It follows the UK’s execution of an “emergency situation brake” on study visas for nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan– nations that have actually seen increasing asylum claims from those on work and study visas in the UK presumably abusing the system.
Yesterday, The Guardian reported that foreign secretary Yvette Cooper had actually called for Chevening scholars to be exempt from the new rules — a request that was turned down by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
Speaking to The PIE News, a Home Office representative stated they might not allow exceptions to the tougher constraints, declaring that study routes were being “widely abused” and were “creating a back door to claim asylum into this country”.
They defended the “unmatched action” taken by the federal government while reiterating its dedication to “broadening safe and legal paths to those leaving persecution and welcoming the brightest talent in a reasonable and handled method”.
The Home Secretary is not only undermining a legacy of global advancement but is stopping working to identify the enormous strength and worth these scholars bring to the UK Naimat Zafary, former Chevening scholar
But the refusal to keep the study route open for Chevening scholars is set to be met opposition from within Labour, where there is strong assistance for the program that welcomes some 1,500 master’s students to the UK on government scholarships every year.
Naimat Zafary, previous Chevening scholar from Afghanistan, called the news a “second heartbreaking blow” following the preliminary policy statement previously this month.
He revealed specific unhappiness for Afghan females and girls who have actually been disallowed from accessing education under Taliban guideline for over three years– a group which Cooper was supposedly also worried about.
Zafary highlighted the strength of students meeting the “strenuous requirements” of the program despite not having access to education in their home nation, only to be consulted with news of the UK federal government terminating interviews and applications.
“The Home Secretary is not only undermining a tradition of worldwide development however is failing to recognise the enormous strength and worth these scholars give the UK,” said Zafary.
“This decision decreases the UK’s standing as a trusted partner on the worldwide phase and, many tragically, risks snuffing out the hard-won hope of students who have currently compromised so much for the right to find out.”
For its case, the home office has stated the benefits of specific scholarships or plans did not notify the visa ban, which was based upon data revealing a 470% increase in trainee asylum declares from the impacted nations in between 2021 and 2025.
But federal government critics have said the figure is a distortion, highlighting that just 120 Sudanese students made an application for asylum in the year up to September, out of an overall of more than 110,000 asylum claims.
In 2024, 16 Chevening Scholarships were awarded to students from Sudan, 13 from Afghanistan, 10 from Myanmar and 8 from Cameroon, according to the current federal government information.
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