Increasing numbers of students from Bangladesh are arriving to Britain since at least 2002 . Prior to 2001 , the United States was the primary destination for those students who sought undergraduate or postgraduate degrees abroad . Since the September 11 attacks , however , the difficulty of obtaining a US student visa , has forced many Bangladeshi students to seek alternative locations , in particular Australia , Canada and the UK . The total number of incoming students is currently estimated to be around 2,000-3,000 per annum . Most of these students come from urban locations such as Dhaka and Chittagong . The vast majority chooses London as their primary base , not least because of the ease of finding paid work to finance their education and living costs . A network of colleges - known as visa colleges - has taken root in East London , in order to cater to these students , often established and run by Bangladeshi proprietors . These students are heavily concentrated in east London boroughs where majority of Bangladeshi Sylhetis have settled . Besides their studies , they can be found working a variety of low-skilled , low-paid jobs . The UK government 's decision to encourage foreign students to stay and work in Britain after their studies , has resulted in many of these students settling in Britain , particularly graduates working in ' shortage sectors ' such as science and technology . This is likely to increase the diversity of the British Bangladeshi population in coming years
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Demographics of British Bangladeshis