The government has imposed an emergency brake on visas for the first time on nationals from four countries, as Shabana Mahmood accused them of exploiting Britain’s generosity to claim asylum.

Study visas for nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan have been halted, in addition to work visas for Afghans.

The home secretary claimed a growing number of people from these countries were using legal migration routes as a back door to claim asylum in the UK.

Mahmood said on Tuesday: “Britain will always provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution, but our visa system must not be abused.

“That is why I am taking the unprecedented decision to refuse visas for those nationals seeking to exploit our generosity. I will restore order and control to our borders.”

According to Home Office figures, 39% of the 100,000 people who claimed asylum in 2025 did so after arriving in the UK through a legal migration route such as a study visa.

Asylum applications by students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan represented the most significant part of a rise between 2021 and September 2025, the Home Office said.

The visa ban will be officially introduced via an immigration rules change on Thursday.

Mahmood previously threatened a similar halt to all visas for Angola, Namibia and the Democratic of Congo in November, unless their governments agreed to take people back from the UK.

This led to cooperation agreements with all three countries and people being returned via deportation flights.

Mahmood is expected to lay out measures to toughen up the UK asylum system in a speech on Thursday, having announced that from this week every refugee will be told that their status is temporary and will last just 30 months.

Claimants whose countries are deemed to be safe by the UK government will from now on be expected to return.

The announcement came despite pleas from some Labour MPs, peers and affiliated unions for Keir Starmer’s government to shift towards progressive policies after the party came third in last week’s Gorton and Denton byelection.