NIGERIANS looking to study or work in the United Kingdom may soon face tighter visa conditions as part of a sweeping new immigration crackdown being drawn up by the UK government. The move, first reported by The Times, is part of efforts to reduce what ministers describe as abuse of the visa and asylum system.
According to the report, nationals from countries with higher rates of visa overstaying or asylum claims — including Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka — are likely to face new restrictions as the Home Office looks to identify potential asylum claimants earlier in the visa process.
A Home Office 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.’
The measures are expected to be detailed in a new immigration white paper due later this month.
Nigerians among top asylum applicants
Latest UK government figures show that Nigerian nationals made 2,841 asylum applications in 2024, behind Pakistan (10,542) and Sri Lanka (2,862). In total, over 108,000 people claimed asylum in the UK last year — the highest annual total since records began in 1979.
Nigeria is also among the top non-EU sources of international students in the UK, contributing to the more than 730,000 overseas students recorded in the 2023/24 academic year.
While the UK stopped publishing detailed visa exit statistics in 2020 due to data accuracy concerns, the Home Office says it continues to monitor trends in overstays and status-switching — where students or workers apply for asylum while still in the country.
Labour pressured to act on migration
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to cut both legal and illegal migration but has declined to set a specific cap, calling such targets ‘arbitrary’. The Labour government faces mounting pressure after the right-wing Reform UK party made sweeping gains in recent local elections, campaigning on anti-immigration pledges.
Starmer responded to the results by promising to ‘go further and faster’ in delivering reforms to public services and immigration.
Among Labour’s planned measures are making it a criminal offence to endanger lives at sea, aimed at deterring small boat crossings, and reducing demand for migrant labour by investing in domestic training for key sectors like healthcare.
The previous Conservative government had already begun tightening rules — including raising the salary threshold for skilled workers and banning care workers from bringing dependants.
Rights groups warn of unintended fallout
While the proposed visa restrictions are aimed at reducing abuse of the asylum system, critics warn the policy risks harming genuine asylum seekers. Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: ‘Some people on work or study visas may find their lives at risk because the political situation in their home country has changed. It is right that they are protected and given a fair hearing.’
Despite public pressure, experts question how impactful the new rules will be. Professor Jonathan Portes, of UK in a Changing Europe, told BBC Radio 4: ‘The impact here is not designed primarily to be about numbers overall — it’s about reducing asylum claims which are perceived to be abusive.’
The UK’s visa system remains under review, with the government stating: ‘We keep the visa system under constant review and will not hesitate to take action where trends emerge that could undermine our immigration rules.’
As details of the immigration white paper are awaited, Nigerians and others from high-asylum source countries may soon face new hurdles in their efforts to study or work in the UK.
Trojan Iinsights
