Britain said on Tuesday it would suspend student visas for nationals of four countries and halt work visas for Afghans, invoking what it called “emergency brakes” to curb rising asylum claims from people entering the country through legal routes.

Immigration remains one of the most politically sensitive issues in Britain, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government seeks to show it is tightening the system amid growing support for the populist Reform Party in opinion polls.

The Home Office said the measures would block student visas for nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan.

It added that asylum applications from students of those countries had increased more than fivefold between 2021 and 2025.

The ministry also said asylum claims from Afghans holding work visas now exceed the number of visas issued to them.