In the afternoon of February 5, 2026, Ebong Rozeybell, a Chevening Candidate received an unexpected email from the Chevening Scholarship Award team informing her of their inability to forward her application for the Chevening Scholarship. This was due to the new United Kingdom (UK) Government Legislation that has halted the issuing of student Visas to citizens of four countries including Cameroon, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Sudan. The UK Government says, the ban is a consequence of what it calls a “crackdown on widespread visa abuse by users”.
According to the UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, official figures reveal that immigrants from the banned countries who are speculatively fleeing the ongoing conflict in all four countries including the civil war in Sudan and the Separatist armed conflict in Cameroon, are the most likely to apply for asylum after legally arriving the UK through the student visa route. This surge in asylum seekers has tripled since 2021, accounting for 13 per cent of asylum seekers in the Uk with over 30 per cent of Cameroonian migrants ending up in asylum camps in the Uk.
According to human Rights defender and Educational/Career councillor, Marita Ngangen, the 18-month ban intended to protect the integrity of the UK asylum system will take a toll on people genuinely interested in acquiring a holistic education to build a sustainable career that betters livelihood and development.
The Uk’s recent decision to stop issuing student visas to Cameroonian scholars has sent shockwaves through the academic community leaving many aspirant scholars in a limbo. “After several futile attempts for the Chevening Scholarship, I was finally shortlisted, scheduled for an interview come February 15, 2026. I was a step closer to my dreams of pursuing a Masters of Science in artificial Intelligence at the University of Manchester,” says Ebong Rezeybell, a Cameroonian Scholar who received an email cancelling her Chevening interview due to the Student Visa Ban.
Nyambi Eleanora, a self-sponsored Candidate destined to study MSc in Safety, Health and Environmental Management at the University of South Wales, whose CAS was 98 per cent processed echoes similar sentiments. “I am frustrated and worried about my future. The UK is a hub for educational development particularly for passionate scholars like myself. This ban I am scared will kill many dreams and increase our development frustrations,” she lamented.
Being a Commonwealth Country, Cameroon has benefitted significantly from prestigious UK Scholarships like the Common Wealth and Chevening scholarships. “This ban will not only affect scholars but hinder the country’s progress towards sustainable development,” Eleanora lamented.
While the government of Cameroon is yet to make an official statement regarding the ban, The British High Commissioner to Cameroon Matt Woods explained in an official video that “The UK has always had three priorities when it comes to migration and asylum policy; Attract those who will contribute to their country’s development; Protect those in need; and to prevent those who abuse it,” he said.
He added that “unfortunately the minority of 30 per cent of migrating Cameroonians in the UK who hold the student visa have abused this system and therefore not respecting the terms of their visa. This has urged the UK government to take action.”
While the decision throws the ambitious dreams of young Cameroonian scholars in a limbo, The British High Commissioner underscored that the 18-months ban is by no means a reflection of the strength and breadth of the bilateral relationship shared between Cameroon and the United Kingdom which the UK continues to value as fellow members of the Commonwealth.