By Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
THE United Kingdom (UK) has announced a ban on foreign students from bringing family members into the country.
The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, made the announcement as part of the push to reduce net migration.
She said all foreign students, apart from those on postgraduate research programmes, would be banned from bringing their dependants from January 2024.
Stonix News reports that the UK permits dependants to accompany their spouses or parent (s) who have a valid student visa.
Braverman had said there had been an “unexpected” spike in the number of dependents.
She said the economic benefits brought by students could “not be at the expense” of the promise to cut immigration.
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 three to five years.
Stonix News avers that if implemented, the crackdown will affect many Nigerian students hoping to pursue their postgraduate studies in the UK.
This is because they account for the highest increase in the number of dependants accompanying persons with study visas in 2022.
