The United Kingdom’s Home Office Department has implemented restrictions on international students bringing dependants into the country.
As of January 2024, only PhD students will be allowed to bring their families to the United Kingdom, according to a new law introduced in May 2023 under the former Home Secretary, Suella Braverman.
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Braverman stated that the policy aims to reduce the number of dependants issued visas to enter the United Kingdom each year.
Recent data from the UK government reveals that Nigerians have the highest number of international student dependants in the country, totaling 60,506 from 2019 to September 2023.
This development has prompted Nigerians to explore alternative ways to secure visas for their families to legally enter the United Kingdom.
“The situation seems to have become more challenging. The process to enter the UK last year is entirely different from what is happening now,” Mojeed Jimoh said.
Jimoh, aged 28, plans to pursue a post-graduate course at a UK university after completing his compulsory National Youth Service in Nigeria. He mentioned that the money he had saved for the journey might not be sufficient anymore.
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He stated, “My hope to travel with my wife may be delayed a bit because I need to save more money.”
There is a wealth of information on how to relocate available on the internet, but the process remains confusing for many people.
One commonly considered option is the student visa, which allows individuals to bring their family with them as dependents for foreign master’s students.
Other legal ways to bring or start a family in the UK include:
1. Migration through a work visa.
2. Migration through a family visa.
3. Migration through an international student visa (PhD only).
4. Migration through the UK investment scheme.
Migration through a work visa is the most popular option after a student-dependent visa. As a skilled worker in a field where the UK requires your expertise, you will need employment visa sponsorship to work in the UK and bring your family along as you relocate from Nigeria.
To qualify for this visa, you can check UK job websites for available positions, especially in fields with a shortage of workers such as healthcare services, finance, teaching, engineering, art, graphic design, and technology. Additionally, you will need a work permit and check if your company can hire you with their license. Other requirements include proof of English language proficiency, an international passport, annual salary, and job title.
To apply for family members, especially children (under 18) and a partner to join you as dependents, you will need to submit separate visa applications for them under your own application. This is because all applications will expire when your work visa expires. You need to prove that they are members of your family, and you have been living together for two years.
Migration through a family visa is another way to stay in the UK for an extended period, but you must be a partner or child of a UK citizen, marry a British citizen, join the UK military, or marry someone with a UK settlement visa. You can apply as a child under the age of 18 or a partner or fiancé who is married or planning to get married within the next six months.
Although the UK government restricts visas for families of foreign UK master’s students, it still allows families of foreign PhD students to apply for a visa. A PhD student visa is part of the points-based student visa system, but the individual pursuing the doctorate program must show that their research is relevant to the UK, and their family lives far away.
Another option is migration through the UK investment and innovator scheme, where you can apply for an investor visa within three months before you travel to the UK. You will need £2 million (2 billion naira) in funds deposited in a UK bank for several years before you and your family can legally relocate to the UK.
To qualify for the innovator visa, you will need a £50,000 (50 million naira) investment and an innovative business idea that will contribute to growing the country’s economy.
