The United Kingdom has announced restrictions barring foreign students from bringing family members into the country.
The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, announced the ban as part of the push to reduce net migration.
The Home Secretary said all foreign students – apart from those on postgraduate research programmes – will be banned from bringing their dependents from January 2024.
The UK permits dependents to accompany their spouses or parent(s) who have a valid student visa.
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Braverman had said there had been an “unexpected” spike in the number of dependents – saying the economic benefits brought by students could “not be at the expense” of the Tory promise to cut immigration.
The ban will affect all master’s students and some other post-graduates, but it will not apply to PhD students who are highly skilled and whose courses last between 3 to 5 years.
If implemented, the crackdown will affect many Nigerian students hoping to pursue their postgraduate studies in the UK, as they accounted for the highest increase in the number of dependents accompanying persons with study visas in 2022.
