Nine UK universities, including York and Southampton, are moving to open campuses in India as post‑2020 policy changes allowed foreign institutions to establish operations there. Universities project initial intakes in the low hundreds with plans to scale to thousands, targeting demand for business and engineering programs amid India’s expanding college‑age population. At the same time, the U.K. Home Office blocked new study visas from Afghanistan, Sudan, Myanmar and Cameroon, a move that campaigners say will prevent many women from accessing life‑changing study opportunities. Together the developments show competing forces in global higher education—institutional expansion into growth markets alongside restrictive national visa policies that close pathways for vulnerable students.