NIGERIA has the highest number of migrants to the United Kingdom (UK) in the year ending June 2022 and has become the third largest nationality group in the country, a new report published by the UK Home Office has shown.

Nigerian nationals saw the largest relative increase in Sponsored Study grants compared with 2019, increasing by 57,545, which represents a 686 per cent increase, to a record high of 65,929 migrants.

Indian nationals were granted 117, 965 Sponsored Study grants, an increase of 80,569 (215 per cent) compared to 2019, while Chinese nationals with 115,056 visas granted, (4 per cent lower than the 119,825 seen in 2019) were the second most common nationality granted Sponsored Study visas in the year ending June 2022.

According to Home Office figures, there were 486,868 Sponsored Study visas granted (to both principal applicants and their dependants), 71 per cent (202,147) more than the figure recorded in 2019 and Nigerians accounted for about 12 per cent of the total, which is the highest increase in the number of dependants accompanying persons with study visas from a single country.

“The number of Sponsored Study visas granted in the year ending June 2022 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,” the report said.

Migrants from Nigeria to the UK may soon face restrictions, following the country’s plans to cut net migration and deter illegal migrants.

In July, the UK government signed a migration agreement with Nigeria that will speed up the removal of people with no right to be in the country, including persons who entered the UK without authority, with false documents, and individuals who have overstayed their visas.

The UK has enforced over 3,231 returns in the last year. As of June 2022, there were 2,038 people in immigration detention (including those detained under immigration powers in prison), close to three times more than at the end of June 2020 (698) when the impact of the pandemic was most pronounced and 24 per cent more than pre-pandemic levels at the end of December 2019 (1,637).