Under plans first reported by The Times in May, the Government could reject visas for individuals who fit the profile of someone who may go on to claim asylum and are from countries with high rates of asylum claims in the UK.
Supported accommodation is provided to asylum claimants who can demonstrate that they are destitute while they wait for the outcome of their cases.
Last year, 10,000 asylum claimants who had arrived in the UK legally on work and study visas were living in taxpayer-funded accommodation, such as hotels.
It was previously revealed that these three nationalities would be among those targeted by the visa restrictions.
Some 17,500 people are now living in taxpayer-funded accommodation after entering the UK on a visa, according to the data revealed via freedom of information laws.
Pakistanis make up the biggest proportion, at 3,291 claimants, followed by Nigerians (1,926) and Bangladeshis (1,336).
Kama Petruczenko, senior policy analyst at the Refugee Council charity, accused the Government of “casting doubt unfairly” on people from certain countries.
“We know from our frontline services that some people arrive here on a visa looking forward to working or studying in Britain, but then the situation changes dramatically in their home country and it’s no longer safe for them to return home.”
Brian Bell, an economics professor at King’s College London and chairman of the Migration Advisory Committee, which advises the Home Secretary, said the UK issues a lot of visas to Pakistanis and Indians, which could explain why they make up a higher proportion of asylum claimants in supported accommodation.
Professor Bell warned that the Government could face a potential legal challenge if it goes ahead with these plans.
He said it was important to bear in mind that the “vast majority” of people from these countries do not overstay and do not end up in government-provided accommodation.
Dr Peter Walsh, senior researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said the plans have the potential for “diplomatic ramifications”.
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Read More“But what we do know is that the Government has very wide discretion over immigration rules of this kind. It’s well within their purview to tighten up the system and increase these additional restrictions, we just don’t know exactly how they’re going to do it.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We take any abuse of the immigration system extremely seriously. Where there is evidence of wrongdoing, we will take firm action to challenge it and protect the integrity of our borders.
“This is why we are strengthening our ability to identify where individuals are deliberately intending to use visas as a backdoor route to claim asylum in the UK.”
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