By 18,000 Nigerians Got Care Worker Visa To Enter UK in 2023
Ghazali Ibrahim
According to the latest immigration system statistics released by the Home Office,United Kingdom, a significant number of Nigerians, totaling 18,000, were granted care visas to enter the United Kingdom in 2023, reflecting an increment in the number of Nigerians migrating to the UK for work, particularly in the health and care sector.
The data revealed that health and social care visas were the primary drivers of the surge in immigration from Nigeria, with the number nearly doubling from the previous year.
Over 100,000 of these visas were granted to carers, highlighting the critical role Nigerian migrants play in supporting the UK’s health and care infrastructure.
These visa grants are a direct consequence of deliberate policy decisions made in 2021 to address post-COVID and post-Brexit staffing shortages in key sectors.
With the removal of preferential status for European Union candidates, Nigeria, along with other countries in east Asia and west and southern Africa, has become a significant source of care workers for the UK.
Home Secretary, James Cleverly, has implemented measures such as banning care workers from bringing dependents, which could further strain recruitment efforts in British care homes.
Additionally, the rising minimum salary threshold for skilled worker visas, now set at £38,700 a year, may pose challenges for both employers and prospective migrants.
Despite these obstacles, the acute staffing needs of the NHS and care sector have prompted exemptions from the new salary threshold for health and care employers.
