Urgent Concern about new UK Visa Policy for Sudanese Students

We write to express our concern and dismay about the Government's statement of 4 March 2026. The statement declared that visas will not be issued for students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, on account of what it calls widespread abuse, namely students from these countries lodging asylum claims.

The UK and Sudan have a long and deep, mutually beneficial history of educational ties and exchange, dating back to colonial times. Maintaining this relationship could not be more important than in the present circumstances. The war that erupted in Sudan almost three years ago has devastated the country's education sector. Millions of Sudanese children, youth, and young people are facing an uncertain educational future, making them and the country ill-prepared for the task of post-conflict reconstruction to come.[1] Offering British education for Sudanese students, rather than cutting it off, should therefore be a policy imperative at a time of utmost need.

Doing so aligns with the FCDO's stated commitment to assist the people of Sudan. As the UN Security Council penholder on Sudan, the UK's conduct carries considerable weight. Effectively banning students from studying in the UK sends the wrong message, to the Sudanese and to the world at large, on how the UK responds to the war and views the Sudanese people. It is a discriminatory and disproportionate response to the 120 Sudanese students who reportedly claimed asylum last year, up from 90 the year before, out of over 4 million Sudanese refugees worldwide.[2]

Many Sudanese students are recipients of scholarships which demonstrates their potential. They and their families frequently have to make considerable sacrifices to enable them to study in the UK, which Sudanese still value as a destination for higher education. Seeing letters that are circulating in which applications by Sudanese students for Chevening Scholarships have been terminated following the announcement is heartbreaking and unconscionable. It runs contrary to the spirit of the programme which is intended "to enable outstanding emerging leaders [and to] build lasting positive relationships with the UK".[3]

SSSUK therefore calls on the UK government to lift the visa ban for Sudanese students. At the very least, it should provide visas for students on schemes like Chevening and university scholarships. SSSUK also urges the Government to take proactive steps to enable young Sudanese to exercise their right to education, to prepare themselves for the future challenges their country faces, and to contribute to maintaining and strengthening the long-standing relationship between the two countries and its peoples in the field of education.

SSSUK Committee

7 March 2026

enquiries@sssuk.org

The Society for the Studies of the Sudans UK (SSSUK) is a UK registered charity that promotes the study and understanding of South Sudan and Sudan in all their aspects, serving as an important forum for exchange and learning between the UK and the Sudans.

[1] 'Case Study: Current Education Situation in Sudan', ERICC Helpdesk report by Rebecca Glade and Ahmed MS Elbashir, May 2025 (accessed 6 March 2026); and ' Universities under siege: The impact of the Sudanese war on the sustainability of higher education in Sudan', by Mohd Elmagzoub Eltahir, Osman Sirajeldeen Ahmed, Asma Sirageldin Ahmed, Emad Eldin Omer, Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 16 October 2025 (accessed 6 March 2026).

[2] Figures on the numbers of Sudanese Study Visa holders making applications for asylum are taken from Home Office press pack 'Notes to editors', 3 March 2026, accessible online on Politics UK. 'Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan 2026 - At a Glance', available on the UNHCR Operational Data Portal (accessed, 6 March 2026).

[3] Chevening, the UK government’s international scholarships and fellowships programme, Scholarships website page (accessed, 6 March 2026).

Second statement on the war in Sudan

Readers will need no reminder that the war has now been raging in Sudan for two years. Like many we made a plea at Eid two years ago that the combatants draw back from disaster and end the war. This Eid, with great sadness, we urgently repeat our plea. Those risks we identified in 2023 - of countless lives lost, of critical infrastructure destroyed and heritage institutions damaged and looted - all these have come to pass in almost every region of the country. The war is also now destabilising neighbouring countries, such as South Sudan, millions have been displaced from their homes, a growing famine threatens further devastation, and a generation's education and promise of a fulfilling future is at risk.

What we could not fully anticipate in 2023 was the resilience and bravery of extraordinary ordinary civilians in communities across the country who have taken on the duties of responsibilities of the state themselves, feeding the hungry, healing the wounded and the sick, and teaching the children. We pay tribute to all those working and sacrificing for others amidst all the danger and destruction and equally underscore the need for their protection from harm. Together they represent a precious victory for humanity that will be remembered for generations.

SSSUK is a non-governmental charitable organisation with a Sudanese, South Sudanese and international membership; our members seek to make the history and culture of Sudan and South Sudan better known and understood. Our Society continues to stand back from engagement in politics, but we again take this moment of Eid to encourage belligerents to pause and look for political solutions; only these will end this war and create a sustainable peace. Recent developments on the ground seem to trend toward more clearly demarcated zones of military control. A resultant breathing space from the fighting may ensue, and in which case we strongly urge each side to seize the moment to engage with the civilian organisations who have sustained Sudan’s citizens through the long war, and set out a pathway towards civilian rule that offers hope to a nation and its friends abroad. 

Sudan has a rich history and diverse and resilient cultural traditions that have and can again sustain peace in disturbed times. As we celebrate Eid we ask you to pray for peacemakers and for peace.

Eid Mubarak.

Statement on the war in Sudan

The Society for the Study of the Sudans UK (SSSUK) notes with sadness and alarm the ongoing extreme violence in Sudan, where infighting between military factions has caused the death of many innocent civilians and threatens the destruction of the cultural heritage and institutions throughout the country, including desperately needed healthcare facilities.

SSSUK is a non-governmental charitable organisation with a Sudanese, South Sudanese and international membership; our members seek to make the history and rich culture of Sudan and South Sudan better known and understood.

Our Society stands back from engagement in politics, but the combatants’ complete disregard for the lives and property of civilians across Sudan and the real threat of the war spreading further demand a concerted international response. Therefore, we join the United Nations and peaceful Sudanese people around the world in calling for an immediate ceasefire to enable a return to civilian government of the country. This is a time to unite to remember all that is good about Sudan and to hope, work and pray for a better future.

Eid Mubarak.