In 2025, Nigerian students increasingly bypassed traditional study destinations such as the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada, and headed instead for Schengen countries such as Finland, Malta, and France, as immigration rules tightened across major Anglophone markets.
These European destinations emerged as new academic hubs owing to comparatively friendlier visa approval rates, clearer scholarship opportunities, and immigration policies seen as more predictable than those of the ‘Big Four,’ which includes the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
The shift was unfolding against the backdrop of tougher global immigration regimes due to concerns over student visa overstays, illegal migration, national security, housing shortages, inflation, labour protection, and currency volatility.
Read also: Nigeria records 45.9% Schengen visa rejection in 2024, third highest globally among top 10
Governments in the Big Four markets responded with stricter visa rules, annual permit caps, reduced post-study work rights, higher application fees, proof-of-funds thresholds, and tighter compliance monitoring, all of which hit prospective international students.
Susan Akporaiye, managing director and CEO, Topaz Travels and Tours, confirmed to BusinessDay that even before travel restrictions by the United States, the refusal rates from Nigerian students had been massive, forcing students to pivot to Canada.
Akporaiye, who is also the former president of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), said after some time, Canada also started denying visas to Nigerian students.
Poland, which used to be a major study destination, also saw a decline in student applications because it was difficult to secure appointment dates for visas.
“Canada had announced that they would be cutting down students coming in by 300 percent from 2024. Nigeria was part of this and people were also not getting the visas. A particular school had to let go of some of its teachers because it couldn’t afford to pay them as the number of students coming in had reduced,” she said.
She hinted that among other countries in the Schengen region, Nigerian students mostly travelled to countries like Malta and Finland because the offered friendlier conditions to international students and access to scholarships.
Canada experienced a 48 percent decline in granting study permits to Nigerians, between January and August 2025, granting only about 2,800 study permits compared with the same period in 2024.
Read also: Over 89,000 Nigerians had their Schengen visas rejected in 2022, 2023
Also, the US experienced a 24 percent year-on-year drop as it issued only around 1,400 F-1 student visas to Nigerians from January to May 2025. The main reasons were tied to the recent travel bans and restrictions.
These figures, which point to a reduction in approvals, reveal a complex picture of Nigerian students’ global study trends.
Victor Okposin, MD/CEO, Travelluxehub, told BusinessDay that he no longer advises intending students to apply to US or UK anymore because there are too many restrictions and conditions surrounding their visa processes.
“The highest visa applications I had in 2025 were for those seeking to travel to Schengen regions, not UK, Canada or US. I belong to a group of legitimate agents and we advise ourselves to speak to each of our clients to minimise their applications to US, UK and Canada,” Okposin said.
He hinted that another trend travel agents noticed was that Africans travelled to Europe and from there moved to Canada as it was easier applying for visas from these European regions than from Nigeria.
Meti Basiri, co-founder and CEO of ApplyBoard, admitted that “some study routes remain challenging.”
Based on the 2025 Trends Report, he explained, “We highlighted that international students have more study destination options than ever before. The ‘Big Four’ Anglophone markets faced more competition to attract international students last year, with established and emerging destinations in Europe and Asia positioning themselves as attractive, welcoming alternatives.
Read also: Here are 29 Schengen countries offering 5 years visa
“This shift was also evident in our 2024 Fall Student Pulse Survey. Our results revealed that one in every three respondents was considering an alternative destination in addition to the ‘Big Four.’”
Also, countries such as France and Germany have since seen a surge in applications from Nigeria, which data from ApplyBoard shows.
Simplification of processes
Germany, for instance, rapidly positioned itself as the new global education powerhouse, offering lower fees, clearer work pathways, and more predictable immigration policies.
The country surpassed 400,000 international students in the 2024/25 winter semester as tuition-free or low-cost programmes, strong study-to-work transitions, and recent dual citizenship reforms are drawing record interest.
In addition, France simplified its visa route with expanded national housing schemes and has created a structured pathway to employment.
Blessing George, manager at Bee Voyage Travel and Tours, shed light on the difficulty in getting student and even tourist visas.
“People over there are complaining. I have students that I’ve processed visas for that are complaining.
“These days, tourist visas are really hard to get, but it depends on the specific countries. For the US and the UK, their travel bans are really getting outrageous and are affecting the system so badly,” she said.
Read also: How to apply for a 5-year multiple-entry Schengen visa in 2025
Travel bans
In May 2025, the UK government published that it was restoring control over the immigration system white paper, outlining major reforms to the student visa route aimed at reducing net migration and preventing misuse of study routes for settlement.
According to gov.uk, for students finishing bachelor’s and master’s degrees, the post‑study work visa was cut from two years to 18 months for courses starting from January 2026. The PhD graduates retain longer stays.
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