The United Kingdom has been one of the most popular destinations for Bangladeshi students pursuing higher education abroad. In July 2023, the government proposed a new visa policy for immigrants in the UK on student visas, which came into effect from January 2024. Since then, the number of Bangladeshi students heading there began to fall. Amid this scenario, a major blow has now come to students aspiring to higher education. One after another, several British universities have started fully halting admissions from Bangladesh. The move taken by universities is driven by concerns over visa misuse, the UK Home Office’s tighter regulations, and mounting pressure to admit only ‘genuine’ students. Alongside Bangladeshis, Pakistani applicants are also facing similar restrictions.
The University of Wolverhampton has already stopped taking undergraduate students from Bangladesh and Pakistan. According to the Financial Times, the University of Sunderland and Coventry University have suspended new admissions from both countries. The University of Hertfordshire has informed that it will suspend student recruitment from Bangladesh and Pakistan until September 2026, citing long visa-processing times and a high risk of refusals. Oxford Brookes University has halted undergraduate admissions from both countries until the January 2026 intake. Meanwhile, London Metropolitan University has stopped enrolling students directly from Bangladesh, saying that 60 percent of its total visa refusals originate from Bangladeshi applications. Altogether, at least six UK universities have now restricted Bangladeshi enrolment—making the route to British higher education far more uncertain than before.
Experts say thousands of Bangladeshi students travel to the UK every year for study purposes, many with clear academic goals and plans, as well as long-term career plans. Such sudden restrictions will disproportionately hurt genuine applicants. Higher education experts caution that the issue may not be limited to the UK alone. If British universities continue to classify Bangladesh as a “high-risk” country for a long time, other European nations may observe that and adopt similar screening. Several countries already apply stricter scrutiny to applicants from Bangladesh. Against this backdrop, the decisions by UK institutions could deepen additional suspicion and negative perceptions, potentially affecting future Bangladeshi applicants to other countries. Such a reputational setback may take years to repair.
Commenting on the situation, Professor Dr. Md Abdus Salam of Dhaka University’s Institute of Education and Research (IER) said, “The quality of education in our country is not satisfactory. Many capable and talented students choose the UK for higher studies. If universities there stop admitting Bangladeshi students, it will certainly be a negative development for us. The government must increase diplomatic efforts, identify the reasons behind the visa restrictions, and take appropriate steps.”
The Financial Times reports that the visa refusal rate for Bangladeshi student applicants stood at around 22 percent up to September this year. For Pakistanis, it was 18 percent. Of the 23,036 student visa applications rejected during this period, half belonged to applicants from Bangladesh and Pakistan. Meanwhile, the number of asylum claims from citizens of both countries has also increased. Most of these individuals originally travelled on student or work visas. Under the Home Office’s revised rules, institutions must now meet three strict thresholds to retain their student-sponsorship licence. The most challenging of these is reducing the visa refusal rate from 10 percent to 5 percent. This means that out of every 100 applications, only five may be rejected for a university to remain compliant. But Bangladeshi and Pakistani applicants far exceed this threshold.
Professor Dr. Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan of Dhaka University’s Department of International Relations and a member of the University Grants Commission (UGC) said, “If the UK stops issuing visas to Bangladeshi students, that will certainly be negative. We need clearer information on which types of students are being denied. Diplomatic efforts are essential because Western countries often follow each other in these matters. If the UK takes such a step, other Western states may mirror it. The government must take necessary measures, considering it a serious issue. Especially, it is significant to examine whether our international image is weakening and why foreign governments see Bangladeshi applicants as high-risk.”
The UK Home Office’s latest assessment shows that at least 22 higher-education institutions are now classified as being at risk under the new Basic Compliance Assessment criteria. The institutions face the possibility of failing the standard at any time. Under the revised rules, any university with a visa-refusal rate exceeding 5 percent can lose its sponsor licence. Losing that licence would prevent the institution from sponsoring any international students for at least a year, and even previously issued offers may be cancelled. Of the 22 institutions currently on the list, 17 are taking additional measures to meet the criteria. The remaining five, however, are at serious risk of losing their sponsorship rights for a minimum of one year, jeopardising admission opportunities for several thousand international students.
According to the Home Office, it is the responsibility of universities to ensure that international applicants are genuinely pursuing education. While the UK values international students, the government argues that stricter visa rules are necessary to maintain public confidence in the immigration system. The stated objective is clear: only genuine students should have access to UK higher education, and universities must exercise greater responsibility in selecting applicants.
In July 2023, the UK government introduced a new visa policy aimed at curbing “abuse of the visa system,” which was declared that year and came into force in January 2024. Under the new policy, only foreign students enrolled in postgraduate research degrees may bring dependants to the UK. Apart from this, students receiving government-funded scholarships may also bring dependants. All other students are barred from bringing family members. The rules also changed pathways from dependent visas to work visas. A dependant may apply for a Skilled Worker visa only if they meet specific new conditions. After these reforms took effect, the number of Bangladeshi students travelling to the UK began to fall sharply. In 2023, 9,275 Bangladeshi students went to the UK for higher education—down from 15,234 in 2022. This represents a drop of nearly 39 percent in just one year.
Not only the UK, but also several other countries now assess applicants on academic performance, quality of prior education, and program-completion rates—and are tightening visa criteria for Bangladeshi students. Recently, Denmark signalled that it may impose even tougher requirements for Bangladeshi student visa applicants. The number of Bangladeshi students going to Denmark has increased significantly in recent years. However, according to Denmark’s Ministry of Higher Education and Science, many of these students struggle to adapt academically and perform worse than their peers from other countries. The ministry has indicated that this trend may prompt stricter visa conditions for Bangladeshis in the future.
Meanwhile, recent policy changes in the United States have introduced new uncertainties for prospective Bangladeshi students. Under new rules, employers sponsoring an H-1B work visa must now pay a US$100,000 fee, reducing the likelihood of international students securing work opportunities after study. As a result, Bangladeshi students pursuing higher education in the US may face a greater risk of having to return home immediately after completing their degrees.
Professor Dr. A B M Shawkat Ali, Vice Chancellor of Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT), said there is no alternative to strengthening the country's education system and creating employment opportunities to overcome this situation. He explained, “Western countries often use visa restrictions as a kind of trump card. The United States did similar with China. In response, Beijing brought back many established Chinese researchers and academics from abroad and upgraded its universities. China succeeded, but we can’t do the same. In the national interest, we must take similar steps. Today it is the UK; tomorrow it may be the US, and then Australia or Canada.”