Author: nlcawebsite

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has claimed a growing number of migrants from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan are using legal migration routes as a backdoor for claiming asylum.

The government will halt visa routes for nationals from four countries who the home secretary says have “abused” the UK’s generosity.

An emergency brake is being placed on study visas for people from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, while work visas have also been stopped for Afghans.

It’s the first time such visa bans have been implemented by the UK government.

Shabana Mahmood claimed a growing number of migrants from these countries are using legal migration routes as a backdoor for claiming asylum.

According to Home Office figures, 39% of the 100,000 who claimed asylum in 2025 did so after arriving via a legal migration route.

A spike in asylum applications between 2021 and September last year was dominated by students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan.

Ms Mahmood said: “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.”

The bans will be officially introduced on Thursday, when Ms Mahmood will lay out measures to toughen up the asylum system.

They would include asylum seekers having to have their refugee status reviewed every two-and-a-half years.

Refugees whose countries are deemed safe will also be expected to return home.

Ms Mahmood’s tougher approach doesn’t sit comfortably with many Labour MPs, but she has warned a failure to address the public’s concerns about immigration will lead to a right-wing government.

But the government is also coming under pressure from its left flank, after the Greens won the year’s first Westminster by-election.

Ms Mahmood has argued the level of illegal immigration is “creating division within communities across the country”, risking the erosion of public support for the asylum system entirely.

The government has committed to ending the use of hotels to house asylum seekers by the next election, though its plans for using old military sites are also proving unpopular.

As the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) becomes fully mandatory for visa-exempt visitors starting February 25, 2026, the British government has announced its intention to increase the fee in the near future. Currently set at £16, the cost is expected to rise to £20

From today (25 February), non-visa nationals will be barred from entering the UK without an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

Non-visa nationals who try to enter the UK without an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will be barred under new rules coming into force.

From today (25 February), it will be mandatory for visitors to the UK to have obtained digital permission to travel. This means that airlines will prevent passengers from boarding if they do not have an ETA, eVisa or have other valid documentation.

Visitors of 85 nationalities, including nationals of the United States, Canada and France, are now legally required to have an ETA when travelling to the UK. An ETA costs £16, permits multiple journeys, and lasts for 2 years or until the holder’s passport expires – whichever is sooner.

The cost of an ETA is competitive and in line with other countries including the US ESTA, which costs $40 and the EU’s ETIAS, which is expected to cost €20 when it is implemented.

British and Irish citizens, including dual citizens, are exempt from needing an ETA but will be required to present either a valid British passport or Certificate of Entitlement when travelling to the UK. This is the same approach taken by other countries, including the US, Australia and Canada. At their own discretion, carriers may accept some expired British passports as alternative documentation.

Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Mike Tapp said:

The ETA scheme is a vital part of our work to strengthen the UK’s border security, helping to deliver a more efficient and modern service that works for both visitors and the British public.

I’d urge anyone wanting to travel to the UK to ensure they are travel ready and have the right permission, to make their journey much smoother.

ETAs are also mandatory for visitors who travel to the UK to take connecting flights and go through passport control.

Since ETA was introduced in October 2023, over 19 million visitors have successfully applied. As of January 2026, ETA has generated over £383 million in revenue which is reinvested in improving the UK’s border and immigration system.

The enforcement of the ETA scheme is a significant step towards digitising the immigration system and paves the way for a contactless UK border in the future. The scheme also helps to keep the border secure, preventing individuals who pose a threat from entering the UK.

The UK has been phasing out physical documents for several years through the transition to eVisas, with over 10 million issued to date. eVisa holders, including those with EU Settlement Scheme status, need to keep their UK Visas and Immigration account up to date with their most recent passport details, to avoid travel disruption.

As part of ongoing improvements to our services, from tomorrow (26 February), Certificates of Entitlement will be issued in digital format. This means that a certificate only needs to be applied for once, rather than expiring with your passport.

Applying for an ETA through the UK ETA app is quick and easy, and the vast majority of applicants currently receive a decision automatically within minutes, ensuring that spontaneous trips to the UK remain possible. However, it is still recommended that visitors allow up to 3 working days before they plan to travel to receive their decision in time and, to account for the small number of cases that require additional review.

Applicants are required to provide their biographic and biometric details and answer a few questions on suitability and criminality. Once a person has successfully applied, their ETA is digitally linked to their passport.

Exclusive: Home Office ruling means thousands more Hongkongers will be eligible to come to the UK over next five years.

Dozens of MPs have called on the government to ensure changes to permanent residency requirements do not withdraw support for Hongkongers and others on humanitarian visas.

In 2020, following the imposition of Beijing’s national security law in Hong Kong, the UK government announced a new visa scheme that would allow BNO passport holders there to come to Britain and gain settled status after five years, plus citizenship a year later.

Since the BNO route for people from Hong Kong was launched, more than 230,000 people have been granted a visa and almost 170,000 have moved to the UK.

The route’s expansion closes a gap in eligibility that has led to unfair outcomes within families, with some children able to resettle and others not.

Keir Starmer raised Lai’s case directly with President Xi Jinping during a recent visit to Beijing. Now that the sentencing has happened, the government has said it will “rapidly engage” further on Lai’s case.

In December, 34 Labour MPs said they had “significant concerns about the potential adverse consequences” of changes announced in November to indefinite leave to remain (ILR), which allows migrants to live, work and study permanently in the UK, then acquire British citizenship.

They wrote to the migration minister, Mike Tapp, to ask him to ensure new requirements were not applied retroactively to about 200,000 Hongkongers who were granted BNO visas from 2021 by the previous Conservative government after fleeing a crackdown by Beijing.

Of particular concern is the newly announced requirement for “upper intermediate” (B2) level of English, increased from “intermediate” (B1), and the necessity to have earned more than £12,570 a year for a minimum of three to five years before being able to apply for ILR.

The government has clarified that Hongkongers will be able to apply for settled status after five years, unlike other migrants who will have the period extended to 10 years.

The government said it was consulting on the salary thresholds and language requirements. Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, said: “This country will always honour its historic commitment to the people of Hong Kong. We are proud to have already provided a safe haven to almost 170,000 Hongkongers since 2021. In the face of the continued deterioration of rights and freedoms, we are now expanding eligibility so more families can build new lives here.

While we must restore order and control to our borders, the British people will always welcome those in genuine need of sanctuary.”

Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, said: “Though Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms continue to erode, this government’s support for its people remains steadfast, and that’s why we are ensuring that young people who missed out on resettlement protection because of their age will now be covered.”

The pressure group Hong Kong Watch [HKW] welcomed the visa expansion but said it would be a “half-measure” until the government also addresses concerns around settled status.

Thomas Benson, a senior policy advisor at HKW, said: “We are very pleased to see this expansion, which we have campaigned on for over three years.

“However, the government must know that many BNO Hong Kongers remain worried about the proposed changes to settled status on the BNO scheme, which will see the vast majority of BNOs unable to acquire settled status.

“Expanding eligibility without addressing issues around settled status requirements is, I’m afraid, only a half-measure.”