Hope falls for Nigerians as UK plans news visa rules
The United Kingdom is considering tightening the rules on how many relatives migrants can bring into the country. Nigeria was mentioned after it was discovered that it has the highest number of dependants compared to other groups of migrants.
According to Daily Mail, out of 34,000 Nigerians issued visas in 12 months, they came along with a total of 31,898 dependants.
What this means is that for every 100 students in the UK, atleast there are 93 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.
The UK government move to change rules
The Times also reports that the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, was considering tightening the rules on dependants after Home Office immigration figures showed a “surprising inconsistency” across different nationalities coming to the UK to work and study.
The report reads:
“Based on the Home Office report, 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.
“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.”
Ray of hope for Nigerians
It is also reported that Miss Braverman and Cabinet Office minister Nadhim Zahawi are considering imposing a cap on the number of children that foreign students can bring in a bid to cut unskilled migration.
However, the Home Secretary’s moves appear to have split the Cabinet and seem to be at odds with public opinion – with a survey carried out by Ipsos Mori finding that only 29% of Conservative voters support a reduction in student immigration. Continue reading
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