UK Receives Over 22,000 Asylum Applications from Nigerians

The United Kingdom has received 22,619 asylum applications from Nigerian nationals between 2010 and 2024, according to newly released figures from the UK Home Office. Nigerians made up approximately one in every 30 asylum claims in that period, placing Nigeria 11th among the top countries of origin for asylum seekers.

The number of Nigerian applicants nearly doubled recently, rising from 1,462 to 2,841 within a year. The UK also recorded its highest number of total asylum claims during that time, with 108,138 applications—an increase of 378 percent compared to over a decade ago. The surge was driven primarily by first-time claims from South Asian and Middle Eastern nationals.

Iran topped the list with 75,737 claims, followed by Pakistan with 57,621 and Afghanistan with 54,363. Other countries with high numbers of applicants included Albania, Iraq, Eritrea, Syria, Bangladesh, Sudan and India. Nigeria ranked just ahead of Sri Lanka, while countries like Vietnam, China, Turkey, and Brazil reported significantly fewer claims.

Analysts attribute the rise in Nigerian asylum claims to worsening insecurity from insurgency, kidnappings and banditry, as well as economic pressure stemming from the naira’s devaluation. Charles Onunaiju, Research Director at the Centre for China Studies in Abuja, noted that young Nigerians, increasingly frustrated by limited prospects at home, are seeking ways to settle abroad—legally or otherwise.

Reports suggest some young professionals enter the UK via work visas and later switch to asylum claims, while others make irregular journeys through Europe and cite threats like communal violence, kidnapping, or political persecution in their applications. Claims often invoke grounds protected under the Refugee Convention, including political opinion and sexual orientation.

The UK’s Home Office states that applicants must demonstrate a “well-founded fear of persecution” based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or social group. Rejected applications can be appealed through the Immigration and Asylum Chamber.

Although the Illegal Migration Act 2023 deems asylum seekers arriving via safe third countries as inadmissible, the UK government’s relocation plan to Rwanda remains tied up in legal proceedings, meaning most claims are still processed through standard channels.

Abuja-based development economist Dr. Aliyu Ilias described the trend as a major loss for Nigeria, especially as skilled professionals in sectors like medicine and engineering are among those leaving. He warned that their permanent departure reduces the country’s economic productivity and deepens the brain drain.

“It’s definitely a cause of concern,” Ilias said. “These are professionals that Nigeria invests heavily in. Once they’re gone, they rarely return, and the countries they move to gain their value.”