66,796 dependent visas were granted to families of Nigerian students who secured study visas between March 2022 and March 2023, according to data from the Home Office in the UK, released on Thursday.
When compared to the 27,137 dependents who moved to the UK between March 2021 and March 2022, this is a 146.1 percent increase.
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The data, which was made public on Thursday, coincides with promises made by previous Conservative administrations to significantly reduce immigration to the UK, particularly in the wake of Brexit, which its proponents hailed as a necessary step for Britain to “take control” of its borders.
The UK Home Office stated;
Africa’s biggest economy had the highest number of dependants of sponsored study visa holders which rose by 146.1 per cent to 66,796 in the year ending March 2023 from 27,137 in the year ending March 2022.
Indian nationals had the second highest number of dependants, increasing from 22,598 to 42,381. In the year ending March 2023, around 73 per cent of visas issued to dependants of students were issued to two nationalities (Indians and Nigerians).
Foreign tertiary institutions and respective countries have continued to benefit from the migration of Nigerian students to oversea institutions.
For instance, a report by SBM intelligence estimates that in 2021, Nigerian students and their dependents in the UK contributed an estimated £1.9 billion to the UK economy.
The UK already declared its intention to forbid international students from entering the nation with dependents beginning in January 2024.
Suella Braverman, the secretary to the home office, had put forth a number of regulations regarding immigrant students.
She wants to make it illegal for international students to bring their dependents to the UK unless they are enrolled in postgraduate research programmes.
She also wants to make it impossible for international students to switch from the student route to the work route before their studies are finished.
