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UK removal threat: Nigerian students scramble for work visa - PUNCH
BY Imoleayo Oyedeyi, Grace Edema, Temitope Adetunji and Daniel Ayantoye
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.
The top sending countries have shifted in recent years, though Nigeria retained its position as the third largest source with 34,500 students.
Nigerian students panic
Sunday PUNCH gathered that some Nigerians who might be affected by the fresh migration rules were exploring legal options to extend their stay.
A PhD student in Scotland, who would not want to be identified, told our correspondent that the students were panicking.
He said, “Nigerian students are panicking because UK laws keep changing. I know some people on current student visas that received the text and email.”
The student explained that while some had transitioned to skilled worker visas to survive the removal threats, many others faced uncertainty over their future.
“Before, if you finish your Bachelor or Master’s degree, you can stay in the UK on a post-study work visa for two years, now it has been shortened to 18 months; this is part of the UK’s plan to tighten migration,” the doctorate student added.
“As a student, if you are unable to get a certificate of sponsorship from an employer which will enable you to apply for a skilled worker visa or switch to another category of visa, and your visa expires, you automatically become an illegal immigrant in the UK, which is a criminal offence.”
A postgraduate student from the University of Salford, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the new migration policy was unsettling.
“It is absolutely devastating, because time and money have been spent,” he told Sunday PUNCH.
“With the new laws, fresh student visa holders cannot switch to the skilled worker visa on the shortage occupation list after July 22, 2025, while the post-study work visa has been cut to 18 months.
“Those here are uncertain about next steps, and others are now exploring alternatives to the UK, as seen in the drop in international student numbers.”
The student, who started his programme at Salford in March 2024, disclosed that he had since moved to a skilled worker visa valid until July 2028 after opting out of the postgraduate route recently.
Asked if he would consider returning to Nigeria, the student said, “Hell, no. Not with the crippling inflation,
crime and lackadaisical attitude of our leaders. Sometimes, if you taste a working system, you cannot look back but rather move on.”
A Nigerian graduate of the University of Cambridge, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said she had already applied for a post-study visa following the expiration of her student visa on August 30, 2025.
She explained that the UK Home Office had accepted her application.
According to her, most of the students she interacted with had either transitioned to the post-study visa or were in the process of doing so.
“For those that haven’t, we have yet to get any message from the UK government,” she noted.
The Cambridge alumnus, who began her studies at the university in October 2024, stressed that she had no intention of returning to Nigeria, having always planned to stay back in the UK for work before pursuing a PhD programme.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission cautioned citizens living abroad to avoid overstaying their visas.
“The moment your visa expires, it becomes criminalised because it is illegal to stay there,” The NiDCOM’s spokesperson, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, stated.
He urged Nigerians to always be of good behaviour and serve as worthy ambassadors of the country.
Experts divided
The Co-founder of Globalink Pathway College, Lagos, Mr Tolani Jaiyeola, described the recent warning as a reinforcement of existing immigration rules.
