26 March 2026 — UK Student Visa Ban
On 26 March 2026, the UK government banned student visas for nationals of Myanmar, Afghanistan, Cameroon and Sudan. For thousands of young people, the bridge to education burned overnight. We are building it back — together.
What happened
For the first time in British history, the Home Office applied what it called an "emergency brake" — refusing student visa applications from nationals of four countries: Myanmar, Afghanistan, Cameroon and Sudan.
The decision came into force on 26 March 2026. Anyone from these countries living outside the UK who applied for a student visa after that date was automatically refused — regardless of their academic record, their university offer, or their personal circumstances.
There was no warning. No transition period. No exceptions.
"Nationals from these countries, living outside the UK, can no longer apply to study here. The bridge burned overnight."
— Build Back The BridgeWhy it's wrong
The government justified the ban by citing a rise in asylum claims from students. But the actual numbers tell a very different story.
An entire nationality is being punished for the choices of a minority. Every student from these countries — regardless of their individual circumstances — is treated as a risk by default.
Other nationalities filed over 25,000 asylum claims in the same period with no ban imposed. Myanmar filed just 724. The decision was not made proportionally or on the basis of scale.
By the UK's own courts, the majority of asylum claims from these countries were upheld as legitimate. Sudan: 98%. Myanmar: 86%. These were not people gaming the system.
The four countries
These are not countries where people are inventing reasons to leave. These are countries where people are fighting to survive.
Under military junta rule since the coup of February 2021. Civil war has displaced hundreds of thousands. Education access has collapsed under authoritarian control. Students who came to the UK were overwhelmingly found to have legitimate protection needs.
724 claims — 86% upheld as genuineUnder Taliban rule since August 2021. Women and girls are banned from education beyond primary level. Those educated abroad face persecution if they return. The UK itself resettled over 37,000 Afghans through its own schemes.
26,634 claims — 66% upheld as genuineAn ongoing Anglophone separatist conflict has devastated the Northwest and Southwest regions since 2016. Schools have been systematically targeted by armed groups. Education has become a casualty of the conflict.
1,092 claims — 66% upheld as genuineIn the grip of a catastrophic civil war since April 2023. The conflict has created one of the world's largest displacement crises. Nearly all asylum claims from Sudanese nationals were found to be legitimate by UK courts.
12,321 claims — 98% upheld as genuineGet involved
This is a peaceful campaign. No loud protests. No anger. Just people standing together — from all four nations and beyond — making it impossible for Parliament to ignore us.
Education is a right, not a reward. Your passport should not determine your future.