Key Takeaways
- 15 UK universities have suspended recruitment from Pakistan due to increased visa refusals.
- The UK government has tightened student visa rules, leading to a higher withdrawal rate of study visa applications.
- The number of withdrawn visa applications from Pakistan has risen sharply, reaching 40.9% in the first half of 2026.
UK universities are revoking admission offers to international students from Pakistan and other countries, citing concerns over tightened student visa rules. According to an analysis by the Financial Times, 40.9% of prospective students from Pakistan had their visa applications withdrawn in the first six months of 2026, a significant increase from 3% in the same period last year.
The primary reason for the increase in withdrawn offers is the growing number of admission offers that universities have subsequently revoked. This trend coincides with a doubling in study visa refusals by the Home Office during the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. The previous threshold for universities to lose permission to recruit overseas students was 10% of prospective students being refused visas, but this has now been reduced to 5%.
The increase in visa refusals has largely resulted from higher rejection rates among nationalities suspected of using student visas as a route to claim asylum. As a result, universities have responded by withdrawing admission offers, with around 15 institutions reportedly suspending recruitment from Pakistan entirely this year.
Other countries have also experienced significant increases in withdrawn study visa applications. Nigeria’s withdrawal rate reached 22.7% in the first half of 2026, up from 4.5% during the same period in 2025. Bangladesh’s rate increased from 7.1% to 23.5%, while India’s rose from 1.2% to 5.2%.
Data from Enroly, a company that processes visa applications, suggests that nearly half of UK universities have study visa refusal rates above the 5% threshold, potentially putting their ability to recruit international students at risk.
The decision to suspend recruitment from Pakistan has affected thousands of students who were hoping to study in the UK. Universities are now facing the challenge of balancing their academic standards with the government’s new visa policies.
While the UK government has not officially commented on the specific reasons for these changes, the tightening of visa rules is expected to continue, potentially impacting the number of international students in the UK.
The situation is likely to have a significant impact on the higher education sector in Pakistan, as students and their families grapple with the uncertainty of their future studies.
