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Why UK Banned Dependents Visa For Nigerians, Others — British High Commissioner

Published

2 years ago

June 21, 2023

Editor

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, Wednesday, said that the decision by the United Kingdom, UK, government’s decision to ban international students from bringing family members with them starting from 2024 is to avoid overburdening the country’s housing infrastructure and to control the inflow of migrants.

Montgomery stated this while speaking with State House correspondents after holding a closed-door meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

This came one month after the new British diplomate to Nigeria handed his letters of Credence to former President Muhammadu Buhari on May 18.

According to him, “Many more students are trying to bring their dependents with them…but it’s not always possible to find the housing and services to meets all the needs of all our existing student population…we’ll have to manage our migration in and out of the UK.”

Recall that on 23, the UK Home Office said international students, including Nigerians, would no longer be able to bring family members with them starting January 2024.

It also announced that overseas students would be stopped from switching from the student visa route to a work visa until their studies have been completed.

The decision has been greeted with mixed reactions from international students, schools, and some British lawmakers who argued that the regulation would aggravate labour shortages in critical sectors such as healthcare and threaten the country’s global standing as a top destination for international talent.

Fielding questions from journalists, the British High Commissioner gave reasons for the regulation saying, “I think there are two issues here. The first is, it’s not always possible to find the housing and services to meets all the needs of all our existing student population.”

“And second, reasonable people would accept that we have to manage our visitor numbers and we’ll have to manage our migration in and out of the UK just as the Nigerian government would do,” he added.

Montgomery revealed that Nigerian students coming to the UK had increased fivefold in the last three years, even as they make up 10 per cent of those granted UK visas annually.

“That issue was not raised in the meeting (with the Vice President) just now. But I would like to put the media debate about it in a broader context. Last year (2022), for example, the UK granted three million new visas, of which 325,000 were to Nigerians.

“Nigerian visitors constitute over 10 per cent of the people coming to London and the UK.

“It’s a fantastic success story for our universities. And we are really delighted that so many Nigerians are coming to the UK,” he said.

He revealed that his discussions with the VP highlighted the current policy direction of the Bola Tinubu administration, which, he said, is being warmly received by UK investors.

Hear him, “As I discussed with His Excellency, the big economic decisions being taken by this government are really important and are being noticed around the world: the removal of subsidy, the exchange rate reform, all of that create a much better investment environment.

“I was in London last week; I was briefing my ministers, but I was also talking to British business in finance, banking and investment sectors. They are all responding very positively to these first decisions.”

He further said that the discussions also featured areas of assistance by the British government to cushion the effects of the discontinuance of petroleum subsidy, which has spelt “tough times” for Nigerians.

He said, “We know that there are tough times that are going on at the moment, inflation and unemployment.

“The vice president and I also touched on some of the measures that might be possible to cushion the blow of some of these economic pressures.

“But I think the big issue is that these reforms help put Nigeria on a higher growth path; they will attract more investments and the United Kingdom and the city of London see Nigeria as a big opportunity going forward. I will be doing my part to try to boost those, enhance trade and investment.”

Headline

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, Deserves Not To Live – Israel’s Defence Minister

Published

16 hours ago

June 19, 2025

Editor

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei

Israel’s Defence Minister on Thursday issued a direct threat against Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accusing him of orchestrating attacks on Israel through proxy forces and calling for his elimination.

The minister’s remarks, reported by Al Jazeera, reflect growing tensions between the two countries following an Iranian missile strike on Beersheba, which reportedly caused damage to the Soroka Medical Center.

The minister stated that Khamenei has consistently sought Israel’s destruction, adding that preventing him from continuing his actions is now considered part of Israel’s broader campaign.

According to him, as reported by Al Jazeera, “A man like [Khamenei] has always aimed at destroying Israel through his agents.

“This man, who is willing to attack us, must not stay alive. This matter, the matter of stopping this man, eliminating him, is part of the campaign, and we now understand his role because before, he was talking about the destruction of Israel.”

In recent days, Israel has launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities, prompting retaliatory missile and drone attacks from Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently addressed the Iranian people in a video message, expressing hope that military operations would help pave the way for Iranians to achieve freedom.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump also weighed in on Khamenei, stating in a social media post: “We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now… Our patience is wearing thin.”

Earlier, Khamenei warned the US that any strikes on its territory would have “serious irreparable consequences”.

As reported by Al Jazeera, the death toll from Israel’s attacks on Iran has risen to more than 240, including 70 women and children. At least 24 people have been killed in Iranian attacks on Israel.

Headline

Ukraine Worries Iran-Israel War Will Boost Russia’s Aggression

Published

16 hours ago

June 19, 2025

Editor

Fighting between Iran and Israel could deflect global attention from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and even bolster Kremlin’s war effort, Ukrainian officials say.

Israel launched a massive bombing campaign on Iran last week that prompted Tehran — a close ally of Russia — to strike back with missiles and drones.

The conflict has pushed up the price of oil — a key revenue stream funding Russia’s invasion.

