The latest data released by UK authorities reveals that 141,000 Nigerians relocated to the UK between June 2022 and the year ending June 2023.
The unpredictable academic calendar of Nigeria, characterized by frequent and protracted university strikes, economic woes and increasing insecurity forced thousands of Nigerians to travel.
Office of National Statistics said: “In the year ending June 2023, the top five non-EU nationalities for immigration flows into the UK were: Indian (253,000), Nigerian (141,000), Chinese (89,000), Pakistani (55,000) and Ukrainian (35,000).”
The government of the United Kingdom amended its immigration policies earlier this year in an attempt to decrease the country’s rapidly growing net migration.
The new policy prevents family members from travelling with international students to non-research postgraduate courses starting in January 2024.
Many Nigerians hoping to relocate to the UK with their families will have to look elsewhere as a result of the limitation.
The number of Nigerian nationals enrolled in UK universities rose from 6,798 in 2017 to 59,053 as of December 2022, as reported earlier in the year by the United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics (ONS).
