Nigerians in the United Kingdom are in a race against time in their quest to extend their stay in the country as the expiration of their visas draws near.
Towards this end, many of the students are now seeking legal means to obtain a work visa after the UK government announced that about 10,000 international students had already been contacted to leave the country after the expiration of their visas.
Recall that the UK government, in an emergency alert published on its website last Sunday, issued fresh immigration warnings following 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.
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.”
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 that their visas were expiring.
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. The top sending countries have shifted in recent years, though Nigeria retained its position as the third largest source with 34,500 students.
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