By Our Correspondent
National News – No fewer than 1.34 million Nigerians have been denied visas by the United Kingdom over the past 21 years, according to official data released by the UK Home Office.
The figures, covering the period from 2005 to the first quarter of 2026, indicate that 1,344,595 Nigerian visa applications were rejected, placing Nigeria second globally in visa refusals after India and ahead of countries such as Pakistan and China.
Despite the high number of rejections, Nigerians also received 2,723,558 UK visas during the same period, making Nigeria the third-largest recipient of UK visas worldwide after India and China, and the highest in Africa.
The Home Office data further showed that Nigeria accounted for 44.4 per cent of all UK visa refusals involving African applicants, while its cumulative refusal rate stood at 33.1 per cent—more than twice the global average of 14.8 per cent.
Out of about 4.09 million visa applications submitted by Nigerians during the period, over four million received decisions, with visitor visas accounting for the overwhelming majority of refusals.
According to the report, 1,127,088 visitor visa applications were rejected, representing 83.8 per cent of all Nigerian refusals. Study visa refusals stood at 130,712, while work and family visa applications recorded 41,410 and 12,217 rejections, respectively.
The UK recorded its highest refusal rates for Nigerian applicants in the mid-2000s, rejecting nearly half of all applications in 2006. However, approval rates improved over the following decade, with the refusal rate dropping to 21 per cent in 2023, when Nigerians received a record 281,658 visas.
That trend reversed after the UK introduced stricter immigration measures in 2024, including raising the minimum salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas from £26,200 to £38,700 and restricting dependants for international students and care workers.
The policy changes contributed to a sharp decline in work visa applications from Nigeria. In 2024 and 2025, more than 77,000 Nigerian visa applications were rejected each year, with refusal rates above 33 per cent. By the first quarter of 2026, 16,692 applications had already been refused, representing a 35.4 per cent rejection rate.
Across Africa, Ghana ranked second in visa refusals with 374,108 rejected applications, followed by Algeria, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Morocco, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Sudan.
Overall, the UK processed more than 60 million visa applications globally between 2005 and the first quarter of 2026, issuing over 50.8 million visas and refusing about 8.8 million applications.
The report noted that visitor visa applications remain the most frequently rejected category because applicants must convince immigration officials of their financial capacity and intention to return home after their visit.
The UK Home Office has also tightened scrutiny of Nigerian applications following an increase in the number of Nigerians who sought asylum after entering the country legally on valid visas.
Commenting on the development, former Nigerian Ambassador to Singapore, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, attributed the growing demand for UK visas to Nigeria’s economic challenges and the increasing desire among citizens to seek opportunities abroad.
He said the “Japa” trend would likely persist until there is significant improvement in Nigeria’s economy, adding that although visa refusals are high, the large number of approvals reflects the equally high volume of applications submitted by Nigerians.
