The UK government has revealed the number of Nigeria to UK dependents increased in two years. With the introduction of an immigration salary list, they are set to reduce the net migration of some skilled workers. The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has disclosed this. The number of dependents that follow students from Nigeria who study in the United Kingdom has summed up from 1,500 to 52,000 between 2019 and 2022.
The British high commissioner made this statement in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) in FCT Abuja on Sunday.
He stated that after the coronavirus pandemic in 2019, the UK had 1,500 Nigerian dependents in the UK. But by 2022, this number had tripled. In his words, he said;
“In Nigeria, in 2019, before the Coronavirus pandemic, only one and a half thousand dependents were brought in from Nigeria, with those on study visas.
“In 2022, that figure had increased to fifty-two thousand dependents, so that’s a thirtyfold increase in dependence. And it’s not just about Nigeria, by the way.
“It is also about all foreign students; we saw similar rises, for example, amongst Indian students coming to study in the UK,” he added.
Montgomery said only international students applying for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program can bring dependents to the UK from now on.
He mentioned that the policy change, implemented earlier this year, prohibits international students in higher education from bringing dependents to the country.
The issue was brought up to address the current problem of many foreign students who come with dependents.
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Montgomery also stated that the university chancellors have complained about the large number of students in the school, which is now creating accommodation issues and medical services.
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