The number of asylum claims by people who entered the UK on a study visa is falling after reaching record levels, according to new Home Office data.

Figures released on 21 August show there were 16,200 such claims across the whole of 2024, more than triple 2018 levels, when records began. 

But in the first two quarters of 2025 there were 6,700 claims, down from 8,100 in the equivalent period last year.

“While study visas have remained the most common visa to claim asylum on, claims have decreased in the latest year by 10 per cent,” the Home Office said.

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The rising number of former students claiming asylum has raised concerns among politicians and has been used as justification for policy interventions including the recent White Paper on immigration, which proposed a cut in the amount of time international graduates can stay in the UK post-study from two years to 18 months.

This came off the back of stricter visa rules introduced in January last year, which restricted dependant visas to students on research-based postgraduate programmes.

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The falling number of asylum claims was partly due to the falling number of study visas issued overall in the latest year, because of this new rule.

Despite the drop, asylum claimants who previously held a study visa, or who were dependants of students, were still equivalent to 3 per cent of all study visas in the most recent 12 months.

The latest figures show that in the year to June 2025, the UK issued 431,725 sponsored study visas, a fall of 18 per cent compared with the previous year.

Of the total visas granted, 96 per cent (413,921) were awarded to main student applicants, while only 17,804 went to dependants.

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This represents an 81 per cent drop in dependant visas year-on-year, compared with a relatively modest 4 per cent decline in main applicants, with numbers of the latter rising in the second half of the reporting period.

Nationality trends also reveal important shifts. Chinese students remain the largest group, with 99,919 visas (24 per cent) granted in the year to June 2025, a 7 per cent decline compared with the previous year. 

Indian students accounted for 98,014 visas (24 per cent), an overall decline of 11 per cent. However, numbers increased in the latter half of the year, and if this growth continues, Indian nationals could again surpass Chinese students as the largest international student group in the UK.

Pakistan accounted for 9 per cent of visas granted, reflecting continued steady growth since 2020, while United States nationals recorded a 7 per cent increase.

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By contrast, Nigerian students saw a 25 per cent overall decline, although a small recovery was noted in the most recent six months.

The data also confirm that master’s-level study remains the main driver of international student mobility to the UK. Over 60 per cent of recent sponsored study visas have been issued for master’s programmes. In the year ending March 2025, 81 per cent of Indian students arrived to study at master’s level, compared with 59 per cent of Chinese students.

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