The British government says it is taking this decision because of "abuses" by people who enter the UK using these visas and then claim asylum.

The British government announced on Tuesday that it would stop issuing study visas to Afghans, Cameroonians, Burmese and Sudanese, and certain work visas to Afghans, because of "abuses" by people entering the UK on these visas and then claiming asylum.

“Our visa system must not be abused. That is why I am taking the unprecedented decision to refuse visas to nationals who seek to exploit our generosity,” said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, quoted in a statement from the Home Office. The decision will take effect on March 26, the ministry added.

This announcement comes as Keir Starmer's Labour government has pledged to reduce both legal and illegal immigration to the UK, amid the rise of the anti-immigration Reform UK party. Asylum applications reached a record high in 2024 (108,138 applications) before declining slightly in 2025 (100,625).

“More than 4 billion pounds” per year

London justifies its decision by the fact that asylum applications from people who entered through legal channels "have more than tripled since 2021", reaching nearly 133,760. Applications made by students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Burma and Sudan have jumped by 470% between 2021 and 2025, according to the Home Office.

"Drastic action is needed" as financial support for asylum seekers, including 16,000 people from the four targeted countries, costs the British taxpayer "more than £4 billion" a year, the ministry argues.

Between September 2024 and September 2025, 2,900 study visas were granted to nationals of the four targeted countries, along with 90 skilled worker visas to Afghans, while 1,210 asylum applications were lodged by holders of such visas. The government specifies that since 2021, the UK has welcomed more than 37,000 Afghans under schemes put in place after the Taliban returned to power in 2021, and that a total of 190,000 visas were granted for "humanitarian" reasons in 2025.

Asylum policy reform

In November, the Labour government announced a sweeping reform of asylum policy, aimed at discouraging the arrival of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats. The reform, some provisions of which will require a parliamentary vote, notably stipulates that refugees will have to wait 20 years before being eligible for permanent residency.

Since Monday, refugee status is granted for a renewable period of 30 months, instead of the previous five years, for all new applicants. The government has also pledged to open more legal pathways for asylum seekers, without specifying the details of this plan at this stage. And this is not the first time it has used visas as a tool in its strategy to toughen its immigration policy. In November 2025, it threatened to stop granting visas to nationals of Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, in order to pressure their governments into accepting the UK's deportation of undocumented migrants from those countries.

"Four months later, cooperation has been established with these three countries. Flights are taking off and illegal migrants, as well as foreign criminals, are being returned" to their countries, the Home Office says.