Some foreign students have confessed to using the UK student visa system as a way to enter and remain in the country, without any intention of studying or leaving. Sky News has spoken to two men who openly admitted that they exploited the student visa route to get to Britain, and then went underground to work illegally.
One of them, Dhanabal, came to the UK from India on a student visa in 2019, but dropped out of his course after a few months. He said he paid £3,000 to an agent in India, who arranged his admission to a college in London and his visa application. He said he came to the UK to escape poverty and violence in his home country, and had no plans to return.
“I just wanted to save my life,” he said. “I don’t want to go back to India. I want to stay here and work.”
Dhanabal said he worked as a delivery driver and a cleaner, earning about £1,200 a month. He said he paid taxes and national insurance, but did not have any legal status or rights in the UK. He said he lived in fear of being caught and deported, and hoped to regularise his situation someday.
Another man, Ali, came to the UK from Pakistan on a student visa in 2018, but also dropped out of his course after a few months. He said he paid £5,000 to an agent in Pakistan, who arranged his admission to a university in Birmingham and his visa application. He said he came to the UK to earn money and support his family in Pakistan, and had no interest in studying or leaving.
“I came here for work, not for study,” he said. “I want to stay here and make a good life.”
Ali said he worked as a carer and a chef, earning about £1,500 a month. He said he did not pay any taxes or national insurance, and used fake documents to get jobs. He said he lived in a shared house with other illegal immigrants, and avoided any contact with the authorities. He said he was aware of the risks, but was willing to take them.
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“I know it’s wrong, but I have no choice,” he said. “I have to survive.”
These cases are not isolated, according to one immigration solicitor, who said the number of calls for help from foreign students who overstayed their visas had gone up 50% over the last year. He said many of them were victims of fraud and exploitation, and faced a lot of difficulties and dangers in the UK.
“They are living in the shadows, they are vulnerable to abuse, they are working in low-paid and unsafe jobs, they are living in overcrowded and substandard accommodation, they are suffering from mental health issues, they are afraid of being arrested and removed,” he said. “They are trapped in a cycle of illegality and misery.”
The UK government has introduced new restrictions to the student visa system, in order to reduce net migration and prevent abuse. The new rules limit the ability of international students to bring family members, extend their stay, switch to other visa categories, or work in the UK. The government has also increased the monitoring and enforcement of compliance by students, sponsors, and employers.
The Home Office said it was committed to attracting the brightest and best international students to the UK, but also to ensuring that the student visa system was not used as a backdoor to work in the UK.
“We have a robust system in place to prevent abuse, and we take action against those who break the rules, including revoking the licences of sponsors who fail to comply, refusing visa applications, and removing those who have no right to be here,” a spokesperson said.
