IT’S OFFICIAL: Foreign students can no longer take family to UK from 2024

The UK says it will restrict foreign students from bringing
family members with them from 2024. 

The United Kingdom has put in place a new law that will see
Nigerian students and others studying in the UK from bringing their family as
dependents except “under specific circumstances.”

This is as the UK government aims to bring immigration into
the country that stands at around one million down, Sky News reports.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Home Office said the development
was necessary to stop people from using the student visa as a backdoor route to
work in the UK.

“Last year almost half a million student visas were issued
while the number of dependants of overseas students has increased by 750% since
2019, to 136,000 people,” the Home Office said.

 “The new reforms will
come into effect for students starting in January next year. The government
will however work with the higher education sector to explore alternative
options to ensure the brightest and best students can continue to bring
dependents when they study at the UK’s world-leading universities.”

The UK said overseas students will be stopped from switching
from the student visa route to work routes until their studies have been
completed to avoid misuse of the visa system.

The UK government said it will also review the required
funds students must have to demonstrate they can look after themselves and
their dependents.

The Home Office said the government will clamp down on
“unscrupulous” international student agents who may be supporting inappropriate
applications.

Suella Braverman, secretary of state for the home
department, said the move was necessary to protect the UK economy.

“The UK is a top destination for the brightest students to
learn at some of the world’s best universities. But we have seen an
unprecedented rise in the number of student dependents being brought into the
country with visas,” Braverman said.

“It is time for us to tighten up this route to ensure we can
cut migration numbers and meet the government’s pledge to the British people to
cut net migration. This is the fair thing to do to allow us to better protect
our public services, while supporting the economy by allowing the students who
contribute the most to keep coming here.”

The ban will affect all master’s students and some other
post-graduates, but it will not apply to PhD students who are highly skilled
and whose courses last between 3 to 5 years.

NIGERIANS AMONG
HARDEST HIT

If implemented, the crackdown will affect many Nigerian
students hoping to pursue their postgraduate studies in the UK, as they
accounted for the highest increase in the number of dependants accompanying persons
with study visas in 2022.

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 development is the latest in Braverman’s “aspirations”
to restrict migrants from entering the UK and comes months after she announced
plans to reform the graduate visa route.