LONDON: A group of Afghan students studying in the UK under a Foreign Office scholarship scheme have shared their fears that they will be forced to return to Afghanistan after they graduate in September.

The 17 students asked the British government to grant them indefinite leave to remain in the UK, as it did for Afghans who participated in the program in 2021 and 2022. They said they fear persecution from the Taliban regime in their home country if they have to return there when their visas expire.

They are among the recipients of the Chevening scholarship program, which since 1983 has given thousands of outstanding students from all over the world the chance to study at UK universities, predominantly for one-year master’s degree courses.

The Home Office originally said the scholarship scheme was never intended to be a pathway to permanent residence and that students should follow procedure after graduating by returning to their homeland or moving on to another country. However, it later added that those from Afghanistan can apply for another UK visa or claim asylum.

The students complain they face the prospect of finding money to pay the expensive fee for a two-year graduate visa, or could be left unable to work while British authorities continue to deal with a near 200,000-case backlog of asylum applications.

They spoke to the British media on condition of anonymity to protect their families still living in Afghanistan.

“As a girl who is single, who has done human rights law in the UK under the UK government scheme, who has worked with international forces, I would be persecuted, I would be hanged in front of everybody,” one said of her fears if she is forced to return to Afghanistan.

Another, who also studied international human rights law, said: “I am having panic attacks thinking about what exactly is going to happen. Should I just become stateless and homeless at the same time after September?”

Labour MP Neil Coyle, who is representing one of the students, told news agency PA Media: “Ministers must end their debilitating quagmire and grant leave to remain in the UK, as the Home Office did for the students who completed their studies last year.”

A spokesperson for the government said it has provided a letter of consent that allows the students to apply for a different visa after graduation due to “the situation in Afghanistan” and added: “This will exempt them from the normal requirement to leave the UK on completion of study.”