The United Kingdom (UK) says Nigerians have been major beneficiaries of visas in the “last couple of years.”
While there are claims in some quarters that the UK’s immigration policies are harsh, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria Richard Montgomery said the country is a major beneficiary of the UK’s visa policies.
“I have to contest this picture because the UK in the last couple of years has granted around 300,000 new visas to Nigerians which far exceeds any other visa relationship which Nigeria has with any other country,” he said on Monday’s edition of Channels TV.
“The trends have been really positive post-Brexit. Nigeria has been a major beneficiary of the post-Brexit migration visa rules.”
‘Approval rate is very high’
Montgomery says Nigeria’s relationship with the UK is waxing strong.
Montgomery hailed the contributions of Nigerians in the UK and described their efforts as “incredibly important”.
“And if you look at say the number of people getting work visas in the UK, these people play an incredibly important role in certain sectors, particularly our social care sector,” he said on the breakfast show.
According to him, Nigeria accounts for about 10% of visas granted by the UK in the last two years.
“So, I would like to emphasize how huge the relationship is. It outstrips any other visa relationship that Nigeria has with any other single country in my understanding,” Montgomery who is also the UK Permanent Representative to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said.
The UK High Commissioner said with the right documentation, the chances of getting visa approval from the UK are high.
“If you apply with the right documentation and the right evidence, the approval rate is very high,” Montgomery added.
He said the number of people getting work visas to the UK has gone up in the last couple of years.
“The number of people getting work visas that go to the UK has gone from something like 10 to 20,000 in about six, seven years ago to 80-90,000 a year in the last two years – last year and this year,” the envoy said but admitted that student numbers are down.
