A growing number of UK universities have suspended or restricted applications from Pakistan and Bangladesh as institutions come under sharper Home Office oversight.
This indeed means that the government’s newly tightened immigration thresholds—introduced to curb visa misuse and reduce net migration—now require universities to keep visa refusal rates below 5%, a bar many institutions fear they may breach.
For applicants from Pakistan and Bangladesh, refusal rates have surged to 18% and 22% respectively—far above the new limit. This spike follows a rise in asylum claims lodged by international students after arriving in the UK, prompting ministers to insist the student route must not become “a backdoor pathway” to settlement. This is also because over 14,800 students applied for asylum in the 12 months ending June 2025, as per gov.uk statistics.
Faced with the risk of losing their student-sponsorship licence, universities with historically high dependence on international enrolments have been forced into swift “risk-mitigation” measures. Several have paused recruitment entirely; others have restricted admissions to specific levels or intakes while they strengthen compliance procedures.
Sector experts such as Umer Rasib warn that the pressure is most acute for lower-fee institutions, where even a small cluster of problematic cases can trigger non-compliance. Home Office data released earlier this year indicated that more than 20 universities would fail at least one of the new compliance metrics if they made no changes.
Name of UK Universities which *Suspended Recruitment from Pakistan & Bangladesh
| University | Status | Countries Affected | Notes |
| University of Chester | Suspended until Autumn 2026 | Pakistan | Cited sharp rise in visa refusals |
| University of Wolverhampton | Not accepting undergraduate applicants | Pakistan & Bangladesh | Firm stance to protect visa system integrity |
| University of East London | Recruitment paused | Pakistan | Temporary suspension |
| University of Sunderland | Recruitment suspended | Pakistan & Bangladesh | Compliance-driven restrictions |
| Coventry University | Recruitment suspended | Pakistan & Bangladesh | Part of risk-mitigation strategy |
| University of Hertfordshire | Suspended until September 2026 | Pakistan & Bangladesh | Under Home Office action plan |
| Oxford Brookes University | Recruitment paused for January 2026 intake | Pakistan & Bangladesh | Plans to resume by September 2026 |
| Glasgow Caledonian University | Intake paused for selected programmes | Pakistan & Bangladesh | Temporary adjustments under tighter metrics |
| BPP University | Recruitment paused | Pakistan | Described as risk-mitigation |
| London Metropolitan University | Stopped recruiting | Bangladesh | Country accounted for majority of refusals |
Why the Crackdown Matters
- The Home Office now requires institutions to remain below a 5% visa refusal rate, down from 10%.
- Pakistani and Bangladeshi applicants recorded the highest refusal levels, contributing to half of all 23,036 visa rejections in the year to September 2025.
- Universities failing to comply risk losing sponsorship privileges for at least 12 months—potentially blocking thousands of international students.
While the sector acknowledges the need for robust oversight, critics argue that aggressive rule-tightening risks destabilizing financially stretched universities and undermining the UK’s global reputation as a welcoming study destination.