UK Restricts Immigration for Nigerian Students Bringing Family Members to UK for Postgraduate Studies

The British government has introduced new restrictions on immigration for foreign students who bring their families to the UK for non-research postgraduate courses.

This has affected Nigerian students who have seen an increase in the number of dependents traveling with them to the UK for studies.

In 2022, the number of Nigerian students in the UK grew from 6,798 to 59,053, and the number of their dependents increased from 1,586 to 60,923.

The British government has stated that foreign postgraduate students use the study route as a "backdoor to work," and their family members put "untenable" pressure on public services.

However, experts believe that the new restrictions may have an upside for the Nigerian economy as it may result in an "uptick in remittances" from Nigerian students in the UK.

Nigerians are considering postgraduate options in Canada due to restrictions in the UK, with over 15,000 granted permanent residence in Canada in 2021.

A Nigerian professor teaches at the University of Salford and hopes that the Nigerian government will address the "brain drain" by focusing on stopping the trend of Nigerian students going to other countries for higher education.