Rejected petition Reinstate Student Visas for Afghans

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmoud paused student visas for Afghans on 4 March, 2026. This must be reversed.

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Banning one of the only legal routes left for Afghan asylum seekers is cruel. The UK had direct involvement in enabling the Taliban's takeover by irresponsibly withdrawing its troops in August 2021. Afghan women, especially, deserve the right to apply for their education in the UK as they have not been able to work or study since the Taliban's takeover. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has formally referred to Afghanistan as undergoing "gender-based apartheid".

This petition was rejected

Why was this petition rejected?

There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.

You are more likely to get action on this issue if you sign and share a single petition.

You may wish to sign this petition which calls for similar action:
'Reverse the visa brake on student visa applications from Afghan nationals'
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/763472

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.

Date submitted 10 March 2026
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