“Our visa system should not be abused. That is why I am taking the unprecedented decision to deny visas to citizens who seek to exploit our generosity,” said British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, quoted in a statement from the Home Office. The decision will take effect on 26 March, the ministry specified.
The announcement comes at a time when Keir Starmer’s Labour government has promised to reduce legal and illegal immigration, amid the rise of the anti-immigration Reform UK party.
Asylum applications in the UK reached a record high in 2024 (108,138 applications) before declining slightly in 2025 (100,625).
London justifies the decision by stating that asylum applications from people who entered the country legally have “more than tripled since 2021,” reaching almost 133,760.
Applications from students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan increased by 470% between 2021 and 2025, according to the Home Office. Skilled work visas for Afghans will also now be denied.
According to the Home Office, “drastic measures are necessary,” given that financial support for asylum seekers costs British taxpayers “more than £4 billion” (€4.6 billion) annually.
In November, the Labour government announced a sweeping reform of asylum policy to discourage migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats.
The reform, whose provisions still need to be voted on in Parliament, stipulates, in particular, that refugees must wait 20 years before they can apply for permanent residency.
Since 2 March, refugee status in the United Kingdom has been granted to all new applicants for a renewable period of 30 months, instead of the previous five-year term.