The United Kingdom Home Office announced that starting January 2024, overseas students, including those from Nigeria, will no longer have the option to bring family members to the country.
The decision, aimed at achieving a decisive cut in migration, was shared through an official New Year post on X (formerly Twitter).
The Home Office emphasized its commitment to reducing migration and highlighted that new overseas students will be affected by the restriction.
However, postgraduate research and government-funded scholarship students have been exempted from this ban.
This development carries considerable implications, especially for Nigerian youths, who have long considered the UK a top destination for better education, employment, and security.
The ‘Japa’ phenomenon, driven by Nigeria’s soaring unemployment rate of over 33.3 percent, is expected to witness a surge due to these stringent measures.
The initial announcement regarding this immigration crackdown came in mid-2023, as the UK government took steps to curtail overseas students from bringing family members into the country.
TellVibes understood that the move is part of broader efforts to address immigration concerns and reshape the dynamics of student migration to the UK.