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The United Kingdom granted 49,498 work visas to Nigerians between 2021 and the first quarter of 2026, making Nigeria the second-largest recipient of UK work visas globally after India, according to official Home Office data.
The figures, obtained by Sunday PUNCH, show that Nigerians submitted 54,707 work visa applications during the period, with 90.5 per cent approved. Most successful applications came through the Health and Care Worker visa route, which accounted for 42,893 of the total grants.
Care workers and home carers received the highest number of visas at 22,376, followed by nurses (9,359), senior care workers (4,267), medical practitioners (3,377), nursing auxiliaries (1,323), medical radiographers (763), and physiotherapists (699).
The Human Health and Social Work sector absorbed 42,503 Nigerian workers, representing nearly 86 per cent of all work visas granted. Outside healthcare, 3,398 Nigerians secured Skilled Worker visas, mainly as accountants, software developers, management consultants, and IT professionals. Another 1,791 visas were issued under the Creative Worker route.
Nigeria’s work visa approvals rose from 5,119 in 2021 to 14,084 in 2022 before peaking at 28,495 in 2023. However, approvals declined sharply after the UK tightened immigration rules in 2024, falling to 2,851 throughout 2025 and 395 in the first quarter of 2026.
The decline followed new measures barring most care workers from bringing dependants, increasing salary thresholds for skilled workers, and introducing stricter compliance requirements for employers.
Across Africa, Nigeria recorded the highest number of work visa grants, ahead of Zimbabwe (35,242) and Ghana (20,649). Globally, India topped the list with 169,286 work visas, while Nigeria ranked second with 49,498 approvals.
The Health and Care Worker visa, introduced in 2021, remains a major pathway for overseas medical professionals as the UK seeks to address staffing shortages driven by an ageing population and increasing demand for healthcare services.
