UK Government considering ban on Nigerian students, others to curb rising migration numbers

The United Kingdom government is working at ensuring student migrants from Nigeria, and other countries only apply to its top universities.

The Times UK reports that foreign students may be barred from Britain unless they win a place at a top university.

UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, who was quoted in the report, revealed the plans as the number of immigrants has crossed over 1.1 million.

Legit.ng had earlier reported that the number of Nigerians leaving for the UK on a student visa is at a record high.

UK data showed that 34,000 Nigerians were issued visas in 12 months and were accompanied by 31,898 dependants.

Sunak said: "We are investigating all alternatives to ensure that the immigration system delivers," he added, "including the issue of students' dependents and low-quality degrees." The prime minister also added that “all options” were on the table to curb the estimated 1.1 million migrants, Guardian UK reports.

Suella Braverman, UK home secretary, also remained committed to reducing migration.

She said: "The public rightly expects us to control our borders and we remain committed to reducing migration over time in line with our manifesto commitment."

Data from the UK Statistics Authority showed that students accounted for the biggest proportion of immigrants, at 277,000, nearly double the 143,000 who came to the UK in the year to June 2021.