No fewer than 269 stranded Nigerians have returned home from South Africa as the Federal Government intensified its evacuation efforts following immigration enforcement measures by South African authorities.

The returnees arrived aboard an Air Peace flight at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, at about 10:48 a.m. on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed their arrival in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa.

According to the ministry, the latest evacuation marks the second major airlift coordinated by the Federal Government in response to South Africa’s immigration deadline affecting undocumented foreign nationals.

The development follows an earlier evacuation on June 24, during which more than 60 Nigerians, mostly women and children, were flown back to the country aboard a South African Airways flight facilitated by a Nigerian philanthropist. With the latest arrival, the total number of Nigerians evacuated under the ongoing exercise has risen to over 600.

Officials of the Nigerian Mission in South Africa accompanied the evacuees throughout the journey and formally handed them over to government representatives upon their arrival in Lagos.

The Federal Government’s reception team was led by the Director of the African Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Haruna Ali-Gombe, who welcomed the returnees on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.

Ali-Gombe conveyed the President’s assurance that the welfare and protection of Nigerians abroad remain a top priority, stressing that the government would continue to support citizens facing difficulties outside the country.

The ministry disclosed that the evacuation exercise is still ongoing, with additional flights already scheduled to bring back more Nigerians who have completed the required screening process and opted for voluntary repatriation.

It explained that the operation is part of the Federal Government’s coordinated response to South Africa’s enforcement of immigration regulations affecting undocumented migrants.

The Federal Government also pledged to sustain diplomatic engagement with South African authorities to safeguard the rights and safety of Nigerians residing legally in the country while ensuring the orderly return of those choosing to return home.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed its commitment to providing consular support to Nigerians abroad and maintaining high-level diplomatic efforts throughout the evacuation process.

Nigeria has emerged as the African country with the highest number of United Kingdom visa application rejections, with at least 1.34 million applications refused between 2005 and the first quarter of 2026, according to official figures from the UK Home Office.

An analysis of the Home Office entry clearance visa outcomes dataset showed that 1,344,595 visa applications submitted by Nigerians were rejected during the 21-year period, representing 44.4 per cent of all UK visa refusals issued to African applicants. Globally, Nigeria ranked second only to India in the number of visa refusals.

The data indicated that Nigeria accounted for 15.2 per cent of the 8.83 million visa refusals recorded worldwide during the period.

Despite the high number of rejections, Nigeria also remained Africa’s largest recipient of UK entry clearance visas. A total of 2,723,558 visas were granted to Nigerian applicants between 2005 and the first quarter of 2026, making Nigeria the third-highest recipient globally after India and China.

According to the report, Nigerians submitted about 4.09 million visa applications during the period, with 4,068,153 applications receiving final decisions. The country’s cumulative visa refusal rate stood at 33.1 per cent, more than double the UK’s global average refusal rate of 14.8 per cent.

Visitor visa applications accounted for the bulk of the refusals. Of the 1.34 million rejected applications, 1,127,088, or 83.8 per cent, were visitor visa requests, with an overall refusal rate of 37.1 per cent.

Study visa applications recorded 130,712 refusals, while work visas accounted for 41,410 rejected applications. Family visa applications recorded 12,217 refusals.

The figures showed that refusal rates were highest in the mid-2000s. In 2006, the UK rejected 117,968 Nigerian visa applications, representing a refusal rate of 49.6 per cent, while 111,058 applications were refused in 2005 at a rate of 44.4 per cent.

The rejection rate gradually declined over the years, reaching a low of 21 per cent in 2023, when Nigerian applicants received a record 281,658 visas amid a post-pandemic surge in migration.

However, the trend reversed after the UK government introduced stricter immigration policies. In April 2024, the minimum salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas was raised from £26,200 to £38,700, while dependent visa access for international students and care workers was also restricted.

