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Dependant Visa Ban: UK Varsities Hit With Low Revenues As Nigerians Turn To Canada

Published

2 years ago

November 16, 2023

Most of the universities in the United Kingdom have been experiencing reduced admissions from international students including Nigerians over the dependant visa ban policy.

UK’s Dependant visa ban
Recall that the UK Home Office under the sacked interior secretary Suella Braverman introduced the dependant visa ban policy that restricted Nigerians and other migrants from bringing family members with them starting from January 2024.

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, while speaking on the policy in June said it was implemented to avoid overburdening the British economy’s s housing infrastructure and to control the inflow of migrants.

Recounting the repercussions of the policy, the universities and business schools said they cannot meet the admission targets for the year 2024, according to a report by 023 Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) Annual Membership Survey.

“In what appears to be an early signal of the impact of an important change to UK visa policy, nearly half (44%) of the country’s business schools are reporting that they will miss their non-EU recruitment targets this year,” the report said.

“When reporting on performance against non-EU recruitment targets for the 2023/24 academic year, nearly three in ten responding institutions (29%) said they had either significantly or moderately exceeded their goal. Another 27% said they had met their recruitment target.

“But the remaining 44% said that they fell short of their recruitment goals, of which 22% reported being “significantly below” their target enrolment.

“The survey report adds: ‘There is significant variation in the results by level of study for non-EU international enrolments, as at undergraduate level nearly half of the schools either significantly or moderately exceeded target compared to one-third of schools at postgraduate level.

“At postgraduate level nearly 50% of schools reported recruitment that was either significantly or moderately below target for non-EU international students, compared to 21% at undergraduate level.’”

It added, “Survey respondents reported that they were seeing some of the most significant increases in non-EU enrolment from India, Pakistan, and Ghana.

“All these countries had more business schools seeing increases in enrolments for the new academic year than decreases,” notes the report.

“Growth in enrolments from Nepal and Saudi Arabia were also cited by several schools. None of the schools cited decreases in enrolments from Nepal, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.”

Affected by the dependant visa restriction policy, the report disclosed that Nigerians and Chinese have reduced their admissions to British universities, as it said, “the most frequently cited countries for declining enrolments were China and Nigeria, which could suggest a reversal in the growth in recruitment from these key countries in recent years.”

The report further said that the number of international students seeking admission to study Master in Business Administration (MBA) has reduced in number, especially from Nigerians and Chinese. It further said these foreign students have turned to Canadian and Australian universities which are now migrant-friendly destinations.

In May 2023, the British government announced that international students would be prevented from bringing dependants with them as of January 2024 (unless students are in postgraduate programmes with a research focus).

The Home Office said at the time that almost half a million student visas were issued in 2022 while the number of dependants of overseas students has increased by 750% since 2019, to 136,000 people. The move to limit accompanying dependents was explicitly done to curb net migration, and was described by the Home Secretary as the “single biggest tightening measure a government has ever done.”

The vast majority of respondents to the CABS survey said that they expect to see negative impacts on non-EU enrolment arising from the policy.

According to the report, “It is anticipated that enrolments for MBA programmes will be most affected as MBA students tend to be older and often wish to bring their family with them. Other post-experience programmes, such as Executive Education programmes sponsored by a company, are also expected to be more adversely impacted due to students being more likely to have children.

“Many [respondents] mentioned that the change has prompted them to reassess their school’s strategy which includes shifting MBAs and Master’s programmes to online delivery if not already offered in this mode, and focusing on growing international student numbers at an undergraduate level instead. There is also a sense that the recruitment of business schools in competitor countries such as Australia and Canada is already benefitting from the UK’s decision to ban visas for dependents of students.”

The revenue impact

The survey found overall that UK universities remain highly dependent on business school tuition revenue, and that, with the downward pressure on non-EU enrolments for this year in particular, the financial outlook for the year ahead is weakening.

“While 28% and 49% of respondents in 2022 stated that they expected significant and moderate increases in income respectively, these numbers have fallen to 9% and 36% in this year’s edition of the survey. 30% of business schools expect a decrease in income compared to only 2% in last year’s survey,” it added.
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News

Edo Assembly Invites Obaseki, Others For Questioning Over MOWAA

Published

2 hours ago

November 27, 2025

Editor

The controversy surrounding the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) and Radisson Hotel, remains unabated as Edo State House of Assembly Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the matter has invited a former governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki for questioning.

A statement by Secretary of the Ad-hoc Committee, Bekisu Oshone, on Thursday, stated that the former governor and others are expected to appear on December 4, 2025.

Other persons invited by the committee are a former Edo Finance Commissioner, Joseph Eboigbe, former Attorney General of Edo State, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, MOWAA’s Director, Philip Iheanacho and Managing Director, Tilbury House Nigeria Limited.

According to her, others invited are Project Manager of Hospitality Investment and Management Company, Pramod Thorat, Managing Director, Afrinvest Capital Limited, Ugochukwu Anigbogu, Managing Director, Meristem Trustees Limited and
Managing Director, Emerging Africa Trustees Limited.

The statement reads: “The Edo State House of Assembly Ad hoc Committee constituted to investigate the Museum of West African Arts and Radisson Hotel invites former Governor Godwin Obaseki and 10 others/organization (listed above) to appear before the committee for public hearing on December 4.”

She said attendance by Obaseki and others was required as part of the committee’s investigation.

