Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery has disclosed that around 300,000 new visas were approved for Nigerians in the last few years.
According to the High Commissioner, it shows a good working relationship with both countries.
Truth Live News reports that Montgomery, who stated this during an appearance on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, also said that Nigeria’s positive relationship with the United Kingdom is obvious in the large” numbers of approved visas to its citizens.
While responding to a question on the restrictions placed on certain UK visas, the British Envoy said for Nigeria, it has been a positive trend.
“I have to contest this picture because the United Kingdom 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.
“The trends have been really positive. Nigeria has been a major beneficiary of the post-Brexit migration visa rules.
“And if you look at, say, the number of people getting work visas in the United Kingdom, these people play an incredibly important role in certain sectors, particularly our social care sector, the number of people getting work visas to go to the UK has gone from something like 10,000 to 20,000, in six, seven years ago, to 80,000, 90,000 a year in the last two years.
“Now, we have 145,000 visit visas already approved this year, similar to last year. Student numbers are down. We had around over 100,000 last academic year.
The initial figures suggest they’re around 70,000 this year.
“So student numbers, I admit, are down, but I think everybody agrees that it’s a huge relationship. There’s a lot of positivity in it.
“If you apply with the right documentation and the right evidence, the approval rate is very high.”
“Student visas, it’s 75 percent I think, sorry, 97 percent. Work visas, if you’ve got the right documentation and the job lined up again, very high.”
“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 shared.
The British envoy also revealed that Nigeria accounts for about 10 per cent of visas granted by the UK in the last two years.