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Japa: 10 New Changes Nigerians, Other Foreigners Should Know Before Relocating To UK

Published

1 year ago

March 14, 2024

Editor

In its bid to cut the influx of migration, the United Kingdom, UK, has made some changes in the visa schemes offered to Nigerians and other foreigners.

On Monday, the UK announced that foreign health workers and caregivers would not be allowed to bring their dependants with their work visas.

The Secretary of State for the Home Department, James Cleverly disclosed this, reiterating it was part of the plan to check high migration.

In another move, the UK, Thursday, said orders have been laid in the Parliament to increase the family visa minimum income requirement.

“This will ensure people only bring dependants to the UK they can financially support,” the Home Office said.

Cleverly said in the X account of the Home Office, “Migration is too high. We have to bring the numbers down to create a fairer system for the British people.”

Considering these changes, in this article, Vanguard reveals new 10 changes that foreign nationals should know before relocating to the UK.

Some of the rules affected the family and work visas for 2024.

According to the House of Commons, “Some of the changes have come into force and most of the rest will by 11 April 2024, in accordance with two sets of changes to the Immigration Rules released on 19 February and 14 March.”

Below are the 10 latest changes implemented by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak-led UK government:

1. Social care workers are no longer permitted to bring families (that is, spouses and children) on their visas.

2. The minimum salary to be sponsored for a Skilled Worker visa is increasing, with the baseline minimum rising from £26,200 to £38,700 (but not for the Health and Care Worker visa, which includes social care, or for education workers on national pay scales).

3. Changes to the Shortage Occupation List to reduce the number of jobs where it will be possible to fund someone for a Skilled Worker visa on less than the usual minimum salary (which is the main purpose of the list).

4. The minimum income normally required to sponsor someone for a spouse/partner visa is rising in stages from £18,600 per year to £29,000 and ultimately around £38,700.

5. A review of the Graduate visa, a two-year unsponsored work permit for overseas graduates of British universities.

6. The ban on newly arriving care workers bringing immediate family has been in place since 11 March 2024.

7. The Skilled Worker minimum salary increases will happen on 4 April 2024.

8. An interim Immigration Salary List, replacing the Shortage Occupation List, will also come in on 4 April 2024; the list will be reviewed later.

9. The spouse/partner visa minimum income will first increase to £29,000 on 11 April 2024; to around £34,500 at an unspecified time later in 2024; and finally to around £38,700 “by early 2025”.

10. The review of the Graduate visa has begun, with the Home Secretary asking for a report by 14 May 2024.

Headline

Again, Russia Claims Another Village In Ukraine’s Region

Published

19 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The Russian army Monday claimed to have captured another village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, moving deeper into Ukrainian territory as peace efforts stall.

Russian forces are slowly but steadily gaining ground in costly battles for largely devastated areas in eastern and central Ukraine, normally with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had seized the settlement of Zaporizke in the region, which Russian troops recently advanced into for the first time in the three-and-a-half-year offensive.

Kyiv denies that Russian troops have gained a foothold in the Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub.

After another push by US President Donald Trump to broker a Ukraine-Russia summit, hopes for peace dimmed when Russia last week ruled out any immediate meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The central region of Dnipropetrovsk has previously been largely spared from fighting that has ravaged swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, until Russia said its forces broke through in July.

Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea — that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory.

Ukraine said Russia had launched over 100 drones Monday, killing a 37-year old civilian driver and wounding two people in the northeastern Sumy region.

Moscow said Kyiv had launched about two dozen drones targeting western Russia

Headline

US Comedian Reggie Carroll Shot Dead In Mississippi

Published

19 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

A United States comedian, Reginald “Reggie” Carroll, has been shot dead in Southaven, Mississippi.

The 52-year-old Carroll, widely known as the Knockout King of Comedy, was reportedly killed on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

The Southaven Police Department confirmed the incident in a Facebook statement on Saturday.

“Southaven officers located one male victim suffering from gunshot wounds.

“The officers and medical personnel provided life saving techniques but the individual succumbed to his injuries,” the statement partly read.

The victim was later identified as Carroll, a Baltimore native.

Police said one suspect was arrested and charged with his murder.

“One male is in custody and has been charged with the murder of Reginald Carroll.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Carroll.

“Thank you to the community for their patience and understanding,” the department added.

The police further assured that there was no ongoing threat to residents, describing the case as “an isolated shooting.”

Carroll, who built his career in stand-up comedy, gained national recognition touring with Katt Williams and headlining his own showcase, Knockout Kings of Comedy.

He also featured in the 2000 edition of Showtime at the Apollo, appeared on the UPN sitcom The Parkers alongside Mo’Nique and Countess Vaughn, and starred in the 2022 television film Rent & Go.

In 2023, he produced the stand-up special Knockout Kings of Comedy.

The Southaven Police Department disclosed that an investigation into his death is ongoing.

Headline

US Defends New Social Media Vetting For Nigerian Visa Applicants

Published

20 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Monday reaffirmed that the safety and security of the United States remain the cornerstone of its visa application and decision-making process.

The US said this following its directive last week that mandates Nigerians to disclose all social media usernames and handles used over the past five years as part of the visa application process.

US Mission said Nigerian visa applicants must provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application form, and warned that omitting the information could lead to visa denials.

Reacting to the development, the Federal Government said US citizens intending to visit Nigeria will be subjected to the same measures.

“The best we can do is to carry out reciprocal action. Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures,” spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said last Monday.

However, in a statement released Monday on X, the US Mission said prospective visa applicants undergo careful vetting to maintain a safe and welcoming environment in the US.

It said, “The safety and security of the United States is at the heart of every #USVisa application and decision process.

“That’s why prospective applicants undergo careful screening to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

The Mission added, “These measures help protect American citizens and communities while supporting secure and responsible travel.”