UK Mulls Banning Nigerians, Other Foreign Students From Bringing Family With Them, but Announces Exceptions
- The UK government has concluded plans to ban foreign students from coming along with dependants
- A new report revealed that the decision was reached following the astronmical rise in the number of foreign student dependants
- There is a way out for students who truly need to come with dependents, but new conditions must be satisfied
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The UK government is proceeding with its proposal to prevent international students at UK universities from bringing their spouses and children to the country,
The Times (UK) reports that exception will be given to students undergoing “high-value” degree programmes.
Degrees considered important to the UK government include science, maths, and engineering
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The report said UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman, the home secretary, are becoming more concerned after a near-eightfold rise in the number of family members joining foreign students.
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The UK permits dependants to accompany their spouses or parent(s) who have a valid student visa.
How Nigerians will be affected
In 2022, Nigerians accounted for the highest increase in the number of dependants accompanying persons with study visas for the year.
Legit.ng had earlier reported that Nigerian nationals also accounted for the largest increase in sponsored study grants compared with 2019, increasing by 57,545 (+686%) to a record high of 65,929, making them the third largest nationality group in the latest year.
The Times reported that the new immigration figures revealed that 490,763 students were given visas last year.
They were accompanied by 135,788 dependants — spouses and children –up from 16,047 in 2019.
Foreign students would also be banned from bringing families unless they are studying at a higher level, such as a master’s degree or PhD, the report added.
Not everyone is in support
However, universities and members of parliament from all parties criticised the proposals, pointing to research suggesting that foreign students contribute £35 billion a year to the economy.
The development is the latest in Braverman’s “aspirations” to restrict migrants from entering the UK.
Breakdown of amount required to relocate to UK for singles, married
Meanwhile in another report, Legit.ng disclosed that a Nigerian residing abroad published a comprehensive estimate of how much it may cost to migrate to the United Kingdom
Although he clarified that it is only an estimate, his study is certain to give direction to Nigerians travelling as singles, married couples, and families
The number of Nigerians leaving for the UK is at an all-time high, particularly via studies
Source: Legit.ng
