The UK Home Office has warned that international students who overstay their visas face the risk of deportation.
As part of a new enforcement campaign, the government has begun reaching out to students directly via text and email — the first time such an approach is being used.
According to the BBC, about 10,000 students with visas nearing expiration have already received these messages, with tens of thousands more expected to be contacted in the coming months.
“If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you,” the Home Office message states.
The warning also stresses that asylum applications “lacking merit” will be rejected quickly.
Officials said the initiative was prompted by what ministers described as an “alarming” increase in students seeking asylum after their visas had expired.
Home Office data revealed that between July 2024 and June 2025, 41,100 asylum applications were submitted by individuals who had initially entered the UK legally on visas, with students forming the largest group.
In 2024 alone, international students filed 16,000 asylum claims — nearly six times higher than in 2020. Although that number has since declined by roughly 10 percent, ministers say they expect further reductions.
The department also highlighted a decrease in asylum claims from skilled worker visa holders.
Earlier this year, the government reduced the period foreign graduates can stay in the UK after completing their studies, cutting it from two years to 18 months.