Why are UK universities restricting recruitment of Bangladeshi, Pakistani students?

British universities have long depended on international students to balance their finances and maintain globally diverse campuses. But many of those same institutions are now quietly tightening admissions from two of their largest applicant groups: students from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Universities insist the move is about compliance with tougher Home Office rules, not discrimination, yet the outcome is clear. More students from these countries are being blocked, deferred, or removed from consideration as institutions fear breaching new visa requirements.

Here is an explainer of what is happening and why.

What triggered the sudden restrictions?

According to the Financial Times, at least nine UK universities have imposed limits on recruitment from "high-risk" countries due to concerns about visa abuse and heightened Home Office scrutiny.

This comes after a rise in asylum claims by international students, prompting Border Security Minister Dame Angela Eagle to warn that student visas "must not be used as a backdoor" to settling in Britain.

Examples of new restrictions

Several universities have taken direct action:

• University of Chester has suspended recruitment from Pakistan until autumn 2026 due to a "recent and unexpected rise in visa refusals."

• University of Wolverhampton is no longer accepting undergraduate applicants from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

• University of East London has paused recruitment from Pakistan.

• Sunderland and Coventry have suspended recruitment from both Pakistan and Bangladesh.

• London Metropolitan University confirmed it stopped recruiting from Bangladesh after the country accounted for 60% of its visa refusals.

Universities say these decisions are necessary. The University of Sunderland stated it makes "no apologies" for taking a firm approach "to protect the integrity" of the student visa system.

What changed in Home Office rules?

Earlier this year, the Home Office toughened the Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) criteria — a set of thresholds universities must meet to retain their licence to sponsor student visas.

Key changes (effective September):

• Visa refusal rate must now stay below 5%, down from 10%.

• These changes are part of broader immigration reforms aimed at reducing net migration, now at a four-year low.

Why Pakistan and Bangladesh are affected most

Visa refusal rates for the year to September 2025 were:

•  Pakistan: 18%

• Bangladesh: 22%

Both are far higher than the new 5% limit. The two countries also made up half of the 23,036 visa applications rejected by the Home Office in that period.

Asylum claims from Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals have also increased — many entering originally on wo rk or study visas.

Why universities are worried

If universities exceed refusal-rate thresholds, they risk losing sponsorship rights — a move that would cripple their international recruitment revenue.

Vincenzo Raimo, an international higher education consultant, said the crackdown created a "real dilemma" for lower-fee universities that depend heavily on overseas enrolments.

"Even small numbers of problematic cases can threaten universities' compliance with Home Office thresholds," he added.

Several other institutions have made temporary changes:

• University of Hertfordshire, currently under a Home Office action plan, has suspended recruitment from Pakistan and Bangladesh until September 2026, citing "long visa processing times."

• Glasgow Caledonian University, also under an action plan, told staff in July it must make "temporary changes to international student intake," calling new metrics "stringent" and stating "doing nothing is not an option." Recruitment pauses for September have since been lifted for January courses.

• Oxford Brookes has paused January 2026 undergraduate recruitment from Pakistan and Bangladesh due to "visa processing times," but will resume for September that year.

• BPP University, a private institution, temporarily halted recruitment from Pakistan as part of a "risk mitigation" strategy.

Impact on students and overseas education agents

The restrictions have left many genuine students stranded.

Maryem Abbas, founder of Edvance Advisors in Lahore, called the decisions "heartbreaking," saying students had applications withdrawn at the final stage.

She argued that UK universities helped create the incentives behind dubious applications and urged them to scrutinise their overseas recruitment agents more carefully.

"Hundreds of agencies in Pakistan honestly don't really care about where the student goes," she said, calling the sector a "moneymaking business."

Home Office estimates published in May indicated:

• 22 higher education institutions would fail at least one tightened BCA criterion.

• 5 universities would lose sponsorship rights for at least a year — potentially cutting 12,000 international students.

Jamie Arrowsmith, director at Universities UK International, said institutions may need to diversify recruitment and strengthen application screening to comply with the new rules.

While stricter rules "may be challenging," he said they are necessary to maintain public confidence.

The Home Office said it "strongly values" international students, adding:

"That's why we're tightening the rules to ensure those coming here are genuine students and education providers take their responsibilities seriously."