UK Visa Issuance Down by 76%, Dependant Ban Lingers on
Following the implementation of the dependant visa ban policy, a sharp drop in the number of study visas issued by the United Kingdom to Nigerians and other international students for the January 2024 intake has raised concerns about how British universities will deal with declining admissions and revenues from foreign students.
The latest data from Enroly Data Insights representing a cross-section of UK universities and based on 58,000 students, highlighted a substantial downturn in key metrics including deposit payments, and confirmation of acceptance for studies, among others for the January 2024 enrolment.
The report also said the decline in enrolment to UK universities by Nigerians could also be linked to the sudden devaluation of the Naira, a factor which dramatically limits student mobility and access to foreign exchange.
In May 2023, international students on UK taught master’s courses were banned from bringing family members with them as dependants. Only students on postgraduate courses currently designated as research programs, which includes PhD students, will be able to bring dependants under new rules.
The UK Home Office, under the recently dismissed Interior Secretary Suella Braverman, introduced this policy to take effect from January 2024.
India and Nigeria have the second and third largest numbers of students in UK universities with many of them enrolling for the one-year master’s option. In 2021/22, almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of Indian students in UK education were enrolled in one-year master’s courses.