UK To Restrict Visa Applications From Nigeria, Pakistan And Sri Lanka

The UK government is planning to tighten its immigration rules, especially for countries whose citizens often overstay their visas.

This move is part of a broader effort to overhaul the country’s immigration system.

According to The Times, the Home Office has identified Pakistan, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka as the main countries affected.

Many nationals from these countries are said to remain in the UK after their visas expire and later apply for asylum, which, if approved, allows them to stay permanently.

As a result, the UK may soon impose stricter visa rules for people from these nations, particularly for work and study applications.

A spokesperson for the Home Office stated that their upcoming Immigration White Paper will outline a detailed strategy to fix what they describe as a “broken” immigration system.

The Home Office emphasized that they regularly review the visa system and won’t hesitate to act when they notice patterns that could threaten the integrity of immigration rules.

“Our upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system,” a Home Office spokesperson said.

“To tackle abuse by foreign nationals who arrive on work and study visas and go on to claim asylum, we are building intelligence on the profile of these individuals to identify them earlier and faster.

“We keep the visa system under constant review and where we detect trends, which may undermine our immigration rules, we will not hesitate to take action.

“Under our plan for change, our upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system.”

The full plan will be officially released later in May through the Immigration White Paper.

Meanwhile, the British High Commission in Nigeria has announced the opening of two new UK visa centres in Enugu and Port Harcourt.