‘I survived the Taliban to go to school – now the UK has blocked me from studying at Oxford’

An Afghan human rights activist who was offered a place on a prestigious course at Oxford University has been blocked from entering the UK .

Aisha Khurram, a 27-year-old from Kabul, was awarded a rare place on a masters course in diplomatic studies at the university in May, just two months after the government implemented an “emergency brake” on visas for people coming from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Cameroon and Sudan.

She is one of 15 Afghan people offered places at the University of Oxford this academic year, freedom of information data shows, most of whom will be unable to start their studies after the Home Office reported a high number and proportion of visa-linked asylum claims are linked to the sponsored study route .

Ms Khurram told The Independent that after surviving the Taliban , separating from her family and having to retake her degree, she was heartbroken she couldn’t complete her education at one of the world’s most prestigious institutions not because of her ability – but because she’s Afghan.

“I think for me the most painful part was I actually crossed all the most difficult barriers. I survived [the] Taliban. I survived displacement. I had to rebuild my education and I had to get an offer from one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

“And then at the final stage I wasn't able to access what I've rightfully earned not because I was not qualified enough, but because I hold a passport that is not admissible to the UK government.”

The course at Oxford would have “opened the door to so many opportunities” for Ms Khurram as she hoped to fulfil a dream she’s had since finishing high school to study diplomacy, work in the foreign service for Afghanistan and “represent the rights and interests of the Afghan nation on the international stage”.

Ms Khurram was in her last semester of studies at Kabul University when she was forced to flee the Taliban in September 2021 after being informed of potential risks to her safety because of her experience as the first female Afghan youth representative to the United Nations in 2019.

After missing the main evacuation pathways, she travelled across eight provinces and exited her homeland through Iran, before receiving temporary humanitarian residency to Germany, where she had no proof of her previous academic achievements – or the fact she was due to graduate.

She eventually received screenshots of her transcript from a former administrator of Kabul University and was able to complete a bachelors degree at Bard College Berlin under a scholarship for Afghan students.

Education is a passion for Ms Khurram, who survived suicide bombings while exercising her right to learn in Afghanistan.

“We had the right to education,” she said. “But at the same time there was a lot of security challenges. I personally survived a lot of suicide bombing attacks that were close to my school.

“I usually say it’s a gamble to survive in Afghanistan. Even back then we had the rights but the security wasn’t there.