UK govt denies issuing over 430,000 visa approvals to Nigerians

• Published On: 10 August 2024 at 19:59

The government of the United Kingdom has denied that it approved around 430,000 visa applications from Nigerians this year.

The British High Commission in Nigeria closed this on Friday, August 9, 2024, using its X account.

This follows NIDCOM's press announcement, which described the outcome of a meeting between UK official Dr. Montgomery and Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM).

Montgomery informed Dabiri-Erewa, according to the news release, that "roughly 430,000 Nigerian visa applications have been successfully processed in 2024."

The violent protests in the UK were also mentioned at the conference, and the British delegate assured the Nigerian diaspora living in the UK that they were secure.

"The United Kingdom is home to people of various nationalities and ethnicities, and it will continue to welcome competent persons to live, study, and work. "We will not tolerate discrimination or attacks on any community," Montgomery was reported as saying.

Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of NIDCOM, declared that "no Nigerian has been reported dead or affected by the unrest so far," while also noting that NIDCOM is in constant contact with the Nigerian High Commission in London and numerous diaspora groups, all of which have reported no casualties.

In addition to advising Nigerians to exercise caution and follow the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' travel advice, she praised the UK government for its prompt action, particularly the arrests.

In a post on Friday, the UK government revised a piece of the NIDCOM statement about UK visa approvals.

It highlighted that the UK government awarded visas to 255,000 Nigerians between April 2023 and March 2024.

The UK government stated (with the tag NIDCOM on X):

"CORRECTION: @UKinNigeria issued 255,000 of all types of UK visas in the 12 months from April 2023 to March 2024."

According to data from the UK Home Office, the number of study visas granted to Nigerians decreased by 38% between March 2023 and March 2024.