By Abiola Olawale
At least 161 Nigerian students who gained admission to universities in the United Kingdom were denied entry into the country between 2021 and 2023.
Also, about 1,425 international students who gained admission to universities failed to gain entry into the UK during the years under review.
This was revealed in a report obtained from the UK Home Office through the Freedom of Information Act.
A breakdown of the report showed that the 161 Nigerians affected were removed on arrival at airports across the UK.
India topped the list of affected foreign students with 644, representing 45 per cent of the figure, while Nigeria followed with 11.3 per cent. Ghana is third on the list with 92 (6.46 per cent), while Bangladesh is fourth with 90 (6.32 per cent).
However, the released data, covering October 2021 to October 2023, is limited to students denied entry at the airports. It does not include international students deported by the Home Office for violating the terms of their visas, such as working beyond 20 hours weekly and academic malpractice.
While the Home Office did not specify the reasons for the removal of the foreign students, it was gathered that it might not be unconnected from documentation reasons.
Several students were denied entry because of their inability to convince the Border Force officers during checks at the airports, presentation of forged documents, and deficiency in English language usage.
