Between 2021 and 2023, over 1,425 international students were denied entry in the United Kingdom upon arrival at the country’s airport, with 161 Nigerians affected.
This information is corroborated with data obtained from the UK Home Office through the Freedom of Information Act, and it revealed that India had the highest number of affected students with 644, followed by Nigeria at 161, and Ghana at 92.
Home Office did not also specify the reasons for the removal of the foreign students.
But with further investigations some of the reasons for denial included the inability of students to convince the Border Force officers during checks at the airports, presentation of forged documents, and deficiency in English language usage.
A UK-based immigration lawyer, Dele Olawanle, criticized the treatment of students by Border Force officers, who he claims have assumed the role of university admission officers.
Olawanle highlighted incidents where students were questioned about their courses at the point of entry and faced visa cancellations or removal if their answers were deemed unsatisfactory.
