UK set to tighten visa rules for Nigerians, others

The United Kingdom (UK) is set to roll out tougher visa restrictions for citizens of Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, following growing concerns over the rising number of overstays and subsequent asylum requests by nationals from these countries.

According to a report published by The Times on Tuesday, the UK Home Office is working on a new set of immigration policies that could significantly affect visa applicants from countries deemed to have a high risk of breaching immigration rules.

A Home Office spokesperson confirmed the move, stating that the forthcoming Immigration White Paper will outline comprehensive reforms to address what the UK government describes as a “broken” immigration system.

“Our upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system,” the spokesperson said.

“To tackle abuse by foreign nationals who arrive on work and study visas and go on to claim asylum, we are building intelligence on the profile of these individuals to identify them earlier and faster.

“We keep the visa system under constant review and where we detect trends, which may undermine our immigration rules, we will not hesitate to take action,” the spokesperson added.

The new measures are expected to particularly impact Nigerian nationals, who have increasingly sought opportunities abroad in recent years in a trend widely referred to as “japa” back home.

UK immigration authorities say they have observed a growing pattern where individuals who enter the country legally for work or study later transition into the asylum system, raising red flags about possible abuse of the immigration process.

Already, Nigerian applicants have faced stiffer regulations in recent years. These include restrictions on bringing dependents for international students and a scaling back of post-study work rights. These changes have led to a notable decline in applications from Nigeria.

Data from 2024 shows that UK visa rejection rates for Nigerians have surged—rising from one in 31 applications in 2022 to one in eight by the end of 2023. This development has triggered a sharp 63 percent drop in the number of UK visas granted to Nigerian nationals over the past year.

The upcoming White Paper, expected later this month, will provide more details on how the UK government intends to reshape immigration policy.

Meanwhile, many Nigerian students and professionals are beginning to consider alternative destinations such as the United States and Canada, even though those countries have also introduced more restrictive visa rules.