Data source: Department of Home Affairs, Study visa statistics, ingested into SVH's production dataset. Figures for the rolling three month window of March to May 2026. Offshore applications only unless stated.
This is data reporting only, not migration advice.
The Department of Home Affairs granted 30.6% of 1,808 decided offshore student visa applications from Kenya in the March to May 2026 window, down 25.6 percentage points from 56.2% in the December 2025 to February 2026 window.
Kenya's 30.6% was the lowest offshore grant rate among the 20 highest-volume nationalities in the window. By lodgement volume, Kenya ranked fifth among offshore markets with 1,808 decided applications in the period.
In the same window, Kenya's onshore grant rate was 81.6% of 938 lodgements, up 5.8 points from 75.8% in the prior window. The gap between Kenya's offshore rate (30.6%) and its onshore rate (81.6%) was 51.0 percentage points in the March to May 2026 window, one of the widest such gaps in the published dataset.
Context across the steepest movers
Several nationalities in the top-20 group recorded steep offshore rate falls in the March to May 2026 window. Zimbabwe fell 46.3 points to 43.2% of its decided offshore applications; Nigeria fell 31.4 points to 52.1%; and the Philippines fell 26.4 points to 39.2%. Kenya's 25.6-point fall placed it fourth among the steepest movers by points, while its absolute rate of 30.6% was the lowest recorded in the group.
The rest of this article: The Department of Home Affairs granted 30.6% of 1,808 decided offshore student visa applications from Kenya in the March to May 2026 window, down 25.6 percentage points from 56.2% in the prior window. Kenya recorded the lowest offshore grant rate among the 20 highest-volume nationalities, while its onshore rate rose to 81.6% of 938 lodgements.. Source: Department of Home Affairs · 2026-05-31
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