The Home Office has suspended study visas for applicants from Afghanistan, Sudan, Myanmar and Cameroon, citing abuse of the immigration system. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the 'emergency brake' was needed because asylum claims by students from Cameroon and Sudan had spiked by more than 330%, though the actual numbers are small – just a few hundred students.
Among those affected is Shahira Sadat, an Afghan software engineer who had received an interview invitation for the prestigious Chevening scholarship. After obtaining three university offers, her application was withdrawn. 'I cried and cried for hours,' she said. 'Opportunities like Chevening are not just academic programmes – they are lifelines.'
Sudanese dentist Afra Elmahdi had been accepted to study an MSc in applied cancer science at Oxford. Her research focuses on oral cancers and survival inequalities. 'We have applied for these scholarships while being displaced and surviving a war,' she said. 'The Home Office is saying a bold, generalised and unjust no.'
Critics note that other countries with larger student numbers and similar asylum claim rates are not subject to the ban. The women affected argue they seek UK education to develop skills to rebuild their home countries, not to claim asylum. Six students are now challenging the visa ban in court.
