The British government is again defending its tougher immigration agenda, but this time the debate follows it abroad. During a visit to Chennai, Indo-Pacific Minister Seema Malhotra tried to reassure India—one of the UK’s most important sources of foreign students—that Britain still wants their talent, even as it moves to reshape how people settle in the country.
Malhotra’s message came with a warning. A growing number of international students are applying for asylum at the end of their studies, she said, pointing to 16,000 claims last year and another 14,800 filed by mid-2025. To her, the surge is a clear sign of people using legal routes to enter the UK only to remain after their visas expire.
That surge has landed inside a wider overhaul of immigration. Under proposals still out for consultation, some migrants could wait up to 20 years before securing permanent residency, and the path to indefinite leave to remain would stretch from five to ten years. An estimated 2.6 million people who arrived since 2021 would be affected. Ministers argue the system must reflect contribution rather than time spent in the country; critics say it risks scaring away the very professionals Britain needs.
Nowhere is that tension sharper than in higher education. Indian enrolments—long the backbone of UK postgraduate programmes—have fallen 11 percent as rules tighten. Universities fear deeper financial strain, while Delhi continues to push for easier mobility alongside trade cooperation.
Yet the UK insists doors are still open. Nearly half a million visas were granted to Indian nationals last year across work, study, and visitor categories, Malhotra noted. And the new free trade agreement has already prompted British universities to plant roots in India, with Liverpool University set to open a Bengaluru campus in 2026. Nine other institutions have approval to follow.
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But professions tied closely to migration—nursing, social care—see more risk than reassurance. The Royal College of Nursing warns that as many as 50,000 nurses could leave if settlement rules harden further. A quarter of the UK’s nursing workforce is internationally trained, many from India, and reports of recruitment scams have only deepened anxieties.
Malhotra said the government is working with Indian authorities to crack down on exploitation. But for now, Britain’s push to tighten borders is colliding with its need for global talent—leaving students, workers, and universities caught in the middle.
