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The government has announced a halt on issuing study visas to nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan starting this month. In addition to this, skilled work visas for Afghans will also be suspended, according to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. The Home Office explained that this move is a response to what it describes as extensive misuse of the visa system.
Data from official sources indicate that individuals from these four countries represent the highest proportion of asylum seekers who initially entered the UK on study visas. The government noted a significant rise in asylum claims from those who had arrived legally for purposes such as education, with these applications more than tripling from 2021 to 2025. Currently, asylum claims made on the basis of study visas constitute 13% of the total.
Home Secretary Mahmood characterized the decision as “unprecedented” and aimed at preventing exploitation of the UK’s hospitality, stating, “I will restore order and control to our borders.” The Home Office also revealed that a larger-than-average number of these applicants cited destitution as a reason for seeking asylum, with around 16,000 individuals from the four countries currently receiving support. Since 2021, approximately 95% of Afghan study visa holders have applied for asylum, while student asylum claims from Myanmar rose sixteenfold, and those from Cameroon and Sudan increased by more than 330%.
The decision to end work visas for Afghans was similarly motivated by concerns over the volume of asylum applications submitted after visa expiry, which the Home Office described as “an unsustainable threat to the UK’s asylum system.” These policy changes align with the prime minister’s intention to adopt tougher immigration controls, influenced by calls from the Conservative Party and Reform UK for stricter measures. Previously, in November, the home secretary warned of suspending all UK visas to Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo unless deportations were accepted by those governments, leading to resumed deportation flights. Despite these toughened policies, the UK remains committed to aiding vulnerable refugees, having resettled more individuals referred by the UNHCR than most other countries worldwide. Mahmood plans to formalize the visa suspensions through an amendment to Immigration Rules scheduled for introduction on 5 March
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