As students must first demonstrate that they have adequate money to pay for their studies and support themselves while studying in the UK before arriving, they are being offered student loans by Nigerian education agents in order to avoid the UK immigration restrictions.
Agents lend money to students in order for them to demonstrate to UK immigration authorities that they have the necessary monies in their accounts.
Key Takeaways:
- Students who seek to avoid the UK’s immigration rules might get loans through Nigerian education agencies.
- When the student receives their visa, the money is stated to be refunded to the agent.
- Several of these agents publicly advertised the service on social media.
It has been reported that the money is returned to the agent when the student receives their visa.
Several Nigerian agents have offered to lend money to students so that they may demonstrate that they have enough money to cover the proof of finances portion of their visa applications. On social media, several of these agents were openly advertising the service.
Visa decisions are determined on the merits of each application, with Home Office decision-makers having the option to request additional information and examine the authenticity of provided documents if necessary.
Caseworker guidance specifies that all applicants must meet the ‘genuine student’ criteria. Caseworkers can ask candidates why they chose a particular course or institution, as well as how they plan to pay for their studies in the UK, during credibility interviews.
It can be recalled that the UK government revealed figures in November 2021 showing a significant increase in the number of study licenses given to Nigerian students.
The number of accepted student visas increased 347 percent to 36,783 in 2021, and 386 percent in the previous two years. The rise was timed to coincide with the launch of the UK’s new graduate path.
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