The government has for the first time imposed an emergency brake on visas for citizens of four countries, as Shabana Mahmood accused them of exploiting Britain’s generosity to seek asylum.
Study visas for nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan have been suspended, as well as work visas for Afghans.
The Home Secretary claimed that increasing numbers of people from these countries were using legal migration routes as a back door to claim asylum in the UK.
Mahmood said on Tuesday: “Britain will always provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution, but our visa system must not be abused.
“That is why I am taking the unprecedented decision to deny visas to those nationals who seek to exploit our largesse. I will restore order and control to our borders.”
According to Home Office figures, 39% of the 100,000 people who applied for asylum in 2025 did so after arriving in the UK through a legal migration route, such as a study visa.
Asylum applications from students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan accounted for the most significant part of the increase between 2021 and September 2025, the Interior Ministry said.
The visa ban will be officially introduced through a change to immigration rules on Thursday.
Mahmood previously threatened a similar suspension of all visas for Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in November unless their governments agreed to accept people from the UK.
This led to cooperation agreements with the three countries and the return of people on deportation flights.
Mahmood is expected to unveil measures to tighten the UK’s asylum system in a speech on Thursday, having announced that from this week all refugees will be told their status is temporary and will last only 30 months.
Claimants whose countries the UK government considers safe are now expected to return.
The announcement came despite calls from some Labor MPs, peers and affiliated unions for Keir Starmer’s government to pivot towards progressive policies after the party came third in last week’s Gorton and Denton by-election.
