The UK government has placed an emergency brake on visas for nationals from four countries, as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood accused them of exploiting Britain’s generosity to claim asylum.

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

The government has halted the visa routes as it claims a growing number 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 claims as an “unprecedented” step, as it is the first time such visa bans have been implemented.

Mr Mahmood said, “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 refuse visas for those nationals seeking to exploit our generosity. I will restore order and control to our borders.”

According to Home Office figures, some 39% of the 100,000 who claimed asylum in 2025 did so after arriving in the UK through a legal migration route, like a study visa.

Asylum applications by students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan account for the largest share of a spike between 2021 and September 2025, the Home Office added.

The visa ban will be officially introduced via an amendment to immigration rules on Thursday.

The Home Secretary has previously threatened a similar halt to 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 co-operation agreements with all three countries, and illegal migrants being returned via deportation flights.

Mr Mahmood is expected to lay out measures to toughen up the UK asylum system in a speech on Thursday.

Under the widely trailed plans, asylum seekers in the UK will have their refugee status reviewed every 30 months in an effort to make the UK less attractive for illegal immigrants.

Refugees whose countries are deemed safe will be expected to return home.

(PA Media/dpa/NAN)