UK halts study visas for Sudan, Afghanistan, Cameroon & Myanmar

The British government announced Tuesday that it would stop issuing education visas to nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan and work visas for Afghans as part of its broader clampdown on asylum seekers. Immigration remains one of Britain's most politically sensitive issues, and Prime Minister Keir ​Starmer's government has sought to show it is tightening the system as the populist Reform UK ​party gains ground in opinion polls.
The Home Office said there had been a surge in asylum applications by students from those countries and almost 135,000 asylum seekers in total had entered the UK using legal routes since 2021. 
The Home Office said the number of asylum applications by students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan had "rocketed" by more than 470 percent between 2021 and 2025. "Britain will always provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution, but our visa system must not be abused," said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood in a statement. "That is why I am taking the unprecedented decision to refuse visas for those nationals seeking to exploit our generosity." The Home Office said the government has "reduced student asylum claims by 20 percent over the course of 2025, further action is needed as those arriving on study visas still make up 13 percent of all claims in the system".
According to the government, asylum claims made after entering on legal visas have more than trebled since 2021 and ‌accounted for ⁠39% of the 100,000 people who applied last year. It said that nearly 16,000 nationals from the four listed countries were currently being supported at public expense, including more than 6,000 in hotels, adding to pressure over the cost of asylum accommodation, which it put at 4 billion pounds ($5.34 billion) a year. The changes ​would take effect on ​March 26, the government ⁠said, adding that it intended to create new capped "safe and legal routes" once the asylum system stabilises. Britain has granted sanctuary to more than 37,000 Afghans through ​resettlement schemes since 2021 and issued about 190,000 humanitarian visas last year. Starmer has previously said that Britain's asylum rules were more permissive compared ⁠with parts ​of Europe and acted as a "pull factor" for people seeking ​to reach the country. His government announced plans in November to make refugee status temporary and speed up removals of people who arrive ​illegally.