The United Kingdom’s Home Office is looking at putting a cap on the number of children that foreign students can bring after data showed that Nigerians are bringing the highest number of relatives to the UK.
Home Office figures show that Nigerians accounted for 40% of all dependants who accompanied foreign students in the 12 months to June – despite Nigerian students making up just 7% of all foreign students in that period.
Some 34,000 Nigerians were given study visas in the UK, bringing with them a total of 31,898 dependants. A similar ratio was recorded for work visas, with 8,972 Nigerians issued with one in the 12 months to June bringing with them 8,576 dependants.
By comparison, 114,837 Chinese students who came to the UK last year brought with them a total of 401 dependants – while 93,049 Indian students came to Britain with 24,916 dependants, the figures show.
The development has forced Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Cabinet Office minister Nadhim Zahawi to consider taking stricter stance on migration.
But, according to MailOnline, a survey carried out by Ipsos Mori found that only 29% of Conservative voters support a reduction in student immigration.
Nigerian students, it was discovered in August, have become the third largest foreign student group in the UK after India and China.
Home Office figures reveal 65,929 Nigerian nationals were granted a sponsored study visa in the year ending June 2022 – a rise of 57,545 (686% ) compared to 2019, when 8,384 were given.
“(This) is the highest on record in our time series, with the substantial increase representing both a recovery from lower numbers during the Covid-19 pandemic but also an increase on the pre-pandemic period,” a spokesman for the Home Office said.
