Tag: UK

Several universities in the UK have quietly started limiting and pausing admissions for students from Pakistan and Bangladesh after the Home Office tightened its student visa rules. 

According to the Financial Times, institutions are now under pressure to keep visa refusal rates below five percent. The previous limit was 10 percent, and anything above the new threshold puts a university at risk of losing its license to sponsor international students.

Universities who experienced an increase in rejections as a result have started to restrict or suspend applications from both nations. Due to unusually high rejection rates, the University of Chester will no longer accept students from Pakistan until the fall of 2026. While Sunderland, Coventry, Hertfordshire, Oxford Brookes, Glasgow Caledonian, and other private institutions have implemented temporary freezes in various programs, Wolverhampton and East London have also halted undergraduate or fresh applications from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The change occurs at a time when migration in the UK has become a heated political issue. Small-boat arrivals have already exceeded last year’s totals, and net migration reached 728,000 in the year ending in June 2024.


Pressure to tighten restrictions on student visas has increased as a result of the government’s criticism for not controlling the borders. Home Office officials have also raised concerns about a rise in asylum claims from international students, warning universities that the study route cannot become a “backdoor” to settlement.

The new compliance regulations have caused a significant financial issue for many UK institutions, particularly those that depend significantly on international students. Even a small increase in visa refusals can push them over the new limit. 

A number of colleges that the Home Office placed under “action plans” have acknowledged making quick changes, such as increasing screening procedures, boosting deposits, and examining their networks of foreign agents.

Education consultants in Pakistan claim that despite being close to the finish of the admissions process, many eligible students are now trapped as a result of the abrupt suspensions. They believe that the problem has been aggravated by inadequate control of certain recruitment agencies who prioritize bringing in large numbers over thoroughly screening applicants, and that both parties must solve this.

Currently, at least one of the new compliance targets is not being met by more than 20 UK universities. In the upcoming months, this could result in additional restrictions, stricter screening, and perhaps more delays in international recruitment. However, the Home Office is adhering to the stricter regulations, stating that although overseas students are crucial, universities must ensure that only genuine applicants make it through the system.

A Pakistani national convicted of drug dealing in the United Kingdom (UK) has avoided deportation after an immigration tribunal ruled that his removal would harm his mental health and disrupt his treatment, noting that he had once been a “star pupil” at school.

The immigration tribunal decided that Muhammad Izhan, who received a 30-month prison sentence for participating in a “sophisticated” class A and B drug operation could stay in the UK.

Judges accepted claims that returning him to Pakistan would “have a negative impact on his mental health” and increase his chances of turning to drugs.

According to the court, Izhan became involved in the drug network due to his “inability to properly regulate his ADHD”.

He also faced peer pressure that contributed to his offending.

Upper Tribunal Judge Luke Bulpitt dismissed the Home Office’s attempt to deport him, noting various mental health diagnoses and the fact that he had been a “star pupil” throughout his schooling.

The tribunal heard that Izhan arrived in the UK in 2010 at the age of seven, joining his father in East Anglia with his mother and brothers, but his father’s extended family stayed in Pakistan.

He is now 22 and pleaded guilty to participating in a drug-dealing scheme between 2022 and 2023. His record also contained previous warnings for theft and bringing a bladed weapon to school, which resulted in his suspension in 2015.

Despite the disciplinary issues, First-Tier Tribunal Judge Samina Iqbal previously concluded that Izhan had been “fully immersed in his school life”, noting that he attended both primary and secondary school in the same city, played rugby for the school team and was considered a “star pupil”. 

After his suspension, he was referred to a general practitioner for ADHD support.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Arvin Gupta testified that while Izhan likely had ADHD, he also suffered from a “mental and behavioral disorder due to the use of cannabis”.

Judge Bulpitt also stated that Izhan would struggle to reintegrate with relatives in Pakistan who were unaware of his “ADHD or criminality”.

The Home Office issued a deportation order after his conviction in March 2024, but Judge Iqbal upheld her appeal. The Home Office then sought to overturn her decision, however, Judge Bulpitt supported it, stating that deportation would “have a negative impact on his mental health”.

“There is a high likelihood of significant deterioration in his mental health and engagement in drug-related behaviour that will further have a negative impact on his mental health,” he said.

The tribunal noted that Izhan had represented his school in rugby, received sporting prizes and had been recommended for recognition by his form tutor. 

Despite being disruptive, punished and eventually expelled, the judge determined that his ADHD, PTSD, and vulnerability meant he would face “very significant obstacles to integration” if deported to Pakistan.

In a shocking event, a Pakistani-origin doctor in the United Kingdom (UK) abandoned his patient on the operation table to have sex with a nurse.

According to foreign media reports, 44-year-old Dr Suhail Anjum, a consultant anesthetist, and the nurse were caught in a “compromising position” by a “shocked” colleague at Tameside Hospital in Greater Manchester.

The incident, which took place in September 2023, surfaced during a fitness practice hearing after the doctor, who had been living in Pakistan, applied to work in the UK once again.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) was told that Dr Anjum had asked another nursing colleague halfway through the surgery to monitor the male patient so he could take a “comfort break”.

Instead, Dr Anjum entered another operating theatre at the hospital where he had sex with the woman, namely “Nurse C”.

During the hearing in Manchester, when the General Medical Council (GMC) presented evidence against him, Anjum did not dispute it, saying his behaviour had been “shameful”.

According to reports, Dr Anjum, who was gone for about eight minutes, returned to the theatre and completed his work. Before the GMC opened the case, Dr Anjum said he did not dispute the facts of the case and admitted engaging in sexual activity with Nurse C.

Admitting his actions that had the potential to put the patient at risk, he told the MPTS that he wanted to resume his career in the UK, and promised there would never be a repeat of a “one-off error of judgment”.

“It was quite shameful, to say the least. I only have myself to blame,” the doctor rued, offering apologies to everyone involved.

“I have always set very high standards for myself because the job is my passion. I don’t know how and why it happened, but I wish I could reverse it.”

Dr Anjum further said that the incident occurred after a “stressful time” for his family, when he and his spouse were failing “to connect as a couple” after the premature birth of his daughter in January 2023.

“It took a toll on my personal life, my mental health and wellbeing, and my work at the hospital,” he said.