According to a review of Nigerian visas issued by the UK in 2022, dependents received more permits than students.
Although the number of visas given between June 2022 and April 2023 will be revealed on Thursday, the UK has implemented legislation prohibiting some migrant students, particularly those from Nigeria, from bringing their families with them.
For the academic year 2021–2022, Nigerians received 44,195 study visas, according to data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in the UK.
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This is less than the amount of dependent visas given out to family members, as our correspondent’s access to statistics on Tuesday indicated that 60,923 dependents immigrated to the UK during the time period under consideration.
According to the Daily Mail, the home office has suggested that the growth in study-related visas granted to dependants could be because a greater number of older students are coming to Britain.
Nigeria had been undergoing a migration wave popularly referred to as Japa.
21,305 Nigerian students are enrolled at UK universities for the 2020–21 academic year. From 2019–20, this amounts to an almost 64% increase.
The number for the school year 2022–2023 has not yet been disclosed, although anecdotal evidence suggests it may be even higher.
Only China and India were still sending more students to the UK than Nigeria as of September 2021.
From 12,820 in 2016–17 to 21,305 in 2020–21 to 44,195 in 2021–2022, enrollments from Nigeria increased sharply.
Among all nationalities, Nigerians represented the largest relative increase in sponsored study visa grants, which reached a record high of 65,929, a nearly 700% increase from 2019 and a 222.8% increase compared to the same period in 2021.
