Measures to be introduced in tomorrow's Immigration Rules changes and will take effect on 26 March 2026
The Home Office announced today that it will halt study visas for nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, and suspend Skilled Worker visas for Afghan nationals, in what it calls an unprecedented "emergency brake" on visas.
Image credit: WikipediaThe Home Office says the measures are being introduced in response to "widespread visa abuse" and rising asylum claims from these countries' visa holders.
According to the Home Office, asylum applications by students from the four countries rose by more than 470% between 2021 and 2025. It stated: "Between 2021 and the year ending September 2025, the proportion of Afghan asylum claims to study visas issued was 95%, while applications by students from Myanmar soared sixteen-fold over the same period. Claims by students from Cameroon and Sudan spiked by more than 330%, posing an unsustainable threat to the UK's asylum system."
According to figures quoted in The Times, the combined total of asylum claims across both work and study visa routes from the four countries was 7,584 in 2025, up from 722 in 2021.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "Britain will always provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution, but our visa system must not be abused. That is why I am taking the unprecedented decision to refuse visas for those nationals seeking to exploit our generosity. I will restore order and control to our borders."
The measures will be introduced in tomorrow's statement of changes to the Immigration Rules and will come into effect on 26 March 2026.
In analysis on Substack, however, immigration lawyer Sonia Lenegan questioned the Home Office's framing of "widespread visa abuse," noting that while percentages have increased, the absolute numbers of students from the four countries and Afghan workers claiming asylum remain a relatively small proportion of total UK claims.
Lenegan stated: "Last year up until the end of September there were 110 Afghan nationals on a work visa who claimed asylum, and 550 people on a student visa. There were 180 people from Cameroon on a student visa who claimed asylum, 330 from Myanmar and 120 from Sudan."