The UK is set to introduce regulations this week prohibiting overseas students from bringing family members into the country.
The action comes after news that net migration into the UK has reached one million, prompting Conservative MPs to call on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to “get a handle on the rocketing numbers.”
Current immigration legislation in the United Kingdom allows dependants to join their spouses or parent(s) who have a valid student visa.
The immigration crackdown is due to be announced by UK officials on Tuesday or Wednesday, according to the article.
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.
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.
The Times (UK) had also reported in February that the UK was nursing the ban and that Sunak and Suella Braverman, the home secretary, were becoming more concerned after a near-eightfold rise in the number of family members joining foreign students.
media reports had reported how the home secretary considered reforming the graduate visa route.
Under her proposal, foreign students would have to obtain a work visa by getting a skilled job or leave the UK within six months after the end of their studies.
