The government is set to announce plans to restrict work and visa applications from nationalities that it is felt are most likely to overstay and then claim asylum, it has been reported.
According to a report in The Times, home secretary Yvette Cooper will aim to restrict work and study visa applications from a range of nationalities, including Pakistanis, Nigerians and Sri Lankans, who it believes are most likely to overstay and claim asylum.
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But these may not be the only nationalities subject to a crackdown, with the government planning to reject the visa applications of individuals who fit the profile of an applicant likely to go on to claim asylum once in the UK and are from countries with high rates of asylum claims.
It is understood the measures will be announced as part of the government’s Immigration White Paper, due to be published next week.
This will lay out prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s plan for reducing net migration, which stood at 728,000 last year, with this now becoming a key political priority in the wake of Reform’s successes in last week’s local elections.
However, the curbs are likely to prompt a backlash from those countries included, which may feel it discriminates against them. Legal sources have also pointed out that the move would be seen as discriminatory and be challenged in the courts.
A Home Office spokesperson told Sky News in a statement: “To tackle abuse by foreign nationals who arrive on work and study visas and go on to claim asylum, we are building intelligence on the profile of these individuals to identify them earlier and faster.
“We keep the visa system under constant review and where we detect trends, which may undermine our immigration rules, we will not hesitate to take action.
“Under our Plan for Change, our upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system.”
The Times, meanwhile, has said the Home Office is building intelligence to enable caseworkers to spot patterns in the profile of people who are most likely to abuse work and study visas as a loophole to claim asylum. They have earmarked Pakistani, Nigerian and Sri Lankan visa holders as the most likely to go on to apply for asylum, according to government sources.
Officials are working with the National Crime Agency (NCA) to build a model that would reject a visa claim from a migrant who fits the profile of someone likely to go on to claim asylum, it added.
They have identified patterns of behaviour – such as low engagement in university courses – of individuals who have used the routes to claim asylum, it added.
However, Sacha Wooldridge, partner and head of immigration at law firm Birketts, expressed scepticism at how likely, in practice, the Home Office will be able to limit visas in this way
“It is unlikely the Home Office would be able to implement blanket visa restrictions based on nationality of the applicant without incurring substantial legal challenge,” she said.
“The Home Office is more likely to use existing far-reaching powers to interrogate the genuineness of the applications received or use security concerns of certain demographics of applicants to justify refusals.
“This is something that we are already seeing day to day in Home Office decision making and evidenced by the notable increase in visa refusals and licence revocations in 2025,” Wooldridge added.
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