Wednesday, July 29, 2026 - Nigerian students are among the most likely international graduates to remain in the United Kingdom after completing their studies, despite the country’s tightening immigration policies and plans to make permanent settlement more difficult.
A new briefing on international student migration found that
around 78% of Nigerians who first arrived on a UK student visa in 2020 still
held a valid visa at the end of 2025, representing the highest proportion among
the major nationalities analyzed.
By comparison, 58% of Indian students from the same cohort
still held valid visas five years later, while students from countries such as
China and the United States were far less likely to remain in the UK. The
report noted that international students have become increasingly likely to
stay in the UK after graduation, largely because many switch to the Graduate
Visa or other visa categories that allow them to continue living and working in
the country.
Among all migrants who were issued an initial UK study visa
in 2020, 41% still had permission to stay in the country by the end of 2025. Of
those, 26% had moved onto work visas, 6% remained on study visas, and 59% no
longer held a valid visa, indicating they had most likely left the UK.
The report highlighted that only 25% of students who arrived
in 2019 still held valid visas five years later, illustrating a growing trend
of graduates remaining in Britain. However, remaining in the UK does not
necessarily bring migrants closer to permanent residency.
The report explained that study visas and Graduate Visas do
not provide a direct route to settlement, meaning time spent on either visa
does not count towards the standard five-year residence period typically
required for migrants seeking indefinite leave to remain.
Instead, time spent on these visas counts towards a separate
long-residence route, which requires 10 years of lawful and continuous
residence before an individual can qualify for settlement.
The pathway could become even more challenging after the UK
government announced in November 2025 plans to tighten settlement rules. The
proposals include doubling the standard residence requirement to 10 years,
although the report noted that details on how and when the changes would be
implemented remained unclear as of June 2026.
Despite the tougher immigration environment, the findings
suggest Nigerian graduates continue to be among those most likely to build
longer-term lives in the UK after completing their studies, largely by
transitioning into other visa routes rather than returning home immediately.
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