UK High Commissioner says student visa suspension could last 18 months….

He was speaking during a Commonwealth Forum on Transnational Education, TNE. According to the diplomat, the Government of the United Kingdom, UK, has no problem with Cameroon as some may want to think. 

“This measure is by no means the reflection of the breadth and strength of our bilateral relationship which we continue to value as fellow members of the Commonwealth,” Matt Woods stated. 

He said it was a difficult decision taken based on the bahaviour of Cameroonians who used study visas to enter their host country but fail to respect its guidelines.

The diplomat stated that records show that at least 30 percent of Cameroonians who used the student visa to enter the country end up seeking for asylum. Others, he said, engage in acts which are not beneficiary to their host country.

“The decision was driven by data which clearly proved that over 30 percent of Cameroonians who arrived the country on a student visa in the last two years  have gone on to claim asylum and therefore not respect the terms  of their visa,” he told reporters.

The Higher Commissioner noted that “it is still possible to go to the UK. It has nothing to do with our relationship with Cameroon. It is because of a small minority of about 30 percent”. 

He detailed that a review would be made of the situation after 18 months to see if the situation has improved. He sounded optimistic that it may turn out that the decision is reconsidered depending on the conduct of Cameroonians holding student visas in the UK. 

The diplomat said he feels proud about the strong interest Cameroonians show in the educational system of the UK, stating that it is an issue of pride but noted that it boils down to respecting rules.

Ambassador Woods explained that, the migration and asylum policy of the UK has largely focused on attracting those who contribute to the growth of the country and protecting those who need it while preventing those who abuse it.

The study route visa brake was announced on Wednesday, March 4.  The UK government through its Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood who announced the measure which also affects Sudan, Myanmar and Afghanistan had described it as “an unprecedented move”. The decision will go into effect on March 26. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3726 of Monday March 09, 2026