The United Kingdom suspends issuing visas to citizens of four countries

The UK government has placed an emergency curb on visas for citizens of four countries.

The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, accused them of exploiting the UK’s generosity to seek asylum.

Study visas for citizens from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan have been suspended, as have work visas for Afghans.

The Government has blocked visa routes as it claims increasing numbers of people from these countries are using legal migration routes as a backdoor to claim asylum in the UK.

The Home Office described the suspension of visa applications as an “unprecedented” step, as it is the first time such visa bans have been implemented.

Mahmood said: “Britain will always provide refuge for 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 citizens who seek to take advantage of our generosity.

“I will restore order and control on our borders.”

According to Home Office data, around 39% of the 100,000 who claimed asylum in 2025 did so after arriving in the UK via 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 spike recorded between 2021 and September 2025, the Home Office added.

The visa ban will be officially introduced on Thursday via a change to immigration rules.

The Home Secretary has already threatened to similarly suspend all UK visas for Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo in November unless their governments agreed to take back illegal migrants.

This led to cooperation agreements with all three countries and the repatriation of illegal migrants via deportation flights.

Mahmood is expected to set out measures to strengthen the UK’s asylum system in a speech on Thursday.

Under widely discussed plans, asylum seekers in the UK will have their refugee status reviewed every 30 months in a bid to make the UK less attractive to illegal immigrants.

Refugees whose countries are considered safe are expected to return home.

[PA Media/dpa/NAN]

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