The United Kingdom government has released a full list of 65 countries and territories whose citizens, or whose children, may be eligible to apply under the Windrush Scheme, and Nigeria is among them. The scheme is designed for people who are already settled in the UK but cannot produce documentation to prove it.
Eligibility Criteria for the Windrush Scheme
According to the UK government, eligibility may apply if the person themselves, or their parent, holds citizenship of one of the listed Commonwealth countries. The scheme does not automatically grant status but offers a pathway to secure evidence of an existing settlement arrangement. Applicants may be able to obtain proof of their right to live and work in the UK if certain conditions are met.
The list includes 36 African and Caribbean nations, alongside countries from Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas. Among the African countries included are Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and others.
Full List of Qualifying Countries and Territories
The complete list of countries and territories published by the UK government is as follows:
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Australia
- The Bahamas
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bermuda
- Botswana
- British Antarctic Territory
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- Brunei
- Canada
- Cayman Islands
- Cyprus (excluding the Sovereign Base Area)
- Dominica
- Falkland Islands
- Fiji
- The Gambia
- Ghana
- Gibraltar
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Hong Kong
- India
- Jamaica
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Montserrat
- Namibia
- Nauru
- New Zealand
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Papua New Guinea
- Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands
- Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
- Saint Lucia
- Samoa
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- South Africa
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- Sri Lanka
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Eswatini
- Tanzania
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Vanuatu
- Virgin Islands
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Related UK Immigration Updates
Meanwhile, Legit.ng recently reported that the UK government had released a list of 82 countries whose citizens can enter Britain with an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) rather than a visa. Mauritius and Seychelles were the only African countries on that list, with Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa among the African nations whose citizens were not included.
