Students as Refugees: Routes to Study in the UK

Education is one of the most powerful ways to rebuild a life after being forced to flee. Yet only around 7 per cent of refugees worldwide are in higher education. The international community has committed to raising that to 15 per cent by 2030. The UK has a long record of welcoming students and of offering protection to those who need it. How those two commitments meet is now a live policy question.

That question has become more pressing. Home Office figures show that just over 14,000 people who came to the UK on a study visa claimed asylum in the year to September 2025. That is more than double the number three years earlier. In March 2026 the government brought in an emergency brake on study visas for nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. Behind these numbers are real people: many are fleeing conflict and persecution, some will not meet the criteria for asylum and all having to use routes that were never designed with them in mind.

The government is now developing two new routes. One is for people overseas seeking protection who want to come to the UK to study. The other is for people already here who want to move onto the student route. Getting these routes right matters to refugees, to the universities and colleges that teach them, and to public confidence in the immigration system. This joint APPG session is a timely chance for parliamentarians to shape that thinking before it is settled.

Booking information

This is an in person event for Supporters of the APPG only. Supporters should use the Access code provided to book their ticket.