UK halts study visas for four nations in asylum crackdown

The UK has announced a ban on issuing study visas to citizens of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, and has also suspended the work visa programme for Afghan nationals, citing a sharp rise in asylum claims.According to Reuters, the government described the move as an “emergency brake” to curb increasing asylum applications from the four countries.The Home Office said asylum applications from these nations have risen fivefold between 2021 and 2025.It added that the number of asylum claims from Afghan work visa holders has exceeded the number of visas issued.Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood said Britain would continue to provide refuge to victims of war and persecution but would not tolerate misuse of the visa system.She said the “extraordinary decision to stop visas for those who misuse our generosity was inevitable.”Official figures show asylum claims from people entering the UK on legal visas have tripled since 2021. Of the 100,000 applications lodged last year, 39% were from individuals who had arrived through legal routes.The government said about 16,000 people, mostly from the four affected countries, are currently being housed at public expense, including more than 6,000 in hotels.The annual cost of housing refugees has reached around £4 billion ($5.34 billion).The new restrictions will take effect on 26 March 2026. The government said a revised system offering asylum through “safe and legal routes” would be introduced once the current framework stabilises.Since 2021, Britain has granted asylum to 37,000 Afghans and issued nearly 190,000 visas on humanitarian grounds last year.Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK’s immigration system would be rebalanced with stricter criteria to reduce illegal migration and address what he described as a “pull factor” linked to more flexible asylum policies.

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