SL among probable countries to face UK visa restrictions – Report

BBC: Visa applications from nationalities thought most likely to overstay and claim asylum in the UK could be restricted under a new government crackdown.

- 

Under Home Office plans, first reported in the Times, people from countries such as Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka may find it more difficult to come to the UK to work and study.

Ministers believe there is a particular problem with those who come to the UK legally on work or study visas and then lodge a claim for asylum – which if granted, would allow them to stay in the country permanently.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Our upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system."

It is not clear which nationalities are most likely to overstay their visas as the Home Office has not published statistics on exit checks since 2020, due to a review into the accuracy of the figures.

Many exits from the UK can go unrecorded, meaning those without a departure record were not necessarily still in the country.