The United Kingdom has warned international students whose visas have expired to leave the country or risk deportation.
The Home Office, in a new enforcement campaign, said it has begun sending direct text and email messages to students, marking the first time such a measure is being applied.
According to the BBC, about 10,000 students whose visas are due to expire have already received the messages, while tens of thousands more will be contacted in the coming months.
The message from the Home Office reads: “If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you.”
The agency also warned that asylum claims considered “lacking merit” would be swiftly rejected.
Data released by the Home Office showed that between July 2024 and June 2025, a total of 41,100 asylum claims were lodged by people who had entered the UK legally on visas, with students making up the largest share.
Figures indicated that international students filed 16,000 asylum claims in 2024, almost six times the number recorded in 2020. Although the number has since dropped by about 10 percent, the British government said it expects a further reduction.
The department noted that asylum claims by skilled worker visa holders have decreased within the same period.
Earlier this year, the UK government reduced the period foreign graduates can remain in the country after completing their studies, cutting it from two years to 18 months.