The United Kingdom's Home Office confirmed on Monday the initiation of measures prohibiting Nigerian students and other overseas students from bringing dependents via the study visa route.
The decision, aimed at reducing overall migration, dictates that only postgraduate research or government-sponsored scholarship students will be exempted from this restriction.
The move, enacted in May 2023, aligns with the UK government's broader objective of curbing immigration, currently standing at approximately one million. Under the new rule, international students will no longer be permitted to switch from the student route to work routes before completing their studies, addressing concerns about potential misuse of the visa system.
Sky News further reports a review of maintenance requirements for students and dependents, along with a crackdown on unscrupulous education agents engaging in inappropriate applications for immigration rather than education.
The UK's Home Office emphasizes that these stringent measures aim to substantially reduce net migration while maintaining the government's commitment to a highly skilled influx that provides the most benefit to the UK
