University applicants’ visas rejected for interview questions on trees and Canadian weather

UK university bosses and hopeful students are sharing reasons for visa applications being rejected, and some “seem very strange”.

Some applicants for a student visa have to undergo a “credibility interview” to check they are a “genuine student”. Candidates recall being asked questions on the amount of trees on the university’s campus, the weather in Canada and very specific details about the course.

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) is the part of the Home Office in charge of who gets and doesn’t get a visa. The Home Office changed the rules about student visas in June 2026 – UK universities can now be penalised if more than four per cent of study visas get rejected.

The Home Office told The Times: “”We are tightening the rules to prevent abuse of our immigration system and ensure education providers take their responsibilities seriously. If a prospective student wishes to challenge their visa decision, they can apply for an administrative review.”

University of East Anglia (UEA) 

The Sainsbury Centre at UEA’s campus
(Credit: SainsburyCentre1)

Steven McGuire, the deputy vice-chancellor at the University of East Anglia (UEA), told the i Paper that some of the reasons applicants were rejected for “seem very strange”. For example, one applicant and interviewer seemed to have had a misunderstanding over “Norfolk” and “Norwich”. Another person said they chose UEA because of its ranking in international league tables. The interviewer was not impressed with this answer as rankings are public information.

Heriot-Watt University

 

 

 

 

 

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In an apparent letter seen by The Tab, an applicant who hoped to study a marketing course at Heriot-Watt University was told they did not demonstrate “a genuine and well-considered rationale for choosing to study in the UK”.

The student was told their reasons for liking Edinburgh – that it was “one of the most beautiful cities in the world” and had a “student-friendly nature” – were “generic statements” and did not “demonstrate meaningful research”. 

The applicant also seemed to have been asked specific questions about a module on the course about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Although the student appeared to have correctly defined SEO in their interview, the letter said: “This was a basic description and did not demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the module’s academic content, learning objectives or how it would contribute to your future career”.

University of the West of Scotland (UWS)

UWS’s campus in Paisley
(Credit: Billy McCrorie)

The vice-chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland (UWS), James Miller, told the i Paper a hopeful student’s visa was refused because they couldn’t “describe the number of trees” on campus. It appears the university’s abundant foliage was frequently mentioned in marketing, and the interviewer felt the applicant should have encountered this information while researching courses.

Another rejected applicant claimed to have told the interviewer they picked the UK over Canada because of the cold weather in Canada. The rejection letter went into detail about which area of Canada have warmer average temperatures and how Canadian cities were designed with the climate in mind.

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