By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The UK government has launched a new campaign aimed at curbing what it describes as an “alarming” rise in the number of international students attempting to remain in the country by claiming asylum.
The Home Office is now directly contacting tens of thousands of students via text and email to warn them to leave the country once their visas expire or face deportation.
According to a BBC report, the messages are the first of their kind, with around 10,000 students whose visas are nearing expiry having already received direct warnings. A further 130,000 students and their families are expected to be contacted in the coming months.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC that some students are “claiming asylum even when things have not changed in their home country.” She said that while the government would support “genuine refugees,” the misuse of the asylum system by students is putting added pressure on the UK’s overstretched asylum accommodation services.
Home Office data shows that around 16,000 asylum applications last year, or approximately 15% of the total, were submitted by people who originally arrived on student visas.
Students now represent the largest group of visa holders applying for asylum after their leave to remain ends. While the number of these claims has fallen by 10% this year, the government is determined to see further reductions.
The full message being sent to students warns that asylum claims “lacking merit” will be “swiftly and robustly refused” and that those without a legal right to remain will be removed.
The campaign is part of a broader crackdown on immigration by the Labour government, which has also reduced the post-study work visa period for graduates from two years to 18 months and introduced stricter compliance thresholds for universities to sponsor international students.