UK removal threat: Nigerian students scramble for work visa

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Some Nigerians in the United Kingdom are seeking legal means to remain in the country as the expiration of their student visas draws near, Sunday PUNCH has learnt.

The moves came amid fresh migration policies and warnings recently issued by the UK government.

The UK government, in an emergency alert published on its website last Sunday, announced that about 10,000 international students had already been contacted to leave the country over the expiration of their visas.

It explained that the move follows a surge in asylum claims from visa holders.

Asylum applications from work, study and tourist visa-holders were said to have more than tripled under the previous government and accounted for 37 per cent (41,400) of overall claims in the year ending June 2025.

International students made up the highest proportion of claimants at 40 per cent, followed by 29 per cent from work visas and 24 per cent from visitors.

To reduce the trend, the government said it launched a direct messaging campaign to remind students their visas were expiring.

According to the BBC, the message sent to student visa holders read, “If you submit an asylum claim that lacks merit, it will be swiftly and robustly refused. Any request for asylum support will be assessed against destitution criteria. If you do not meet the criteria, you will not receive support. If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you.”

In a research briefing dated June 27, 2025, the UK House of Commons Library revealed that about 732,285 overseas students, representing 23 per cent of the total student population, studied at UK universities and colleges during the 2023/24 academic session.

The 2023/24 figure included 428,200 new overseas entrants, a 6.75 per cent drop from the 459,200 recorded in 2022/23.