The United Kingdom government has initiated the enforcement of a policy barring Nigerian and other foreign students studying in the country from sponsoring their family members through the study visa route.
The UK Home Office conveyed this information via a post on X (formerly Twitter), stipulating that only postgraduate research or government-sponsored scholarship students would be exempt from the restriction.
In a statement, the Home Office declared, “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.”
Additionally, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in a separate X post on Monday, reaffirmed the prohibition on foreign students bringing dependents into the country.
He stated, “From today, the majority of foreign university students cannot bring family members to the UK. In 2024, we’re already delivering for the British people.”
It would be recalled that in May last year, the United Kingdom disclosed its intention to restrict most foreign students from bringing their families to Britain as part of an immigration crackdown.
Reports indicated that the Prime Minister’s Office dismissed suggestions from the Home Office to increase the salary threshold for foreign workers from £26,000 to £33,000 in an effort to decrease migrant numbers.
This initiative transpired amid a surge in net migration to 1 million, prompting certain Tory MPs to urge Sunak to address the escalating numbers.
The implemented measure will impact master’s students and numerous postgraduate students, preventing them from sponsoring family members. However, PhD students, renowned for their high skill level and longer course duration of 3 to 5 years, are exempt from this restriction.