The former governor and other invitees are expected to give insights into funding of the Radisson Hotel.

The MOWAA and Radisson Hotel were both conceptualized by Obaseki.

While first phase of the MOWAA has been completed, Radisson Hotel is near completion.

Recall that an exhibition at the museum turned chaotic on November 9 after angry protesters stormed the venue, forcing a high-profile event to shut down abruptly.

The preview opening, described as a private exhibition for investors, artists, and foreign envoys, quickly descended into panic when a mob claiming the museum belonged to the Oba of Benin breached parts of the premises.

News

Police, PSC Set Up Committee To Recruit 30,000 New Officers

Published

2 hours ago

November 27, 2025

Editor

The Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have set up a high-powered joint Ad-hoc Committee to drive the immediate commencement of the recruitment of 30,000 new officers.

The PSC disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, following the inauguration of the Ad-hoc Committee on Wednesday, 26th November, 2025 by the Chairman, Police Service Commission DIG Hashimu Salihu Argungu (rtd) at the Police Service Commission Corporate Headquarters, Jabi, Abuja.

The establishment of the committee followed the presidential directive to bolster the numerical strength of the NPF and enhance national security.

According to the statement, the primary mandate of the Joint Ad-hoc Committee is to collaborate and brainstorm on creating a seamless, transparent, and efficient recruitment process.

It added that the committee will work to ensure the exercise is conducted with the highest standards of integrity and merit.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, who was represented by DIG (Bar) Taiwo Lakanu (rtd), said that “the collaboration is crucial for a successful exercise”.

Lakanu, who is also the Chairman, Nigeria Police Force Matters Committee, PSC reiterated the commission’s commitment to ensuring that the recruitment is fair and based on established guidelines.

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, was represented at the event by CP Edwin Eloho of the Department of Training and Development, Force Headquarters.

Egbetokun emphasised the importance of the recruitment in strengthening the police force’s capacity to serve and protect the citizens of Nigeria.

The IGP affirmed the NPF’s full cooperation with the PSC to ensure the timely and successful achievement of this national objective.

“The inauguration of this committee marks a critical step forward in the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing security challenges and improving the police-to-citizen ratio across the country,” he said.

The PSC is the Federal Executive Body empowered to appoint, promote, dismiss, and exercise disciplinary control over persons holding offices in the Nigeria Police Force, except the IGP.

The NPF is the principal law enforcement agency in Nigeria. It is designated to, amongst others, prevent and detect crime, protect lives and property, and maintain public order and safety.

President Bola Tinubu on Monday presided over a high-level security meeting with Nigeria’s top military and intelligence chiefs at the State House, Abuja, as the administration intensified efforts to confront emerging and persistent security threats across the country.

The closed-door session was confirmed by the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, who shared updates via his X handle, @DOlusegun.

The Service Chiefs in attendance included the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff, Major General Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Idi Abbas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice-Marshal Kennedy Aneke, as well as IGP Egbetokun, and the Director-General of the Department of State Service.

The appointments of the new Service Chiefs, announced by President Tinubu in October 2025, form part of a broader effort to reinforce Nigeria’s security architecture.

Also present was Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, who continues to serve as Chief of Defence Intelligence, alongside other senior security advisers and heads of relevant agencies.

News

Guinea-Bissau Coup: FG Gives Update On Ex-President Jonathan

Published

3 hours ago

November 27, 2025

Editor

Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, is safe and has left Guinea-Bissau following the military takeover that disrupted the country’s electoral process, the Federal Government confirmed on Thursday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, told journalists in Abuja that Jonathan departed on a special flight with members of his delegation, including Mohamed Chambas.

“Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is very safe and out of Guinea-Bissau. He left with a special flight with members of his delegation, including Mohamed Chambas,” he said.

Jonathan had been in the country as head of the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission, monitoring the presidential and legislative elections held on Sunday. The military seized control before official results were announced.

In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, Jonathan, alongside Filipe Nyusi, former president of Mozambique and head of the African Union Election Observation Mission, and Issifu Kamara, head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, condemned the coup as a direct attempt to disrupt Guinea-Bissau’s democratic process. The statement called for calm and reaffirmed support for the country during the crisis, stressing the need to preserve peace and stability.

The Federal Government also condemned the military action, describing it as an unconstitutional change of government that violated the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

The crisis escalated on Wednesday when military officers declared “total control” of Guinea-Bissau, closed its borders, and suspended electoral activities.

Heavy gunfire was reported near the presidential palace, and key access routes were blocked. General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, announced that a command “composed of all branches of the armed forces was taking over the leadership of the country until further notice.”

Incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo later confirmed in a phone call with France24 that he had been deposed, while opposition candidate Fernando Dias also claimed victory in Sunday’s elections. The military claimed it had uncovered a plot involving “national drug lords” and the importation of weapons “to alter the constitutional order.”

Jonathan and other election observers had been temporarily trapped in the country as outgoing flights were suspended. While he remained in Guinea-Bissau, his spokesperson confirmed he was unharmed and maintaining contact with colleagues. Jonathan and fellow African leaders condemned the intervention and urged the immediate release of detained electoral officials so that the process could be concluded.

The joint statement from Jonathan and the observer missions urged the African Union and ECOWAS to act swiftly to restore constitutional order and called on the people of Guinea-Bissau to remain calm, emphasising the importance of safeguarding peace, stability, and public welfare during the period of uncertainty.