The United Kingdom has granted around 300,000 new visas to Nigerians in recent years, according to Richard Montgomery, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria.
In an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, December 9, Montgomery dismissed claims that the UK’s immigration policies are excessively harsh, highlighting the significant benefits Nigeria has gained from the UK’s visa framework.
“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 visas of relationship which Nigeria has with any other country,” he said.
Montgomery credited the positive visa trends to post-Brexit migration rules, with Nigeria emerging as a major beneficiary. “The trends have been really positive post-Brexit. Nigeria has been a major beneficiary of the post-Brexit migration visa rules,” he added.
The High Commissioner also acknowledged the valuable contributions of Nigerians living and working in the UK, particularly in critical sectors.
“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,” Montgomery stated.
