The UK government has issued a strong warning to international students: leave the country once your visa expires or face deportation.
In a new crackdown on overstayers, the Home Office has for the first time begun sending direct text and email messages to students whose visas are expiring. So far, 10,000 students have received the alerts, with tens of thousands more expected to be contacted in the coming months.
The warning is blunt: “If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you.” Authorities have also cautioned that asylum claims without solid legal grounds will be swiftly rejected.
This unprecedented campaign comes amid a sharp rise in asylum applications from international students. Between July 2024 and June 2025, the Home Office recorded more than 41,000 asylum claims from people who originally entered the UK legally, with students making up the largest share.
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For Nigerian students, the numbers are particularly striking. In 2024 alone, more than 16,000 international students filed asylum claims—nearly six times the number recorded in 2020. Although applications dipped slightly by around 10% in 2025, British ministers insist that further reductions are needed.
At the same time, the UK has tightened other migration routes. Earlier in 2025, the government shortened the post-study work period for foreign graduates from two years to just 18 months, limiting opportunities for students to gain work experience after completing their degrees.
While asylum claims from skilled worker visa holders are declining, the surge among students—especially Nigerians—highlights a deeper problem. Many analysts point to economic hardship, insecurity, and political uncertainty at home as reasons why young Nigerians are reluctant to return. For them, applying for asylum—whether successful or not—has become a last resort to avoid being forced back into a system they feel offers little hope.
This crackdown puts thousands of Nigerian students in the UK at a crossroads: return home to face uncertain futures, or risk deportation while trying to build new lives abroad.
