161 Nigerian Students Fail UK Border Checks, Denied Entry – More Details
161 Nigerian Students Fail UK Border Checks, Denied Entry According To Statistics Between 2021 And 2023. International Students From Nigeria Do Gain Fully Funded Scholarships To Study In The UK.
Between 2021 and 2023, over 1,400 international students were refused entry upon arrival at the UK airport. These international students were admitted by UK universities or Colleges.
Out of the 1,400 international students, 161 of them were Nigerian students who were deported upon arrival at the airport. International students from India were the most affected. These data were obtained from the UK Home Office via the Freedom of Information Act (FIA). India had 644 of their students being deported, which is representing 45% of the total.
Next on the list was Nigeria with 161 cases, representing 11.3%. 161 Nigerian students were refused entry into the UK after they failed the border checks. Followed by Nigeria, is Ghana with 92 cases representing 6.46% with Bangladesh having 90 cases (6.32%).
This data revealed by the Home Office is from October 2021 to October 2023. These data represent all cases and instances where international students were denied entry at the UK airport. This data does not entail instances of deportation by the UK Home Office because of visa issues, or academic misconduct.
The sole reasons for their denial was not reported by the UK Home Office. However, it is understood that most of these international students were denied due to their poor English Language proficiency, presenting of fraudulent or fake documents, or their inability to communicate fluently and effectively with the border force officers.
Dele Olawanle, an Immigration lawyer who is based in North London, highly criticized the treatment of international students by the UK border force officers. Lawyer Dele accused them of acting beyond their roles as admission officers. He also expressed his high dissatisfaction regarding the questioning of courses by these officers. He asserted that, it is not the responsibility of the border force officers to question these international students about their courses.
Additionally, Nelly Okechukwu who is a data analyst shared his sad experience. He disclosed that these officers questioned him about a course he had completed years ago.
According to Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), UK universities admitted 679,970 international students in the 2021/2022 academic years. Out of this, 44,195 were Nigerians. The number of Nigerian students admitted to UK universities increased to 72,355 in the next academic year.
International students from Nigeria have contributed about £1.9 billion to the UK economy in the 2021/2022 academic year. This data was revealed by SBM intelligence.
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