In a recent move that has sent shockwaves through the African student community, the United Kingdom is preparing to announce new restrictions on family visas for students studying in the country. The policy change, set to be revealed this week, is expected to affect students from various African nations, including Nigeria, sparking concerns and debates regarding its impact on educational opportunities.
The British government may soon limit the number of
dependant visas for international students from Nigeria and other countries due
to an increase in net migration.
According to the Financial Times (FT), the department of
education, home office and treasury are set to finalise plans that prevent
masters’ students on one year courses from bringing family members to the
United Kingdom (UK).
This development may affect immigration numbers for
countries like Nigeria which recorded the highest number of dependants (60,923)
of sponsored study visa holders in 2022, increasing from 1,586 in 2019.
“Immigration has become one of the most explosive political
issues. Ministers are now finalising plans to tackle one recent boom area for
legal migration: the number of dependants who come to Britain with overseas
master’s students, often from India and Nigeria,” the FT said.
It said students have been one of the main drivers of the
post-coronavirus pandemic surge in migration, with almost 500,000 study visas
issued by the UK authorities in 2022 — a rise of 81 percent compared with 2019.
One of the ministers told the British business news
organisation that many of the master courses only last for nine months. “We
don’t think this will have a big effect on our ability to attract global
talent.”
Another minister confirmed the focus was on the dependants
of master’s students, saying: “It’s clear we have to do something. We’re a long
way from David Cameron’s promise to reduce annual net migration to the ‘tens of
thousands’.”
The treasury, which normally favours higher migration, has
accepted the political need to restrict the number of dependants of overseas
students, while Gillian Keegan, education secretary, has also agreed to the
plan.
Last September, the Telegraph, a national British daily
broadsheet newspaper reported that the UK government was considering tightening
visa rules on how many relatives migrants can bring into the country.
Suella Braverman, UK’s Home Secretary, said there were too
many students coming into the UK and needed to be cut down. “There are
structural pressures that mass and rapid migration poses to our country.”
In January, Braverman pushed for a visa change that would
force foreign students out of the country if they don’t get a skilled job six
months after graduating.
According to The Daily Mail, she committed to cut
immigration and substantially reduce the number of unskilled foreign workers
coming to Britain, from 239,000 to the tens of thousands.
The proposed ban has underscored the need for a
comprehensive dialogue among African nations and the UK, emphasising the
importance of fostering partnerships that encourage educational exchange while
addressing concerns related to migration and security. Only through open and
constructive engagement can a balance be struck between individual aspirations
and national interests.
As the world watches the outcome of this policy change,
African students, including those from Nigeria and beyond, remain steadfast in
their pursuit of knowledge, determined to overcome any challenges that may lie
ahead on their educational journey.