Following the policy changes, visa applications from Nigeria fell sharply. Immigration research firm Intelpoint reported that work visa applications by Nigerians declined by about 68 per cent in 2024 after the revised salary threshold made many jobs ineligible.

Official data showed that 77,706 Nigerian visa applications were refused in 2024, representing a rejection rate of 33.5 per cent. In 2025, 77,571 applications were rejected at a rate of 33.1 per cent, while 16,692 applications had already been refused by the end of the first quarter of 2026, translating to a rejection rate of 35.4 per cent.

Across Africa, Nigeria led the continent in visa refusals, followed by Ghana with 374,108 refusals, Algeria with 191,903, Egypt with 134,055, Zimbabwe with 102,246 and Morocco with 93,722.

The report also showed that African nationals submitted 11.43 million UK visa applications during the review period, accounting for about 19 per cent of global applications. Nigeria alone contributed 35.7 per cent of all African visa applications and 32.7 per cent of all visas issued to African nationals.

The UK Home Office said visitor visa applications are often assessed based on applicants’ financial records and evidence of strong ties to their home country. It has also cited concerns over visa overstays and asylum claims.

In the year ending September 2025, Nigerians ranked among the top five nationalities seeking asylum in the UK after initially entering the country on valid visas, leading to closer scrutiny of applications from Nigeria.

Commenting on the development, former Nigerian Ambassador to Singapore, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, attributed the growing demand for UK visas to Nigeria’s economic challenges.

“The urge to travel out of the country is primarily a function of the performance of our national economy. The economic doldrums have pushed compatriots into Japa mode. The trend may, unfortunately, increase until there’s a turnaround in the performance of the national economy,” he said.

While describing the number of visa refusals as concerning, the former diplomat noted that visa approvals had also increased significantly over the same period, reflecting the sharp rise in the number of Nigerians seeking to travel abroad.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has called for greater investment in people, community participation and sustainable return pathways as essential pillars of Ukraine’s recovery during the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) in Gdańsk.   

The conference, co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine, brought together governments, international organizations, financial institutions, businesses and civil society to advance Ukraine’s reconstruction and long-term development.   

“Every Ukrainian has a role to play, whether a veteran, an internally displaced person, a member of a host community, a returnee, a Ukrainian living abroad or the Ukrainian diaspora,” said IOM Deputy Director General for Operations, Ugochi Daniels. “Ensuring that all Ukrainians can actively contribute to the country’s recovery remains central to IOM’s efforts, in addition to expanding access to employment, vocational training, housing, mental health services, and sustainable livelihood opportunities.” 

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, IOM has supported more than 10,000 internally displaced people with job-matching services, provided vocational training and equipment to over 1,500 vulnerable people, including those internally displaced including IDPs, and helped more than 2,300 war-affected businesses.  

Strengthening local communities and ensuring displaced people are included in decision-making processes are central to sustainable recovery. Through community-based approaches and support to local authorities, IOM works to promote social cohesion, strengthen local capacities and support community-led recovery efforts across Ukraine.  

Decisions about whether to return home, remain in a host community or pursue other long-term solutions are deeply personal and must be based on informed choice. Continued investment in reliable information, employment opportunities and housing solutions is key to enable safe, dignified and sustainable returns when conditions allow.  

On the margins of the conference, Deputy Director General Daniels met with representatives of the Governments of Ukraine and Poland, European Union institutions, international financial institutions, donor partners and civil society organizations to deepen cooperation on Ukraine’s recovery and support for displaced Ukrainians. Discussions focused on strengthening partnerships across key areas including livelihoods, community resilience, diaspora engagement and veterans’ reintegration, reinforcing the shared commitment to helping Ukrainians rebuild their lives and contribute to the country’s future.  

With Ukraine’s recovery needs estimated at USD 588 billion over the next decade, according to the United Nations, IOM underscores the critical importance of sustained support for early recovery and long-term development, through approaches that engage diverse communities and are adapted to local contexts.