- 1000’s of worldwide college students despatched messages warning them that they are going to be “eliminated” from the nation in the event that they don’t have any authorized proper to stay as soon as their visa has expired.
- Residence Secretary Yvette Cooper stresses that “abuse of the system” is not going to be tolerated.
- Critics hit again on the coverage, accusing the Labour occasion of kowtowing to populist anti-immigration sentiment.
Some 130,000 college students and their households in whole are as a consequence of be messaged through textual content or electronic mail reminding them that their visa is coming to an finish, with an specific warning that bogus asylum claims shall be refused.
The message, which has already been despatched to 10,000 college students, reads: “If you happen to submit an asylum declare that lacks benefit, it is going to be swiftly and robustly refused. Any request for asylum help shall be assessed in opposition to destitution standards. If you don’t meet the standards, you’ll not obtain help.
“You probably have no authorized proper to stay within the UK, you should depart. If you happen to don’t, we are going to take away you.”
It types a part of a raft of measures introduced at present to crack down on what the Residence Workplace has referred to as an “alarming” improve within the variety of worldwide college students making use of for asylum when their visas are nearing expiry.
In Could, the federal government’s immigration white paper took purpose at this pattern, stating that half of all asylum claims for individuals already within the UK on a respectable visa route had been individuals issued a examine visa. Nevertheless, a more in-depth have a look at Residence Workplace knowledge reveals that college students solely account for 16% of all asylum claims.
If you happen to submit an asylum declare that lacks benefit, it is going to be swiftly and robustly refused
Textual content to worldwide college students
Talking to BBC Breakfast this morning, Residence Secretary Yvette Cooper claimed that some worldwide college students had been making use of for asylum “even when issues haven’t modified of their residence nation” and staying within the UK for years afterwards, which then has a knock-on impact on current asylum lodging.
She mentioned that whereas the UK authorities needs to help “real refugees”, college students shouldn’t be claiming asylum on the finish of their program if nothing has modified of their nation whereas they’ve been finding out overseas.
“We have to clamp down on that sort of abuse, and that’s why we’re sending these messages – to be very clear to individuals the asylum system is just not for individuals who simply wish to lengthen their visas,” she mentioned.
In response, the College and School Union common secretary, Jo Grady, referred to as the measures an “assault on worldwide college students” that had “little or no to do with visa overstays” and extra to to with the ruling Labour occasion “aping” the anti-immigration Reform occasion, which has been gaining recognition within the UK.
‘With [Reform leader Nigel] Farage speaking up mass deportations and migrant jail camps, Labour persevering with to demonise immigrants and refugees isn’t simply immoral, it’s political suicide,” she added.
“Labour won’t ever outflank Reform on division and bigotry. They need to as an alternative be making the case for a welcoming and economically sturdy Britain, of which worldwide college students and a world-leading greater training sector are an integral half.’
Though the most recent knowledge launched across the time of the immigration white paper suggests college students made up 16% of asylum claims, in keeping with the Residence Workplace that is six occasions as many college students who claimed asylum 5 years in the past.
This quantity has dropped by 10% because the immigration white paper was launched – however the federal government continues to be eager for this pattern to proceed.
These arriving on pupil visas, round 16,000, had been the largest group on this cohort.
