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Nigerian migrants accused of using visa scheme meant for authors and other literary creatives to get into Britain
Hundreds of Nigerian migrants have been accused of cheating the system by using a visa scheme meant for authors and other literary creatives to get into Britain.
LIB has shared a post stating that Nigerian migrants have made the most applications for the scheme, which also covers poets, oral storytellers, and creators of graphic novels and comics. This includes those with exceptional talents in music, theatre, and dance, and those applying are expected to prove their skills.
However, a report by Mail Online alleges that Nigerian migrants have cheated the system by falsifying their jobs to apply for the visa, as those who are successful can bring their family into the UK as dependents and stay for up to five years at a time, the report said.
It was also claimed that the Nigerian migrants have also been the most successful in their applications, endorsed by the government quango Arts Council England, which can review and bolster applications for ‘Global Talent’ visas.
Nigerians have put in 125 applications to the literature category over the past five years – more than double the 61 received from the US and far more than nations like Australia, Canada , and New Zealand combined. Of those, 70 were rejected, and 54 were endorsed, more than any other country represented in official figures.
The number of Global Talent visa applications being submitted from Nigeria has risen by 2,225 per cent since 2019. There were just 12 applications in 2019, but this rose to 279 in 2024, figures from The Telegraph revealed.
Across that entire period, Nigerians made 729 applications across the Global Talent categories in dance, fashion, music, film and TV, theatre, combined arts, and visual arts. They came second to the US, which submitted 977.
However, Nigeria had the lowest number of endorsements after Ghana, with just 59 per cent.
Russia have submitted 725 applications, China had 492, Australia with 233, and India with 160.
Since 2019, more than 5,000 applications have been made across all nationalities, with 3,600 endorsed by the Arts Council.
According to Mail Online, Immigration has reached a record number for illegal and legal arrivals, as Labour faces mounting pressure to curb the soaring number of migrants.
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