- Three Sudanese women, supported by law firm Duncan Lewis, are challenging the Home Office's ban on study visas for nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan at the High Court.
- Home secretary Shabana Mahmood implemented the ban in March, claiming some individuals were exploiting the asylum system by using study visas to enter the UK before making asylum claims.
- The plaintiffs, two doctors and a pharmacist, had secured offers for Master's degrees at Oxford University and University College London, and argue the Home Office's selection of nationalities is flawed and lacked proper investigation into widespread visa abuse.
- One anonymous Sudanese doctor expressed her distress at being treated as a potential immigration system abuser due to her nationality, emphasising that education is vital for young Sudanese to rebuild their war-torn country.
- The ban, estimated to affect 4,300 students from the four nations, has faced criticism from the university sector, and the legal challenge is scheduled to be heard at the High Court early next week.
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