UK Study Visa: Why Nigeria, and not Nigerians, should be blamed for taking their loved ones to the UK

On the surface, the UK’s new student visa route appears to belittle the effort of hardworking Nigerians, who have made developed nations like the UK, US, and Canada their safe haven to escape numerous challenges facing Nigeria.

As such, it is not surprising that many Nigerians experienced disappointment and perhaps frustration when the UK administration led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on May 23, 2023, that starting from January 2024, international students in the country, except for post-graduate research programme (Ph.D), will not be allowed to bring their family members into the country.

The new restrictions are not targeted at Nigerians alone but all foreign students dreaming of studying in the European country. While the new rule might have dashed the hopes of thousands of Nigerians hoping to relocate to the UK in the coming years, developed and developing nations alike often seek ways to mitigate the influx of legal or illegal immigrants into their countries. Hence UK’s decision is not just understandable but also justified.

One recent example of curtailing immigration is the infamous Donald Trump border wall along the entire U.S.-Mexico border, which is expected to cost $70 billion, aimed at stopping illegal immigration. The UK’s renewed clamor for cutting down on net immigration could be understood, perhaps, by looking at some of the economic challenges the nation has been facing since Brexit.

Amidst a population increase of 5.9%, more than half (60%) of the population increase between 2001 and 2020 was due to the direct contribution of net migration. This increase through immigration, rather than natural conditions (birth), is happening amidst rising inflation (8.7%) and increasing unemployment, which rose from 3.8% in February 2021 to 4.53% in February 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

While a report by SBM Intelligence shows that Nigerian students and their dependents contributed about £1.93 billion to the UK’s economy in 2021 alone, out of the 44,195 Nigerians who were issued student visas for the 2021/2022 academic session to study in the UK, 60,923 dependents migrated to the UK within this period.

Instead of feeling a little bit embarrassed because of the new policy, Nigerians and the Nigerian government should evaluate and fix the very reasons why the country is losing talent to developed nations through immigration.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not only poor or unemployed Nigerians who relocate abroad. Available data shows that it costs between $10,000 to $20,000 (₦4.6 million and ₦9.2 million using the official rate of ₦461) for an individual to relocate to the UK for study and a majority of those relocating move with their families of about three to six people. Although traveling expenses in Nigeria are usually done using the market rate of ₦740, which would almost double the cost, it would take an average Nigerian earning the minimum wage of ₦30,000 a month approximately 25 years to save ₦9 million if they save all their monthly income.

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In 2021, a tweet by Olukayode Bakre, a Twitter user, generated a lot of buzz about the rate of migration among Nigerians with well-paying jobs. His tweet, “₦24 million per annum salary, comfortable duplex in Lekki, two kids, wife works as a [bank manager] in a first-generation bank. But they resigned and started their master’s in the UK,” highlights that factors other than unemployment contribute to Nigerians’ migration.

Better governance, the opportunity to provide their children with a better education, and insecurity are some of the reasons why Nigerians migrate overseas, leading to a talent drought in the country.

One may be tempted to say there is absolutely no reason why someone earning ₦24 million, which is 63% higher than the average income of UK citizens, would pack their bags and leave Nigeria, but with the rising cases of kidnapping for ransom and ritual, banditry, unsafe highways poor infrastructure, poor economy and perhaps the opportunity to offer their children a better quality of life, the move may be justified.

The UK’s resolution to clamp down on migration is not a shame on Nigerians, whose family bond’s nature compels them to seek the best for themselves and their families, but rather the blame lies with the Nigerian government, whose neglect and bad governance continue to make the country almost unsuitable to live in.