 2021.

See also  Adelabu set to resign as Power Minister for Oyo guber contest 

“Prof. Babatunde Salako, the new chair of NBTE, is a globally respected researcher with decades of experience in higher education, institutional governance and national policy leadership.

“He previously served as the Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) from 2016 to 2024, a period during which the institute experienced significant revitalisation, enhanced research governance, expanded international collaborations, and improved infrastructure and research outputs.

“Dr Binfa holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Mechanical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Before this appointment, Dr Binfa was Deputy Rector (Academic) at the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny. He was also a Lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Federal Polytechnic, Idah.”

President Tinubu also approved the renewal of the tenure of Prof. Chinwe Veronica Anunobi as CEO of the National Library of Nigeria for a final term of five years.

Anunobi was first appointed on September 2, 2021, and since assuming office, has led several institutional reforms aimed at repositioning the National Library as a modern technology-driven knowledge institution, including the development and operationalisation of the National Repository of Nigeria, the Newspaper and Magazine Locator, the Index and Abstract to Nigerian Newspapers, and the National Virtual Library of Nigeria.

The statement added, “She has also played a strategic role in advancing the long-awaited completion of the National Library Headquarters project and in initiating plans to migrate heritage collections from the 34 state branches to the new headquarters in Abuja.

“The President expects that the renewal of her tenure would ensure continuity in the implementation of ongoing reforms, completion of the National Library Headquarters project, and execution of the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan of the institution.”

See also  PHOTOS: 200-level Niger State varsity d!es after collapsing in her off-campus residence

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

Post Views: 33
Continue Reading

Education

Tinubu appoints NECO, NBTE chairmen, names poly rector, renews library DG tenure

Published

2 days ago

on

April 22, 2026

By

President Bola Tinubu has approved new appointments across key education agencies, including the National Examinations Council and the National Board for Technical Education.

According to a statement on Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the appointments are part of efforts to strengthen institutions under the Federal Ministry of Education.

The President appointed Prof. Modupe Adeola Adelabu as Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Examinations Council, while retaining the Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi.

He also named Prof. Babatunde Salako as Chairman of the National Board for Technical Education, while earlier reappointing the Executive Secretary, Prof. Idris Bugaje, for a second and final term of five years.

In the polytechnic sector, Tinubu appointed Dr Bongfa Binfa as Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, N’yak-Shendam, Plateau State, for a single term of five years. Binfa succeeds the pioneer rector, Dr Mukaila Zakari Ya’u, whose tenure ended in March 2026.

Until his appointment, Binfa was the Deputy Rector (Academic) at the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny, and previously lectured at the Federal Polytechnic, Idah.

The President also renewed the tenure of Prof. Chinwe Veronica Anunobi as Director-General of the National Library of Nigeria for a final term of five years.

Anunobi, who was first appointed in September 2021, has led “several institutional reforms aimed at repositioning the National Library as a modern technology-driven knowledge institution” including the development of digital platforms such as the National Repository of Nigeria and the National Virtual Library.

The statement noted that Adelabu, a former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State and ex-chairman of the NBTE, brings extensive experience in educational administration, while Salako is a former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research.

See also  NELFUND extends loan application deadline

It added that the renewal of Anunobi’s tenure is expected to ensure continuity in ongoing reforms and the completion of the National Library headquarters project in Abuja.

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

Post Views: 48
Continue Reading

Education

JAMB releases Monday’s UTME results

Published

3 days ago

on

April 21, 2026

By

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the results of candidates who sat the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on Monday, April 20.

Its spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in a statement released on Tuesday, directing affected candidates to the board’s standard result-checking channels.

“The results for Monday, 20th, have been released. Candidates can view their results using the usual process,” the statement read.

Candidates can access their scores by sending “UTMERESULT” to 55019 or 66019 via SMS, using the phone number with which they registered for the examination.

Monday’s release is the latest in a series of daily result announcements that JAMB has been making since the 2026 UTME commenced on Thursday, April 16.

The exercise, which involves over two million candidates sitting computer-based tests at centres across the country, has seen the board publish results in batches corresponding to each examination day.

The board started the process by releasing results for Thursday’s candidates, followed by a combined batch covering Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18.

The Friday-Saturday release, however, came later than candidates had expected. JAMB had initially indicated the results would be available on Saturday but failed to meet that timeline, drawing frustration from candidates who waited through the night.

The board subsequently apologised, attributing the delay to the absence of its chief executive, who was occupied with an official engagement.

The results were eventually published on Sunday, April 19, before the board moved on to process and release the Monday batch.

See also  Adelabu set to resign as Power Minister for Oyo guber contest 

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

Post Views: 65
Continue Reading

Trending