The United Kingdom (UK) has placed a ban on health and care workers from Nigeria and other foreign countries from bringing dependants into the country.
The UK Home Office made the disclosure in a post via its verified X handle (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
According to the UK government, the measure was part of its plan to reduce migration into the country, adding that overseas care workers brought an estimated 120,000 dependants to the UK in the year ending September 23.
It wrote: “From today, care workers entering the UK on Health and Care Worker visas can no longer bring dependants.
“This is part of our plan to deliver the biggest ever cut in migration.”
Recall that the UK Home Secretary, James Cleverly, had proposed new laws to reduce migration in the United Kingdom.
A report by BBC detailed that the UK intends to raise the minimum salary criteria for getting a skilled worker visa, currently set at £26,000, the new barrier will be extended to £38,700.
Cleverly told parliament that the previous year’s application of the restrictions may have resulted in a reduction of 300,000 migrants yearly.
According to reports, people with health and social care visas will be exempt from the higher wage requirement.
However, overseas caregivers will no longer be permitted to bring dependents, such as their partners and children.
The inference is that until their new spouse earns £38,700, a UK person who marries a non-UK citizen cannot bring them to live in the UK.