Students miss January intakes amid visa delays ahead of new rules

A tougher approach by the Home Office towards student visa applicants has left some experiencing long waits, while UK university representatives are concerned that higher-than-average refusal rates could jeopardise their institutions’ future.

Some international students missed their planned January start dates this year as a result of unexpected delays.

According to the Home Office website, the current processing time for a standard student visa is three weeks.

But education agents and university staff said that these estimates – which cover all regions – have become unreliable, with applicants from certain countries facing much longer waits. 

Sushil Sukhwani, director of Indian education agency Edwise, said some of the students his agency worked with “complied with all the procedures perfectly pre-application” but were unable to make it in time for the January 2026 intake. 

In particular, students from Pakistan appear to be facing much longer waits than usual. 

“The result is late decisions, some students missing intakes, and universities introducing extra pre-CAS [Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies] checks and earlier deadlines to manage risk,” said one university employee, speaking anonymously.

They said refusal rates for students from Pakistan have risen for the January 2026 intake “and there isn’t enough clarity on UK Visas and Immigration’s approach to the assessment of a genuine student, which has the industry feeling quite nervy”. 

Gary Davies, deputy vice-chancellor at London Metropolitan University, said it appeared that “more and more applicants are being pulled in for credibility checks…and that is where the vast majority of refusals are coming from”. 

Alongside this, it appears that applicants for certain universities were more likely to face credibility checks “when in other parts of the sector they are not”, he added. 

Last year, the Home Office said that it had conducted “a record number of credibility interviews” for student visa applicants as part of an attempt to reduce the number of asylum claims. 

Davies said that in these interviews some students were being subjected to “difficult, detailed questions, like why they’ve chosen a course with ‘this module’ rather than another course with different modules – very subjective questions that it is almost impossible to answer”. 

Some institutions have halted student recruitment from countries experiencing higher visa refusal rates ahead of the introduction of tighter visa compliance metrics, with guidelines expected to be published imminently. 

The new rules include requiring universities to ensure that less than five per cent of international students they accept have their visa refused, down from the previous 10 per cent permitted. If they fail to comply, universities could lose their right to recruit international students. 

The metric has been criticised by universities, which say they have little control over or information about visa refusals. 

“Across the sector, we’re seeing an uptick in refusals at a time where they’re about to cut the refusal rate in half – something that is entirely in the control of the Home Office,” Davies continued. 

New data shows that January study visa applications hit their lowest level in four years. The decrease in international student numbers is a major factor contributing to universities’ financial problems. Facing tighter compliance rules, some institutions are now likely to be forced to recruit fewer international students. 

“I feel like we’ve gone back to a culture of hostility,” Davies said. “It’s creating a perfect storm for the sector.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “All visa applications are assessed on individual merit in line with immigration rules.

“Where further information or checks are required, decisions may take longer. This helps prevent abuse of the immigration system and non-genuine students, including individuals who attempt to use the student route to claim asylum in the United Kingdom.”