The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Several British universities have stopped accepting applications from students based in Afghanistan, while others have imposed tighter restrictions amid growing concerns that the Home Office could revoke licences for institutions engaged in “risky” recruitment, British magazine *Times Higher Education* reported.
Bournemouth University and the University of Buckingham were
among those that have suspended applications from Afghan students hoping to
study in the U.K., citing a rise in visa refusals as part of the reason,
according to the report.
A spokesperson for Bournemouth University said the school
made “this difficult decision to ensure we continue to uphold our
responsibility to the U.K. Home Office as an approved sponsor for student
visas.”
“Every year we welcome students from all around the world,
but the U.K. has seen an increasing number of applicants from Iran and
Afghanistan being refused visas, so we have suspended applications from these
countries at this time,” the spokesperson said.
While Nottingham Trent University (NTU) continues to accept
applications from Afghan students, it has introduced a deadline by which
applicants must meet all conditions of their offer. The university noted that
in previous years, students based in Afghanistan have faced long processing
times with U.K. Visas and Immigration (UKVI), often preventing them from arriving
before courses begin.
Universities have also recently paused recruitment from
other countries, including Bangladesh and Pakistan, *Times Higher Education*
reported.
Earlier this year, the British government tightened
international student visa compliance rules, increasing the likelihood that
universities will be penalized if large numbers of international students are
refused visas, fail to enroll, or withdraw from their courses. Students who
later seek asylum in the U.K. could also negatively affect a university’s compliance
metrics.
This has led institutions to review recruitment from countries
deemed higher risk.
“UKVI has positioned higher education institutions as proxy
border police, where their Highly Trusted Sponsor status depends upon
demonstrating vague compliance criteria which have been interpreted and enacted
variously across the sector,” said Jenna Mittelmeier, senior lecturer in
international education at the University of Manchester.
She added that financial pressures have made universities
overly reliant on international tuition fees, leading them to “unjustly monitor
international students through suspicion and surveillance out of fear of losing
their sponsor status.”
According to official data, more than 8,000 Afghans claimed
asylum in the U.K. in the year ending June 2025 — the second-largest group by
nationality after Pakistan. Of those, 1,000 already held some form of
visa.
There are growing concerns about the safety of Afghan
students returning home after studying abroad, especially women, given the
Taliban’s ban on female higher education.
“Seeking asylum after entering the country on a student visa
is a legal and human right, despite the government’s attempts to make this
route more hostile,” Mittelmeier said. “By altering recruitment practices
despite their humanitarian toll, universities contribute to further
legitimising anti-migrant discourses and policies.”
Other universities continue to accept students from
countries considered higher risk but have added new restrictions.
