Leading universities have urged Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to exempt elite Chevening scholars from an “emergency brake” on student visas, warning that a policy designed to curb abuse is instead blocking the very people the government itself has deemed fit to study in Britain.
Thirty-four research-intensive institutions, represented by the Russell Group and ResearchPlus, wrote to Ms Mahmood arguing that applying the visa ban to Chevening scholars was not “fair or proportionate”. The scholars, they said, have “already undergone rigorous, government-led assessment”. The letter was shared with The Independent.
The Home Office imposed the ban in early March 2026, with effect from 26 March, on new student visa applications from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. The government said the measure would reduce asylum claims from individuals who enter on a student visa and then seek protection. An impact assessment estimated the 18-month brake would prevent 4,300 study visas from being issued to the affected cohorts and cut asylum claims by around 1,400.
Chevening: a government-vetted route
The Chevening Scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and partner organisations, has operated since 1983 and has supported nearly 60,000 professionals. More than 1,000 scholarships are awarded each year for one-year master’s degrees.
Selection is a multi-stage, government-led process. Candidates are assessed on academic merit, leadership potential and their demonstrable intention to return to their home countries after completing their studies. The universities’ letter described it as a “highly competitive and well-regarded scheme” that “played a central role in advancing the UK’s international partnerships and national interests”.
Of the scheme’s alumni, 22 have gone on to become heads of state and 15 per cent hold senior government positions, the letter stated. In 2024, 16 Chevening scholarships were awarded to students from Sudan, 13 from Afghanistan, 10 from Myanmar and eight from Cameroon – the very countries now barred.
Professor Libby Hackett of the Russell Group said: “Chevening Scholars have shown themselves to be exceptionally talented individuals who use their education in the UK to make invaluable contributions in their home countries. We should be making every effort to attract and support these students, not creating more barriers for them.”
Professor Sasha Roseneil, co-chair of ResearchPlus and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex, added: “We risk turning away tomorrow’s leaders by placing restrictions on outstanding scholars who have already passed the government’s own rigorous selection process.”
Impact of the ban
The ban has immediate consequences. Chevening award holders from the four countries cannot obtain a study visa to travel to the UK. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper reportedly appealed to Ms Mahmood for an exemption, expressing particular concern for vulnerable women in Afghanistan and Sudan, but Ms Mahmood reportedly rejected the intervention. The Home Office has said the merits of individual scholarships or schemes did not inform the ban, which was based on data showing a significant increase in student asylum claims from those countries.
Critics have described the policy as a “blunt measure”. Five Sudanese students and one Afghan student with offers to study at UK universities have launched legal action against the Home Secretary, challenging the visa brake as discriminatory and a violation of human rights. The Russell Group has also accused the government of misleading claims and contradictory figures, noting that Home Office data shows the number of people who previously held a student visa before claiming asylum from the four affected countries fell by 54 per cent between 2023 and 2024.
Universities are also feeling the pressure. Some have halted recruitment in countries with high visa refusal rates because of stricter compliance rules, and institutions face a target of keeping visa rejection rates below 5 per cent to avoid sanctions. The University of Cambridge said it has not withdrawn any offers for the 2026-27 academic year but has informed offer holders of the change in regulations; the Cambridge Trust is providing full-cost awards to affected students from Afghanistan, Cameroon and Sudan.
Home Office data on asylum claims
According to Home Office figures published this week, 10,835 people on a study visa went on to claim asylum in the UK in the year up to March 2026. Hundreds of thousands of study visas are granted each year – 498,626 in the peak year ending June 2023 – but the number of students who later claim asylum is decreasing, partly because the total number of study visas has fallen following earlier restrictions on family members.
The most common nationalities claiming asylum in that year were Pakistani (the vast majority arriving on legal visas), Eritrean (mostly arriving illegally), Iranian and Afghan (again, a majority arriving irregularly, including via small boat crossings).
The Home Office has launched a campaign warning international students about the consequences of overstaying visas or submitting meritless asylum claims. In the year ending September 2025, study visas were the second most common immigration route for asylum claims, at 34 per cent, after work visas at 32 per cent. However, the number of asylum claims from people who entered on a study visa has been falling: 6,700 in the first two quarters of 2025, down from 8,100 in the same period a year earlier.
The Russell Group and ResearchPlus told Ms Mahmood: “Our universities take their compliance responsibilities seriously and support appropriate measures to protect the integrity of student visas. The vast majority of international study applicants are genuine, and it is in all our interests that the system remains credible.” They warned that the policy risks damaging the UK’s reputation as a study destination.
