Visa Brake - Afghan Nationals Refused Skilled Worker Visas from 26 March 2026
17 Mar 2026
If you are an Afghan national applying for a Skilled Worker visa, or you know someone who is, you have 9 days to act. The Home Office announced on 4 March 2026 that a new "visa brake" will come into force on 26 March 2026 at 12:01am, automatically refusing Skilled Worker visa applications from Afghan nationals regardless of whether they have a valid job offer or sponsor certificate.
The visa brake also applies to Student visa applications from nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan. However, the Skilled Worker visa restriction applies to Afghan nationals only — nationals of the other three countries are unaffected on the Skilled Worker route.
Who is affected
The brake applies to:
- Afghan nationals applying for a Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK, on or after 26 March 2026
- Afghan, Cameroonian, Myanmar, and Sudanese nationals applying for a Student visa, on or after 26 March 2026
The Home Office cited a 470% increase in asylum claims from nationals of these four countries between 2021 and 2025, including a significant proportion who had previously been granted UK work or study visas. The policy is described as "not permanent" and will be reviewed, but no end date has been given.
Who is not affected
Several important groups are not affected by the visa brake:
- People who already hold a valid UK visa — you can continue living and working under the terms of your current leave
- Applications submitted before 26 March 2026 — these will be processed normally
- In-country extension applications (switching or extending from within the UK)
- Other visa routes not specified above
If you are currently on a Skilled Worker visa and approaching your ILR eligibility date, your settlement path is unaffected. The brake targets new applications, not people already in the UK.
If you need to act before 26 March
If you are an Afghan national who was planning to apply for a Skilled Worker visa, you should consult an immigration adviser urgently. Applications submitted before the 26 March deadline will be processed under existing rules. After that date, applications will be refused.
The GOV.UK guidance page will be updated if the brake is lifted or amended — bookmark it and check before making any application.
Sources: