The United Kingdom has introduced stricter immigration rules that could see universities lose their licence to recruit international students, including Nigerians, if they fail to meet new compliance standards.

The UK Home Office announced the reforms on Friday, saying the measures are aimed at reducing abuse of the visa system linked to study, work and tourist routes, which have contributed to rising asylum claims.

Under the new policy, universities risk losing their student sponsorship licence if more than 5% of their student visa applications are refused, down from the previous threshold of 10%.

Institutions will also be assessed on performance indicators, including a 95% enrolment rate and a 90% course completion rate, compared to earlier benchmarks of 90% and 85%.

The Home Office said failure to meet these requirements could lead to sanctions, including restrictions on admitting international students.

“High drop-out rates can indicate students have entered the illegal working economy rather than studying, while high visa rejection rates or low enrolment figures suggest some institutions have not done enough due diligence on applicants,” the statement said.

The policy follows earlier restrictions placed on study visa applicants from countries including Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan.

UK authorities also reported a 30% drop in asylum claims from international students following tighter enforcement measures.

According to the Home Office, about 306,000 students whose visas are nearing expiration have been warned to leave the country or face removal if they submit unfounded asylum claims.

The new measures are expected to further tighten access for foreign students, including Nigerians, seeking admission into UK institutions.