Six students, five of whom are from Sudan and one from Afghanistan, have filed a lawsuit against the British Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, accusing her of making a decision involving racial discrimination. This follows their being denied student visas to enroll in universities in the United Kingdom.
The affected students hold university degrees in medicine and scientific disciplines and had received admission offers from prominent academic institutions, including the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial College London, before being prevented from enrolling due to the new government decision.
The Home Secretary had announced this March a ban on student visas for those coming from Sudan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Cameroon, with the decision scheduled to take effect on the 26th of the same month.
The students considered the decision illegal, illogical, and a violation of human rights laws. Furthermore, they based their case on the argument that it relies on a misinterpretation of the law. They also accused the Minister of failing to provide clear justifications for singling out only four countries for this ban, considering it an unjustified form of discrimination.
