UK Moves to Take 600,000 Students Yearly From Nigeria, India in Five Years
- The United Kingdom government has concluded plans to absorb about 600,000 international students.
- The government reportedly targets such countries as Nigeria, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia
- The report said that the UK is also moving to increase the number of enrolments for nursing students due to the shortage of nurses
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The United Kingdom has concluded plans to increase the number of international students coming to study in their schools to 600,000 yearly by 2030, focusing on Nigeria, India, and Vietnam.
A report by Hazel Shearing of the BBC said that the government has a target of 600,000 international students yearly in the UK by 2030.
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UK targets students from Nigeria, four others
He stated that the government has specifically targeted students from such countries as Nigeria, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia.
Research says education exports play an essential role in supporting the UK economy. Hence, the government is trying to attract international students to boost the country’s soft power via reputation and global networking.
According to reports, the government projects that a one-year group of international students would earn the country about 41.9 billion pounds in economic benefits during their stay in the UK.
The report said:
“It surpassed its 600,000 target in 2020-21 and 2021-22,” according to the most recent data.
Available data says that the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) suggests a decline in the number of nursing applicants, which the Royal College of Nursing warned could leave the National Health Service (NHS) understaffed.
A record number of international students apply
However, the number of international students applying to undergraduate courses at UK universities has increased for a second year.
About 115,730 students from outside the UK applied to begin in September, an increase from 114,910 last year.
The development comes despite more rigid government rules to slash migration following accusations that universities lowered their standards to attract overseas students who can be charged more than UK students.
BusinessDay reports that the number of international applicants remains below the 116,110 recorded before the pandemic.
UK stops Nigerian students from bringing dependents
Legit.ng reported that The United Kingdom Home Office announced on Monday, January 1, 2024, that it had commenced the implementation of its policy barring Nigerian students and other international students from bringing dependents via its study route.
In a post on social media, the Home Office repeated that only those on postgraduate research or government-sponsored scholarship students would be allowed to bring dependents.
In May 2023, the UK put in place a law stopping international students in the country from bringing family as dependents except under certain circumstances.
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Source: Legit.ng
