The UK government is considering tightening visa restrictions for nationalities deemed most likely to overstay and seek asylum in the country. According to reports, individuals from countries like Pakistan, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka may face difficulties in obtaining work and study visas to come to the UK. This move comes as ministers are concerned about people who enter the UK legally on visas for work or study and later apply for asylum, potentially allowing them to remain in the country permanently.
Although the Home Office has not released data on visa overstays since 2020 due to a review of exit checks’ accuracy, experts believe that restricting visas may only have a minimal effect on reducing asylum applications overall. Professor Jonathan Portes from UK in a Changing Europe highlighted that the main goal of the visa restrictions is to deter what is seen as abusive asylum claims, such as individuals initially entering as students and then switching to the asylum route. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who took office last year, has pledged to address both illegal and legal migration but has refrained from setting a net migration target.
Recent statistics show that nearly 100,000 individuals sought asylum in the UK in the year ending September 2024, with Pakistanis making up the largest group at over 9,500 claims. Furthermore, the UK hosted over 700,000 international students in 2023/24, predominantly from India and China. The Labour Party’s strategy to reduce migration includes criminalizing behaviors that endanger lives at sea, targeting small boat crossings, and enhancing local training programs to reduce reliance on migrant workers. The government plans to unveil more details of these immigration policies in an upcoming White Paper to address challenges in the current immigration system.
The Conservative government’s previous efforts to lower net migration levels, such as raising the minimum salary for skilled overseas workers and restricting care worker visas, have contributed to a decrease in net migration in recent years. Pressure to reform the immigration system has intensified, particularly after Reform UK’s success in local elections. The party advocates for a freeze on non-essential immigration, with exceptions granted to individuals with specific skills, like those in healthcare. As Labour faces growing demands for change in immigration policies, plans to combat visa overstaying are already in progress and are expected to be detailed in the upcoming White Paper set to be released in May
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
