US and UK to crackdown on African student visas
The United States and the United Kingdom have ramped up their enforcement of immigration compliance – forcing African students applying for visas within the nations to face heightened levels of scrutiny, reports Moroccan government-friendly outlet The North Africa Post on September 3rd.
The UK Home Office has enforced stricter visa sponsorship rules, whilst removal orders for non-compliant individuals begin this month.
Officials from the UK Home Office have raised concerns over an “alarming” number of student-to-asylum transitions, a process which Nigerian students have become top applicants for. This has led to the UK Home Office launching a campaign to remind students not to overstay the terms of their visas.
The rule changes have emerged from a backdrop of controversial anti-migrant protests and campaigns that have swept across the UK, spreading fear amongst its immigrant communities.
In August, the UK government – under the guise of an effort to “deter small boats” making the perilous journey across the English Channel – made a deal with Iraq to further crackdown on the number of immigrants in the country.
Meanwhile, the US mission in Nigeria has told students that if they skip or drop out of classes, their visa may be liable to be withdrawn. Their Department of Homeland Security has proposed rules that would replace prior open-ended “duration of status” with visas that have fixed four-year periods.
The US plans to make these harsh changes to student visas as part of a wider crack down on the number of migrants entering the nation. Previously, the Trump administration made a deal with Rwanda to have illegal migrants to the US deported to Rwanda.
Across 2023 and 2024 the number of Nigerian students in US institutions surged by 13.5% but this trend may now be complicated by new and impending legislation.
These new measures have been criticised as being unfair as they disproportionately affect African students seeking a global education.
Some African leaders have considered strengthening relations with China as they are increasingly alienated by the west. However, China continues to refuse Africans access to key visa-free travel programmes.
North Africa Post, Maghrebi.org
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