The British government announced on Tuesday that it will halt the issuance of education visas to nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan and suspend work visas for Afghans as part of a wider crackdown on asylum seekers.
The Home Office said there had been a surge in asylum applications from students from these countries, with nearly 135,000 asylum seekers entering the UK via legal routes since 2021.
“Britain will always provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution, but our visa system must not be abused,” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a statement. “That is why I am taking the unprecedented step of refusing visas to nationals seeking to exploit our generosity.”
The Home Office reported that asylum applications from students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan had “rocketed” by more than 470 per cent between 2021 and 2025.
Migration has become a major issue in British politics, with the hard-right Reform UK party surging in opinion polls on the back of its anti-migration stance.
Successive governments have struggled to control the small boats crossing the Channel from France, carrying large numbers of undocumented migrants, while also facing pressure to reduce asylum applications via other routes.
The Home Office said the government had “reduced student asylum claims by 20 per cent over the course of 2025", but added that further action was needed, as those arriving on study visas still account for 13 per cent of all claims in the system.
