Study visas for people from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan were halted in March by home secretary Shabana Mahmood, who claimed some were exploiting the asylum system
Three Sudanese students are challenging the Home Office’s ban on certain visas for foreign nationals from four countries in the courts, The Independent can reveal.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood halted study visas for people from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan in March, accusing some of exploiting the system by using it as a gateway to enter the UK before later claiming asylum.
The drastic measure drew criticism from the university sector, with the vice-chancellor of the University of Sussex Sasha Roseneil saying the move had profound consequences “for the UK’s global reputation and soft power”.
Now, three Sudanese women in their 20s, supported by law firm Duncan Lewis, are seeking to bring a legal challenge at the High Court to overturn the ban. They will argue that the way the Home Office selected the nationalities to ban is flawed, and that officials failed to properly investigate whether widespread visa abuse was occurring before they imposed a blanket ban.
Two of the women are doctors and one is a pharmacist. They had offers to study masters at Oxford University and University College London (UCL) in Digital Health, International Health and Tropical Medicine, and Public Health.
One of the women, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that the legal challenge was about ensuring “fairness”. She explained: “When I received my offer from Oxford, I saw it as an opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills needed to help rebuild health systems in a country long devastated by war.
“As a Sudanese doctor with an established international career, I have spent years working on reproductive health and supporting communities affected by displacement. The idea that I am now being treated as a potential abuser of the immigration system, simply because of my nationality, is deeply painful.”
She added: “Sudan has already lost universities, hospitals, and countless opportunities to this war. Many of us have lost friends, family members, and any sense of normality. Education is one of the few remaining pathways available to young Sudanese who want to contribute, lead, and help rebuild our country. This policy does not just affect visa applications; it risks taking away the future of a generation that has already lost so much.”
Announcing the ban in March, the Home Office said they needed to “protect UK border security from these unsustainable levels of visa-linked asylum claims”, saying that students who arrive in the UK were going on to claim asylum.
The Home Office estimated that the 18-month ban would impact 4,300 students from the four countries. In the year ending September 2025, there were 120 asylum claims from Sudanese nationals on study visas in the UK – compared to a total of 5,869 Sudanese asylum claimants in 2025.
The four countries affected by the ban made up just 0.7 per cent of study visas issued in 2025. Together visas granted to foreign nationals from Myanmar, Cameroon, Afghanistan and Sudan made up 3,142 visas out of the 429,254 study visas issued in 2025.
Manini Menon, solicitor at law firm Duncan Lewis, told The Independent: “Our clients are talented, high-achieving women who have secured admission to some of the top universities in the world.
“It is disappointing that the home secretary has decided that they should be deprived of the opportunity to take up their offers of study, solely on account of their nationality, without any assessment of the individual facts of their cases.
“This is particularly so in circumstances where our clients are all medical professionals working on issues of public health and sexual and reproductive rights (including eradication of the practice of FGM), all of which HM Government has recognised in its foreign policy as being key UK priorities in Sudan.”
Earlier this year, leading universities urged Ms Mahmood to exempt outstanding students from the ban. Some 34 institutions, represented by higher-education associations the Russell Group and ResearchPlus, called for an exception for Chevening scholars, who are part of a government-funded programme that enables outstanding emerging leaders from around the world to do a one-year master’s degree in the UK.
In June, the Home Office announced in a further crack down, saying universities would be stripped of the right to recruit international students if too many drop out over fears they are being exploited for visa abuse.
The claim brought by the three Sudanese women is due to be heard at the High Court at the beginning of next week.
The Home Office has been contacted for comment.
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies