Nigerian students in UK not the target, says Richard Montgomery, The British High Commissioner to Nigeria

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery says, the decision of the United Kingdom restricting foreign students from bringing dependents with them starting in 2024 is not targeted at Nigerians rather it is to protect UK infrastructure as the number of students bringing their family members from all around the world surged in the last couple of years.

The British High Commissioner stated this on Wednesday after he met with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the State House, Abuja. He admitted that the number of Nigerian students coming to the UK increased five folds in three years, just as the overall number of international students also increased.

Montgomery added that though this is a fantastic success story for the UK universities, it is not always possible to find housing and services for the high number of the population coming into the UK with their families. In May, the UK Home Office said it will restrict foreign students from bringing family members with them effective 2024 to stop people from using the student visa as a backdoor channel to work in the UK.