- Afghan women launched a High Court legal challenge against the United Kingdom’s March twenty twenty-six visa brake policy.
- The policy suspends new student visa applications from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan to prevent alleged asylum abuse.
- Claimants argue the ban is discriminatory and irrational, disproportionately affecting women barred from education by the Taliban.
Afghan women have joined a High Court challenge against the UK’s March 2026 visa brake, which stopped new out-of-country student visa applications from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. The measure also covers Afghan applications for Skilled Worker entry clearance. It took effect at 12:01 AM on March 26, 2026.
The claimants say the policy unlawfully prevents genuine students from reaching British universities. They argue that it is discriminatory, irrational and disproportionate, and that the government’s statistics distort the scale of alleged abuse.
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The Home Office introduced the measure after announcing it on March 4 and changing the Immigration Rules on March 5. The department said students were using the route as a path to asylum.
The litigation is moving forward. Two related judicial review claims reached the High Court between July 22-28, 2026, with Duncan Lewis and Deighton Pierce Glynn representing different groups of affected students.
One claimant had won a place at University College London. Shahira Sadat, an Afghan software engineer and Chevening Scholarship recipient, planned to study artificial intelligence, but officials terminated her application on March 4, the day the policy was announced.
“What is the difference between the UK and the Taliban? Neither allow us to continue our education.”
Sadat made the comment about the effect of the decision on her education. Other Afghan women held unconditional offers for master’s degrees in artificial intelligence at the University of Sussex and the University of Bradford, as well as civil engineering at the University of Manchester.
The dispute now turns on both access to education and the government’s justification for closing the route.
The suspension targets new applications made abroad
The restriction applies to nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan seeking entry clearance under the Student route. It separately applies to Afghan nationals seeking entry clearance as Skilled Workers.
The rules draw a line around applications made outside Britain. People already lawfully in the country can still extend or switch their permission from within the UK. Existing students and workers therefore face a different position from applicants waiting overseas.
The department estimated that the 18-month measure could affect 4,300 students from the four countries. Figures cited in the dispute also show that nationals of those countries received 3,142 study visas out of 429,254 issued in 2025, equal to 0.7% of the total.
A separate figure puts Afghan grants in 2025 at 277 student visas, or 0.07% of all UK student visas. The claimants say those figures underline why a blanket restriction is not a proportionate response.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Estimated students affected | 4,300 |
| Study visas issued to nationals of the four countries in 2025 | 3,142 |
| Total study visas issued in 2025 | 429,254 |
| Share attributed to the four countries | 0.7% |
| Afghan student visas granted in 2025 | 277 |
| Afghan share of all UK student visas | 0.07% |
Ministers defend the brake as a response to asylum claims
The department said asylum applications from students of the four nationalities rose by 470% between 2021 and 2025. It also cited a 95% ratio of asylum claims to student visas issued for Afghan nationals.
Another set of figures cited by the government shows people entering on temporary visas and later applying for asylum rising from 722 in 2021 to 7,584 in 2025. Ministers have presented those figures as evidence of widespread abuse of the immigration system.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood defended the policy when it was announced.
“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.”
The students’ lawyers dispute that approach. Ahmed Aydeed, director of public law at Deighton Pierce Glynn, said the policy would deter highly qualified applicants and criticized the government’s method of making immigration rules.
“This racist study ban by the home secretary will do nothing but detract the brightest in the world from studying in the UK. This government has abandoned a purposive and evidence-based approach to lawmaking.”
The applicants are asking the court to examine whether the measure lawfully supports the stated objective and whether it treats genuine students differently because of their nationality.
Afghan women face an education barrier inside Afghanistan
The case carries particular weight for Afghan women because Taliban restrictions have barred girls and women from secondary and higher education in Afghanistan. Overseas universities have become one of the few remaining routes to advanced study.
That context shapes the applicants’ account of the policy. Women who secured places in medicine, pharmacy, public health-related subjects, artificial intelligence and engineering say the suspension closes a route that was already difficult to access.
Sadat’s Chevening award illustrates the problem. A scholarship holder with a university place still could not proceed after her application ended before her March 9 interview.
Critics say Britain is excluding women it previously presented as deserving of educational support. Universities and commentators have also warned that the restriction could damage the country’s reputation and its educational soft power.
Sasha Roseneil, vice chancellor of the University of Sussex, said the decision had “profound consequences for the UK’s global reputation and soft power.” Her university is among those connected to an affected offer.
Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, reportedly sought a carve-out for Chevening scholars, particularly vulnerable women. The Home Office rejected that exception, according to the account of the policy dispute.
A proposed refugee route will not cover current offers
The government announced a new student refugee route on July 14. It is expected to open in Autumn 2026, with first arrivals planned for 2027.
That timetable does not resolve the position of students holding offers for the 2026 academic year. Their university places, scholarship arrangements and interview dates fall before the proposed route is due to begin.
Lord Hanson of Flint, minister of state at the department, told a parliamentary inquiry on July 14 that ministers had no current plans to create exceptions.
“The Government has no current plans to introduce exceptions to the visa brake. the visa brake is being kept under regular review. It is not intended to be permanent.”
The restriction therefore remains in force while the judicial review proceeds. The court has not issued a final ruling as of July 28, 2026.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.
