The United Kingdom (UK) has stated that it intends to prohibit some overseas students from bringing family members into the country.
The action is part of a rumored immigration crackdown, with official data due out this Thursday believed to indicate that net migration has surpassed one million.
“A string of alarmed Tory MPs have broken cover to call for Rishi Sunak to get a grip on the rocketing numbers,” The Sun UK revealed in a report.
“Scrambling to get ahead of the bad news, ministers are expected to announce the immigration clampdown on Tuesday or Wednesday.”
According to the article, “all masters students and many other postgraduate students” will be barred from bringing family members over.
“The ban will not apply to PHD students, whose courses usually last between 3 and 5 years and are very highly skilled,” it added.
According to immigration data, there has been a “explosion” in the number of persons relocating to Britain on the basis of their families’ student visas.
In 2022, 135,788 family members accompanied students to the United Kingdom for studies, which is nine times more than in 2019.
“Last year, 59,053 Nigerian students brought over 60,923 relatives,” the report noted.
UK To Limit Dependents For Nigerians On Study Visa
BizWatch Nigeria recalls that in October 2022, Nigerian migrants to the United Kingdom (UK) may face restrictions as a result of the country’s plans to reduce net migration.
According to Home Office data, Nigerians accounted for the greatest increase in the number of dependants accompanying people on study visas for the fiscal year ending in June 2022.
“In the year ending June 2022, there were 486,868 Sponsored study visas granted (to both main applicants and their dependants), 71% (202,147) more than 2019,” the report reads.
“The number of Sponsored study visas granted in the year ending June 2022, is the highest on record in our time series, with the substantial increase representing both a recovery from lower numbers during the Covid-19 pandemic but also an increase on the pre-pandemic period.
“In the other top 5 nationalities, Nigerian nationals saw the largest relative 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 report said.
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