Under new immigration restrictions, international postgraduate students enrolled in non-research degrees will no longer be permitted to bring family members to the UK.
Nigerian nationals are among top five nationalities granted sponsored study visas to the UK.
Statistics show that Nigerian nationals saw the second largest percentage rise in the number of visas granted, increasing from 6,798 in 2019 to 59,053 in 2022.
Last year, Nigerian sponsored study visa holders in the UK had the highest number of dependants – 60,923, increasing from 1,586 in 2019.
The announcement by the UK government has been made two days before official statistics are expected to show legal migration has hit a record 700,000 this year.
From January 2024, partners and children of postgraduate students other than those studying on courses designated as research programmes will no longer be allowed to apply to live in the UK during the course.
Currently, students coming to the UK with a visa need to provide documents proving their relationship to dependants, who have to pay £490 for a visa.
Dependants are also required to pay the immigration health surcharge – an annual contribution between £470 ($584) and £624 towards NHS services.