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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood walks outside of Downing Street. She wears a high-necked black jacket, black bobbed hair, and holds a burgundy folder.Reuters
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood walks outside of Downing Street

The UK government will stop issuing study visas to people from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan from this month, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said, as well as stopping skilled work visas to Afghans.

The Home Office said the action was being taken due to what it said was widespread visa abuse.

According to official figures, people from the four countries were the most likely to make an asylum claim after originally coming to the UK to study.

"The government is clamping down on visa abuse so the UK can maintain its ability and proud tradition of helping those genuinely in need," a government spokesperson added.


In its release, the government said asylum claims from people who had originally travelled to the UK legally - to do something like studying - had more than tripled between 2021 and 2025.

Home Office figures showed that people claiming asylum off the back of a study visa make up 13% of all claims currently in the system.

Mahmood said she was "taking the unprecedented decision to refuse visas for those nationals seeking to exploit our generosity".

"I will restore order and control to our borders."

The Home Office said a higher proportion of people than average from the four specified country cited destitution as part of their asylum claim, and there were 16,000 people from the four countries currently being supported.

About 95% of Afghans who arrived in the UK on a study visa then applied for asylum since 2021, while applications by students from Myanmar increased 16-fold and claims by students from Cameroon and Sudan more than quadrupled.

On its reasoning for ending work visas for Afghans, the Home Office also cited the large numbers claiming asylum in the UK once their visas expired.

It said this this posed "an unsustainable threat to the UK's asylum system".

Mahmood will introduce new legislation to stop the issuing of visas through an Immigration Rules change on Thursday 5 March.

In November, the home secretary threatened to shut down all UK visas for Angola, Namibia and the Democratic of Congo unless their governments agreed to take deportations, which led to a resumption of returns flights with all three countries.

The measures follow the prime minister's decision to adopt a more hard-edged approach to diplomacy in response to pressure to reduce immigration from those on the political right, including the Conservatives and Reform UK.

Last week, the government announced protection for refugees would be halved to 30 months in an attempt to reduce small boat crossings.

In 2025, a total of 41,472 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats, which was almost 5,000 more than the previous year.

The UK has resettled the sixth largest number of refugees referred by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the world, which the Home Office said demonstrated the government's commitment to helping those genuinely in need.

The home secretary will give a speech this week on making the "progressive case" for immigration control.

Last month, about 40 Labour MPs raised concerns about the impact of the proposals to change permanent settlement rights for migrants already living here, describing the retrospective approach as "un-British" and "moving the goalposts".

They have warned it could worsen the UK's skills shortage, particularly in the care sector.


Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2jy74895eo

No worry - Nigeria didn't make the list. If the UK bars Nigerians, their economy go get problem because they need us as much as we need them. Na only Trump country wey no send anybodi papa

A muslim is Home Secretary in UK

I don't blame Trump for coming down on them harshly.

They have muslims in US military, serving the USA peacefully,some muslims are in US congress both past and present....religious extremist are the problem in this world

Dotherightthing:
A muslim is Home Secretary in UK

I don't blame Trump for coming down on them harshly.

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Dotherightthing:
A muslim is Home Secretary in UK

I don't blame Trump for coming down on them harshly.

So Trump is now your messiah and every opinion he has, or action he takes, is God-ordained?

Why should a Moslem not be home Secretary of the UK? Was a Moslem, Sadiq Khan, not voted to be London Mayor also? What is your business's who the UK people and system choose to lead them?

Please leave the choices and affairs of others nations to them alone instead of judging them ignorantly as many prejudiced Nigerians, never respectful of boundaries, are fond of doing.

SmartPolician:
No worry - Nigeria didn't make the list. If the UK bars Nigerians, their economy go get problem because they need us as much as we need them. Na only Trump country wey no send anybodi papa

Nigeria didn't make the list because we don't come to UK on student visa and apply for assylum as much as those on the list do.

Basically, some are much worse than us. As in, there is a list of bad doing that Nigeria is not top 3 in.

And UK is not dump land!

Dotherightthing:
A muslim is Home Secretary in UK

I don't blame Trump for coming down on them harshly.

This is ignorance at its finest .

Do you know the mayor of London?

WizardOfNG:
Was a Moslem, Sadiq Khan, not voted to be London Mayor also?

Not "was". Muslim Sadiq Khan is still London Mayor. He is serving a third term and considering a fourth.

And Muslims are not a majority in London, so many non-muslims must be voting for him.

Dotherightthing please know.

budaatum:
Not "was". Muslim Sadiq Khan is still London Mayor. He is serving a third term and considering a fourth.

And Muslims are not a majority in London, so many non-muslims must be voting for him.

Dotherightthing please know.

Read properly. I did not say Khan is no longer Mayor. I said he "was voted" Mayor of London.

Everything else you said really isn't clear because, whatever point you are trying to make, my point is that Londoners from all walks of life, who are the main stakeholders ok the affairs of the City, made the choice of voting Khan their mayor.

Nigerians, with their intrusive and annoying ITK disposition, should learn to shut their judgemental mouth over what does not concern them

Sir, I was agreeing with you and helping you educate Dotherightthing.

And I think we should learn from countries that don't elect religion or tribe above competency and merit.

WizardOfNG:
Read properly. I did not say Khan is no longer Mayor. I said he "was voted" Mayor of London.

Everything else you said really isn't clear because, whatever point you are trying to make, my point is that Londoners from all walks of life, who are the main stakeholders ok the affairs of the City, made the choice of voting Khan their mayor.

Nigerians, with their intrusive and annoying ITK disposition, should learn to shut their judgemental mouth over what does not concern them

budaatum:
Sir, I was agreeing with you and helping you educate Dotherightthing.

And I think we should learn from countries that don't elect religion or tribe above competency and merit.

Sincerest apologies. I did not understand you.🙏🏾

UK is utterly turd hole, equivalent of nigeria but with snow.