The UK government has announced it will stop issuing study visas to nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan, and will also halt skilled work visas for Afghans, citing widespread visa abuse. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said many individuals from these countries were applying for asylum after arriving in the UK on a study visa, with asylum claims from these students increasing sharply between 2021 and 2025.
Official figures show that 95% of Afghan students who arrived on study visas applied for asylum, while claims from Myanmar students increased sixteen-fold, and those from Cameroon and Sudan more than quadrupled. The Home Office described the situation as an “unsustainable threat” to the UK’s asylum system.
The decision will be implemented through an Immigration Rules change starting 5 March. Mahmood stated that the measures are necessary to maintain the UK’s ability to support those genuinely in need, while critics argue the approach may worsen skills shortages and does not provide safe, controlled routes for genuine refugees.
The move follows earlier threats to suspend visas for Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to enforce deportations, and is part of a broader government effort to tighten immigration and asylum rules.
