Nigerians lead the way in UK fashion visas according to report

New data has shown that Nigerians make up the majority of accepted British visas in relation to fashion when compared to people from any other country.

According to the Telegraph’s analysis of official data, there have been 291 Nigerian applications for fashion visas between 2019 and 2014, the highest number among all countries. This was followed by 67 Chinese applicants.

Fashion-related visa applications from Nigeria rose from three in 2019 to 145 in 2024. Meanwhile, over the same period, the British Fashion Council (BFC) has endorsed 71 Nigerian applications, also more than any other nationality.

The BFC has been granted the power to endorse applications on behalf of the UK’s Home Office, which then signs-off on the visas. The council receives around two million pounds a year from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to promote British fashion and, in recent years, has set about diversifying the local fashion industry.

The increase comes as part of a broader surge in talent-related visa applications from Nigeria, with most applying via the route for “literature”. Since 2019, Nigerians have made 729 applications across artistic global talent categories in the UK, the Telegraph reported. Just 59 percent of them are endorsed.