The United Kingdom’s Home Office, on Monday, declared the initiation of its policy enforcing the prohibition of Nigerian students and other international students from bringing dependants through the study visa route.
In a statement posted on X (previously Twitter), the Home Office emphasized that only postgraduate research or government-sponsored scholarship students would be exempted from this measure.
“We are fully committed to seeing a decisive cut in migration. From today, new overseas students will no longer be able to bring family members to the UK. Postgraduate research or government-funded scholarships students will be exempt,” the Home Office said.
In May 2023, it was reported that the United Kingdom implemented a law aimed at curbing immigration, particularly concerning Nigerian students and others studying in the UK.
This legislation restricts the ability of students to bring family members as dependants, except under specific circumstances.
The UK government’s objective is to reduce the overall immigration influx, which currently stands at approximately one million.
Under the new regulations, international students will no longer be allowed to switch from the student route to work routes before completing their studies, preventing potential misuse of the visa system.
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Moreover, the UK government plans to review the maintenance requirements for both students and their dependants.
There will also be a crackdown on “unscrupulous” education agents engaging in inappropriate applications that prioritize immigration over genuine educational purposes, as reported by Sky News.
The official statement on the UK’s Home Office website emphasizes that these new government restrictions on student visa routes will significantly reduce net migration.
The restrictions primarily limit the ability of international students to bring family members, allowing it only for post-graduate research routes.
Furthermore, using a student visa as a means to circumvent immigration rules and work in the UK will be strictly prohibited.
“The ONS estimated that net migration was over 500,000 from June 2021 to June 2022. Although partly attributed to the rise in temporary factors, such as the UK’s Ukraine and Hong Kong schemes, last year almost half a million student visas were issued, while the number of dependants of overseas students has increased by 750 percent since 2019, to 136,000 people.”
The Home Office emphasized that the introduction of this new rule does not contradict the government’s dedication to reducing overall migration and ensuring that migration to the UK remains predominantly composed of highly skilled individuals who bring substantial benefits to the country.
According to them, the proposal is aimed at allowing “the government to continue to meet its International Education Strategy commitments while making a tangible contribution to reducing net migration to sustainable levels. The government has also made clear that the terms of the graduate route remain unchanged.”