The United Kingdom (UK) government has announced restrictions barring foreign students from bringing family members into the country.
The new policy bars all foreign students – apart from those on postgraduate research programmes – from bringing their dependents from January 2024.
UK Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, announced the ban as part of the government’s push to reduce net migration into the country.
The ban will affect all master’s students, but it will not apply to PhD students who are highly skilled and whose courses last between 3 to 5 years.
Before now, the UK permitted dependants to accompany their spouses or parent(s) who have a valid student visa to the country.
The new policy is expected to affect many Nigerian students hoping to pursue their postgraduate studies in the UK.
A recent UK report showed that Nigeria accounts for the highest number of dependants accompanying persons with study visas in 2022.
