The UK government denies that its strict visa regulations target Nigerians – Grants 300,000 visas to Nigerians

According to Richard Montgomery, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, the United Kingdom has granted some 300,000 visas to Nigerians in recent years.

Montgomery emphasized that Nigeria is one of the main beneficiaries of the UK’s post-Brexit immigration policies and characterized the strong connection between Nigeria and the UK.

In response to allegations of strict immigration laws, Montgomery stated that Nigerians have benefited from the UK’s visa regulations.

“I have to contest this picture because the UK in the last couple of years has granted around 300,000 new visas to Nigerians, which far exceeds any other visa relationship that Nigeria has with any other country,” he said on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

“The trends have been positive post-Brexit. Nigeria has been a major beneficiary of the post-Brexit migration visa rules.”

He noted that the number of work visas granted to Nigerians has increased significantly, rising from 10,000–20,000 annually a few years ago to 80,000–90,000 in recent years.

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“The number of people getting work visas that go to the UK has gone from something like 10 to 20,000 in about six, seven years ago to 80-90,000 in the last two years—last year and this year,” the envoy said but admitted that student numbers are down.

Additionally, he emphasized the crucial responsibilities that Nigerians play in the UK, especially in fields like social care.

He noted that in the last two years, about 10% of all visas granted by the UK have been to Nigerians.

“So, I would like to emphasize how huge the relationship is. It outstrips any other visa relationship that Nigeria has with any other single country in my understanding,” Montgomery noted.

Montgomery reassured potential applicants that the UK visa clearance rate is still high for those who apply with the right paperwork and proof.

Montgomery emphasized the close ties between Nigeria and the UK, which he claimed outweigh Nigeria’s visa relationships with other countries, although he acknowledged a drop in the number of Nigerian students studying there.