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141,000 Nigerians sought refuge in the UK between June 2022 and June 2023 - BUSINESS INSIDER
International arrivals
- 141,000 Nigerians migrated to the United Kingdom (UK) between June 2022 and the year ending June 2023.
- the United Kingdom revealed five non-EU nationalities contributing to immigration flow into the country.
- Earlier in the year, the UK government announced changes to its immigration laws aimed at cutting its spiking net migration.
A total of 141,000 Nigerians migrated to the United Kingdom (UK) between June 2022 and the year ending June 2023, the latest figures released by the UK’s official statistical agency has revealed.
According to the data, the United Kingdom revealed five non-EU nationalities contributing to immigration flow into the country.
“In the year ending June 2023, the top five non-EU nationalities for immigration flows into the UK were: Indian (253,000), Nigerian (141,000), Chinese (89,000), Pakistani (55,000) and Ukrainian (35,000),” Office for National Statistics said.
Migration is not a novel phenomenon for Nigerians. However, in recent years there has been a massive exodus of Nigerians leaving the shores of the country in search of greener pastures overseas due to Nigeria's economic woes.
Many Nigerians are opting for the study route as a means of relocation, while others are departing to pursue new job opportunities in Western countries.
Earlier in the year, the UK government announced changes to its immigration laws aimed at cutting its spiking net migration.
The new policy, scheduled to take effect in January of the next year, includes a prohibition on family members accompanying foreign students for non-research postgraduate courses, and people using a student visa as a backdoor route to work in the UK.
While the development may likely force Nigerians to seek options of study somewhere with their families, a review of the data further revealed that Nigerians studying in the UK grew from 6,798 in 2017 to 59,053 as of December 2022.
Also, the number of dependents grew along. In 2019, there were 1,586 dependants and it increased last year to 60,923.
“The non-EU figures are based on Home Office Borders and Immigration data while EU figures are based on Registration and Population Interaction Database (RAPID) data received from the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs and British nationals’ figures are based on the International Passenger Survey (IPS),” the UK’s Office for National Statistics said.
