The Government has placed an “unprecedented” emergency brake on study visas for nationals from four countries, as Shabana Mahmood accused them of exploiting Britain’s generosity to claim asylum.
Study visas for nationals from Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan have been halted, while study and work visas have been stopped for Afghans.
The visa routes were halted as the Home Secretary claims a growing number of people from these countries are using legal migration routes as a backdoor to claim asylum in the UK.
The Home Office said the suspension on visa claims was “unprecedented”, as it is the first time such bans have been implemented.
“Britain will always provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution, but our visa system must not be abused,” Mahmood said.
“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.”
According to Home Office figures, some 39% of the 100,000 who claimed asylum in 2025 did so after arriving in the UK through a legal migration route, like a study visa.
Asylum applications by students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan represent the most significant part of a spike between 2021 and September 2025, the Home Office added.
The visa ban will be officially introduced via an immigration rules change on Thursday.
The Home Secretary has previously threatened a similar halt to all UK visas for Angola, Namibia and the Democratic of Congo in November, unless their governments agreed to take back illegal migrants.
This led to co-operation agreements with all three countries, and illegal migrants being returned via deportation flights.
Mahmood is expected to lay out measures to toughen up the UK asylum system in a speech on Thursday.
Under the widely trailed plans, asylum seekers in the UK will have their refugee status reviewed every 30 months in an effort to make the UK less attractive for illegal immigrants.
Refugees whose countries are deemed safe will be expected to return home.
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