UK Bans Study Visas for Cameroon, Sudan Over Asylum Concerns
The UK Home Office has announced that the government will stop issuing study visas to nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. It will also end skilled work visas for Afghans, citing widespread visa abuse.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the move followed a sharp rise in asylum claims from people who had initially entered the UK legally on study visas. The Home Office said the number of asylum applications by students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan had "rocketed" by more than 470% between 2021 and 2025. The government figures showed that people claiming asylum on the back of a study visa make up 13% of all claims currently in the system.
In 2025, the home secretary threatened to shut down all UK visas for Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo unless their governments agreed to take deportations, which led to a resumption of return flights with all three countries. The government said the measure aimed to protect the country's asylum system and prevent exploitation, while maintaining support for those genuinely in need of protection.
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