Between 2021 and 2023, 1,425 foreign students who were accepted to British universities had their entry to the nation refused at the airports.
A total of 161 Nigerians were impacted since they were turned away at airports all around the United Kingdom.
India led the list of affected foreign students with 644, accounting for 45% of the total, according to data that was exclusively obtained from the UK Home Office through the Freedom of Information Act.
Nigeria came in second with 11.3% of the total. Bangladesh is ranked fourth with 90 (6.32 percent) and Ghana is ranked third with 92 (6.46 percent).
The data that has been made public, spanning from October 2021 to October 2023, is restricted to students who were turned away at the airports. It excludes foreign students who have been deported by the Home Office due to visa violations, such as working more than 20 hours per week and engaging in academic dishonesty.
The Home Office withheld the explanation for the foreign students’ expulsion.
It was discovered that some of the factors contributing to these judgments were the students’ incapacity to persuade Border Force personnel during airport security checks, the presentation of falsified documentation, and their poor command of the English language.
In a September 2023 post on X, North London, UK-based immigration attorney Dele Olawanle denounced the mistreatment of students and urged the UK Government to take action against Border Force officials who, in his words, had turned themselves into admissions officers.
Student admissions
The Higher Education Statistics Agency reports that during the 2021–2022 academic year, 679,970 international students were admitted to UK universities.
44,195 of the 68,320 African citizens studying in the UK for the 2021–2022 academic year came from Nigeria, making it the country with the largest number of international students.
According to HESA data, the number of Nigerian students increased to 72,355 for the 2022–2023 academic year. The figure is attributed to students who enrolled between August 1, 2022, and July 31, 2023.
According to an analysis by SBM Intelligence, the UK contributed an estimated £1.9 billion to the national economy in a single year. The academic year 2021–2022 was covered by the data.
In the academic year 2021–2022, foreign students made a £41.9 billion contribution to the UK economy, according to the data. The country’s umbrella organization for institutions, institutions UK International, stated it was unable to comment on the student removal data.
However, compared to those admitted, there were far fewer immigrants with student visas who were turned away at the border.
“We are not a government agency or sponsor. So, we don’t hold data on this and therefore can’t comment, but we are sharing the points below on background for context:
“Home Office data from 2021-2024 (year ending March) suggests 1,541,837 study visas were granted to main applicants over the period. Assuming the quoted numbers are correct, then those not admitted to the UK would represent less than 0.01% of all those on study visas. We cannot comment on the reasons for refusal or what happens after that – and it will depend on the specifics of the case.”
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission said it did not get any report from students who were removed at UK airports.
