Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the formal representation of the Oxford Sudanese Student Society to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, concerning the imposition of a visa brake on Sudanese nationals; and whether they intend to meet representatives of the Society to discuss the issue.

We recognise the concerns the Oxford Sudanese Student Society have regarding the visa brake and that this decision may be disappointing. However, the visa brake, which was data-driven, was ultimately required to ensure that the system remains fair, credible, and sustainable. Proportionality has been central to the development of this policy, with nationals of Sudan presenting not only high numbers of claims but also some of the highest proportions of asylum claims to visas issued on the Student route.

In the year ending September 2025, for Sudan nationals on the Student route, the proportion of asylum claims as a proportion of visas issued was 46%. This is consistent with a rise across the past five years. This is not sustainable, and has necessitated swift action to address this trend.