Several universities in the United Kingdom (UK) have begun cancelling and suspending admission applications from Bangladeshi and Pakistani students.

According to the UK-based newspaper The Financial Times, universities have taken these steps amid concerns over visa misuse following the tightening of the country’s immigration policies.

At least nine higher education institutions in the UK have imposed restrictions on admitting students from “high-risk” countries. Universities are under increasing pressure to ensure that they recruit  genuine students only.

The UK’s Minister for Border Security, Dame Angela Eagle, recently warned that the visa system must not be used as a “back door” to settlement in Britain, after a sharp rise in asylum claims from international students.