UK Government Halts Study Visa Approval for Applicants From Four Countries, Shares Reason
- The UK government announced new reforms to its study visa program for applicants on Thursday, March 26, 2026
- In a statement on X, the Home Office listed four countries that were blocked from getting UK study visas and cited reasons
- Of the four countries affected by the new study visa ban, two are African countries, while the other two are in Asia
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The United Kingdom (UK) government, with immediate effect, has announced that it will no longer approve study visas to applicants from four major countries.
Source: Getty Images
The announcement was made by the UK Home Office on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
It stated that the latest development is part of a government move to curb visa abuse by people from four countries.
Countries affected by UK's study visa policy
In a press statement, the UK said it would immediately stop approving study visas for applicants from Sudan, Afghanistan, Cameroon, and Myanmar.
The UK government assured the public that it would still offer sanctuary to applicants genuinely fleeing danger in their home countries.
However, it stressed the need to stop applicants from taking advantage of its generosity through the study visa program.
The statement read:
"Our crackdown on visa abuse is now in force. From today, study visas will be refused for applicants from Sudan, Afghanistan, Cameroon, and Myanmar. We will always offer sanctuary to those genuinely fleeing danger, but we must stop those exploiting our generosity."
According to the statistics from the UK Home Office, asylum applications by students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan rose to over 470% of their 2021 level by the year ending September 2025.
The huge rise in numbers made the applicants from the four countries among the most likely nationalities to claim asylum in the UK.
Source: Getty Images
The Home Office also announced that it will also end skilled worker visas for Afghan nationals looking to relocate to the UK.
The latest visa reforms from the government also come as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood prepares to introduce new legislation to restore order and control to the country's borders.
She is expected to deliver a speech on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank outlining the importance of new reforms to the study visa policy.
The X post of the UK government announcing the end of its study visa approval for four countries is below:
UK study visa suspension stirs reactions
YEN.com.gh has gathered some comments from social media users below:
BrotherPossible commented:
"Thank God Ghana is exempted."
Luke_Jahn_ wrote:
"We all know that nobody is getting student visas from those countries—so that’s a largely irrelevant decision."
Oga_Sage said:
"Interesting times. The UK is cracking down on Afghanistan, Cameroon, and Myanmar. In my opinion, they may simply be easier targets, with fewer economic consequences than countries that contribute more to the UK’s financial interests."
Food items not permitted when entering UK
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the UK had listed eight foods restricted for people looking to relocate to the country in 2026.
The food items not permitted for EU and non-EU immigrants entering the country were outlined by the UK government.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
