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The United Kingdom government has approved emergency visa extensions for hundreds of foreign prison officers—most of them Nigerians—after warnings that recent immigration rule changes could trigger a staffing crisis across the prison system.
According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on Friday, the move followed concerns that several prisons were facing severe staff shortages that could threaten stability and public safety. The exemption applies only to prison officers already in the UK and will remain in force until the end of 2026. Under the arrangement, a reduced salary threshold of £33,400 will continue to apply until December 31, 2027.
Earlier this year, the UK government increased the skilled worker visa salary threshold to £41,700—well above the average starting salary of about £33,000 for new prison officers outside London—placing many overseas staff at risk of deportation.
The BBC reported that the Prison Officers Association (POA) warned the higher threshold could result in the loss of more than 2,500 overseas recruits, describing the potential impact on prisons as “catastrophic.”
Welcoming the exemption, POA General Secretary Steve Gillan said the decision would help maintain stability within the prison service. “It might not be perfect, but it will mean the prison service can hopefully remain stable,” he said.
The union’s National Chairman, Mark Fairhurst, also said the move had brought relief to affected officers. “Our members can now go about their daily lives without the threat of removal from the country,” he noted.
British media reports indicated that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood initially opposed the exemption, arguing that priority should be given to recruiting British citizens. However, the BBC reported that Justice Secretary David Lammy told MPs he had been in discussions with her, emphasizing that while increasing domestic recruitment remained important, meeting immediate staffing needs in prisons was critical.
A Home Office source told the BBC that prisons were being treated as a special case due to their importance to public safety and national security, adding that the exemption was intended to be temporary. A Ministry of Justice source said the prison system was under significant strain and that the measure would provide “breathing space” to implement a longer-term recruitment strategy focused on UK-based officers.
A government spokesperson said: “Net migration has already fallen by more than two-thirds under this government. However, public safety is the first duty of any government, and we must ensure prisons continue to operate safely with the right level of experienced staff.”
Prisons have been permitted to sponsor visa applications for overseas recruits since 2023 due to a shortage of British applicants. The BBC reported that more than 700 Nigerians were recruited into UK prisons last year, accounting for 29 per cent of applicants and 12 per cent of staff hired in England and Wales. This made Nigerians the most common nationality after Britons to apply for or secure prison jobs in 2024. Ghanaians followed, with about 140 job offers.
