Nearly 10,000 Pakistani nationals used temporary visas to lodge asylum claims in the UK last year, new government data shows, fuelling concerns that legal entry routes are being exploited on a record scale.
Pakistan has now become the leading country of origin for asylum seekers, with more than 11,000 applications in 2024—putting it ahead of Afghanistan, Iran, and Eritrea. Figures obtained by the Conservative Party through Freedom of Information requests indicate that Pakistani nationals accounted for one in ten asylum claims last year.
The data points to a sharp rise in “visa-to-asylum” switching. A total of 40,739 migrants applied for asylum after arriving on legitimate visas, including over 16,000 students, around 11,400 skilled workers, and more than 9,400 visitors. Pakistan is the only nationality to appear in the top three for every visa category before switching to an asylum claim.
Last year, 9,783 Pakistani nationals claimed asylum after entering on student, work, or visitor visas—around 24% of all such switches. They topped the student category with 5,888 cases, far exceeding India and Bangladesh combined. Pakistan also ranked second for both visitor and work visa switches.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the figures showed that “Britain’s broken border and visa system is being openly abused,” calling for “tough, decisive action” to stop students and workers using asylum as “a back-door route” to permanent residency.
Jamie Jenkins, former head of health and employment statistics at the ONS, said the numbers revealed how the system was being “gamed from the inside,” arguing that the UK’s “generous visa regime” was feeding directly into record asylum claims.
Peter Walsh of Oxford University’s Migration Observatory said the scale of the rise was difficult to explain but pointed to worsening economic conditions, environmental pressures, and regional security problems in Pakistan.
The disclosures come as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood introduces new rules requiring illegal entrants—including visa overstayers—to wait 20 years before being eligible for settlement. Their asylum status will be reassessed every 30 months, with possible removal if their home country is later deemed safe.
