Pakistanis use visa loophole to lodge 10k record-busting asylum claims

Pakistan now leads all 175 nations from which migrants seek refugee status in the UK, with more than 11,000 asylum applications recorded, placing it ahead of Afghanistan, Iran and Eritrea.

The figures, obtained by the Conservative Party through Freedom of Information requests, show Pakistani nationals accounted for one in ten of all asylum claims.

This represents a dramatic surge from 2022, when Pakistan submitted just 2,154 claims.

The data indicates that 37.6 per cent of all asylum applications in 2024 came from people who had initially entered Britain through legal and temporary routes.

Pakistan dominated across all visa categories, emerging as the only nationality to appear in the top three for student, work, visitor and other routes before switching to asylum claims.

Pakistani nationals made 9,783 asylum claims after entering on various visas, representing around 24 per cent of all visa-to-asylum switches in 2024.

The country topped the list for student visa switches with 5,888 claims - more than India's 2,295 and Bangladesh's 2,374 combined.

For visitor visas, Pakistan placed second with 902 switches to asylum, behind China's 1,094.

It also came second for work visa switches with 2,578 claims, after Bangladesh's 3,268.

Overall, 40,739 migrants claimed asylum last year after arriving on legitimate visas, with more than 16,000 entering as students, around 11,400 on skilled worker visas, and over 9,400 as visitors.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp condemned the figures, saying: "Britain's broken border and visa system is being openly abused. Tens of thousands are walking straight through the front door, exploiting legal visas and staying for good. It's a complete failure."

He called for "tough, decisive action" to stop the exploitation, adding: "Asylum cannot be used as a back-door route for people who came here to study and then refuse to leave when their visa ends."

Jamie Jenkins, former head of health and employment statistics at the ONS, added that the figures revealed how the immigration system was being "gamed from the inside" rather than just at the borders.

"With 162,000 visas granted to Pakistani nationals in the past year, the numbers reveal a clear loophole: the UK's generous visa system is feeding directly into record asylum claims," he told The Telegraph.

"The rise of Pakistan in the asylum league tables exposes a truth politicians often avoid: Britain's migration system isn't just failing at the borders - it's failing within them. Yes, small boats matter.

"But 'legal entry, then asylum claim' shows how the system is being gamed from inside."

Peter Walsh, a senior researcher at Oxford University's Migration Observatory, said it was difficult to pinpoint why Pakistani asylum claims had increased so dramatically.

He noted reports of worsening economic and environmental conditions, along with security concerns and insurgency in some regions of Pakistan.

The revelations come just after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced new measures forcing migrants who entered illegally, including visa overstayers, to wait 20 years before being allowed to settle.

Their asylum status will be reviewed every 30 months, with potential returns if their home country is deemed safe.

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