The UK government has imposed an “emergency brake” on study visas for nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan following a surge in asylum claims from those entering on legal visas.
The UK Home Office announced on Wednesday that it will suspend study visas for nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan, while also halting skilled worker visas for Afghan citizens. According to the Home Office, the unprecedented measure responds to a sharp rise in asylum claims from individuals who initially entered the UK through legal routes. “An ’emergency brake’ on visas has been imposed for the first time on nationals from four countries following a surge in asylum claims from legal routes,” DW News reported, citing the Home Office.
The changes will be implemented through an amendment to the Immigration Rules on 5 March and are set to take effect on 26 March. The Home Office said the policy aims to curb the increasing number of asylum applications from people who had arrived on student or other legal visas but later applied for asylum. Since 2021, nearly 135,000 such individuals have sought refuge in the UK.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood highlighted the scale of the issue, noting that asylum claims through legal entry routes now account for almost 40 percent of all applications. “In 2025, they accounted for 39 per cent of the 100,000 people who applied for asylum,” she said, pointing to the growing strain on the UK’s immigration system.