“For Ukraine, the challenge is the price of oil, because if prices remain high for a long time, the Russians will earn more,” a senior Ukrainian political source told AFP.

However, Kyiv has welcomed Israeli attacks on a country that has directly aided and provided weapons to Moscow for its own strikes on Ukraine.

The campaign has left several high-ranking Iranian military officials dead and put pressure on Tehran’s military capacity that is likely to limit the practical support it can provide to Russia.

“The Iranian regime is Russia’s ally, so the more they lose, the better,” the Ukrainian source said.

“Overall, Israel is doing the whole world a favour. That is a fact,” the source added.

The possibility of weaker support and attention from Washington, however, concerns Kyiv.

The administration of US President Donald Trump, Israel’s closest ally, has made it clear that its security priorities are the Middle East and Asia, with Europe lower on the list.

– ‘Iran is our enemy’ –

This could mean further Russian advances on the battlefield or deadly aerial attacks will meet with a muted reaction from a White House that already sees the Ukraine conflict mainly as a European problem.

Kyiv’s efforts to lobby for more support from Washington have been complicated by tense relations between Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian leader.

Zelensky recently conceded to journalists that war between Iran and Israel carried risks for Kyiv.

“No one is claiming to have a relationship more important than America and Israel, but we would like to see the aid to Ukraine would not be reduced because of this,” he said.

He referred to Israel’s war in Gaza that was sparked by a deadly October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas, as a precedent for this.

“It was a factor that slowed down assistance to Ukraine,” he added.

In an interview with US media, the Ukrainian leader said at the beginning of this month that Washington could send “20,000” missiles needed by for Ukraine to shoot down Russian drones to the Middle East instead.

Senior officials in Zelensky’s office told AFP after the outbreak of the war in Gaza that it had spurred Ukraine to focus on developing its own arms industry.

Russia has rained down thousands of drones and missiles on Ukraine since it launched its full-scale invasion early in 2022, including Iranian-made and -designed projectiles.

Israel has claimed to have attacked production sites in Iran, which has also launched silos of missiles at Israel that now cannot be sent to Russia for attacks on Ukraine.

“Let’s hope that the corresponding production or transfer (of weapons) to the Russians will decrease. This helps Ukraine,” Zelensky said.

The British defence ministry said Iran’s supply of weapons to Russia could slow as a result of Tehran’s war with Israel.

But it said global focus on the Middle East could overall help Moscow.

“Russia almost certainly perceives some benefit in the conflict as it distracts international focus from its war against Ukraine,” it said on social media.

Moscow also produces its own drones and missiles, and has received projectiles from North Korea.

Ukrainian military analyst and blogger Sergiy Sternenko was among voices to issue caution against celebrating the attacks on Iran.

“Do not rush to get too excited about the strikes on Iran. Of course, Iran is our enemy, and we wish these pigs the worst. But fighting in the Middle East will inevitably lead to higher oil prices,” he wrote.

AFP

Headline

Hezbollah Involvement In Iran-Israel War Would Be ‘Very Bad Decision’ – US Envoy Warns

Published

18 hours ago

June 19, 2025

Editor

The US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack on Thursday warned Lebanese group Hezbollah against getting involved in the war between its main backer Iran and Israel.

Barrack, who is also the US ambassador to Turkey, is on his first visit to Beirut, where he met top Lebanese officials including parliament speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah.

“I can say on behalf of President (Donald) Trump… that would be a very, very, very bad decision,” Barrack said after his meeting with Berri, responding to a question on what the US position would be on any involvement by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in the war.

The group condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran when the conflict erupted on Friday, but did not announce its intention to intervene in support of Tehran.

Hezbollah suffered devastating losses in its war against Israel last year, which ended with a ceasefire agreement in November.

The war heavily weakened the group, which was once seen as the most powerful and influential component the so-called Iran-led “axis of resistance”.

Reacting to the Iran-Israel war, the Lebanese foreign ministry said last week that it was “continuing its contacts” to spare the country from being dragged into any conflict.

In a statement shared by the Lebanese presidency after his meeting with Barrack, President Joseph Aoun said that “communications are ongoing to achieve the goal of weapons monopoly at both the Lebanese and Palestinian levels, and will intensify after stability returns… to the region”.

According to the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah must pull back its fighters north of the Litani river, roughly 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border with Israel, leaving the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers as the only armed parties in the area.

Israel is required to fully withdraw its troops from Lebanon, but it has kept them in five positions it deems “strategic”.

Lebanon has also recently amped up efforts to disarm Palestinian armed groups, which for decades had been in charge of Palestinian refugee camps in the country.

Barrack also said on Thursday that Washington was “committed to help… so what we have altogether is hope, and that chaos will subside soon, and that out of that will come the blossoming of peace and prosperity”.

Despite the ongoing ceasefire, Israel has repeatedly attacked Lebanon, saying it would continue to strike the country until Hezbollah was disarmed.

An Israeli strike on Kfar Juz, south Lebanon, killed two people on Wednesday, while another strike injured one person in Barish, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

Israel said it killed two Hezbollah members in its attacks.