Mahmood will halt study permits from four nations because of “abuse.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced that the UK government will no longer grant skilled work visas to Afghans and will no longer grant study visas to individuals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan starting this month.
The Home Office claimed that widespread visa abuse was the reason for the move.
Official statistics show that after initially travelling to the UK to study, individuals from the four nations were most likely to file for asylum.A government official continued, “The government is cracking down on visa abuse so the UK can maintain its ability and proud tradition of helping those who are truly in need.”
According to the government’s announcement, between 2021 and 2025, the number of asylum requests from individuals who had initially entered the UK lawfully—for example, to study—more than tripled.
According to data from the Home Office, 13% of all asylum claims currently in the system are made by individuals using a study visa.
Mahmood stated that she was “taking the unprecedented decision to refuse visas for those nationals seeking to exploit our generosity” .I’ll put our borders back under control and in order.”
According to the Home Office, 16,000 individuals from the four countries were currently receiving assistance, and a higher percentage than usual of those from the four nations mentioned poverty as a factor in their asylum claim.
Since 2021, around 95% of Afghans who came to the UK on a study visa went on to apply for asylum, while student claims from Sudan and Cameroon more than doubled and applications from Myanmar soared sixteenfold.
The Home Office also mentioned the high number of Afghans who sought refuge in the UK after their work visas expired as justification for terminating them.
“An unsustainable threat to the UK’s asylum system” was the statement made.
On Thursday, March 5, Mahmood will present new legislation to halt the issuance of visas through a modification to the Immigration Rules.
Return flights with Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo resumed in November after the home secretary threatened to cancel all UK visas for those nations unless their governments consented to deportations.
The actions come after the prime minister decided to take a more assertive stance in diplomatic negotiations in response to demands from conservatives and Reform UK to cut immigration.
In an effort to cut down on small boat crossings, the government announced last week that refugee protection will be cut in half, to 30 months.
The number of migrants who crossed the Channel in small boats in 2025 was 41,472, over 5,000 more than the year before.
The Home Office claimed that the UK’s decision to resettle the sixth-highest number of refugees referred by the UNCHR globally showed the government’s dedication to aiding those who truly needed it.
This week, the home secretary will deliver a speech outlining the “progressive case” for immigration regulation.
About 40 Labour Members of Parliament expressed concerns last month regarding the effects of the plans to alter the rights of permanent settlement for migrants who are now residing in this country, calling the retroactive approach “un-British” and “moving the goalposts.”
They have cautioned that it might exacerbate the skills gap in the UK, especially in the care industry.
Comments were requested from the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.