UK visa rules cause decline in foreign students from India, Pakistan

The United Kingdom is seeing a sharp rise in withdrawn student visa applications from Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and India, as universities pull back from recruiting international students amid tighter immigration rules. 

In the first half of 2026, 10.5 per cent of study visa applications were withdrawn, compared with 2.3 per cent in the same period in 2025 and 0.4 per cent in 2023. The increase has been particularly steep for Pakistani applicants, with more than two in five applications withdrawn.

Based on Home Office data, a Financial Times report finds



that universities are increasingly revoking offers to overseas applicants to avoid breaching a stricter visa compliance threshold. Institutions that see more than 5 per cent of prospective international students with offers subsequently refused a visa now risk losing the right to recruit international students, down from the earlier threshold of 10 per cent. 

The change has prompted universities to reconsider recruitment from countries where visa refusals have risen, raising concerns about the impact on students, higher education institutions and the wider British economy.