The United Kingdom, UK, has said that only international students coming in for their Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) studies were eligible to bring in dependents to the country.
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, made this disclosure in an interview with the media on Sunday in Abuja.
He said that the educational system policy changed earlier this year for international students in higher education not to bring dependents into the UK was to curb the increase of foreign students bringing in dependents.
The envoy pointed out that the huge surge in dependence was putting unsustainable pressure on many universities, adding that it was the reason these changes were introduced.
According to him, before his posting as High Commissioner to Nigeria, he had spoken to some of these universities about the policy change, which had been in the pipeline for some time.
Montgomery noted that the university Chancellors had complained of the huge student populations’ highlighting that accommodation was a huge challenge, access to medical services under the National Health Service, and access to school if they brought in dependents.
According to him, the restrictions do not apply to all categories, adding that those doing a long-term research degree, like a PhD or doctorate, were not affected.
“Those coming to the UK for doctorate can still bring their dependency, but if you are coming to the UK with a study visa for an undergraduate degree or short-term master’s degree, I am afraid the rules have been changed.
“People need to understand why this change was brought in, and it is a sensible change because we have a large higher education sector and most of these universities are in towns across the country,” he added.