The hope to migrate by health and care workers with their dependents from Nigeria and other countries to the United Kingdom have been dashed with the ban to that effect on Monday.
The ban by the UK Government is coming over two months after similar stoppage of dependents migrating to the UK with principal applicants through the study visa.
In another decisive step, the UK Government on Monday announced that effective from today, March 11, 2024, while not stopping foreign heath and care workers from coming to the country, they are no longer permitted to come with their family members.
“From today, care workers entering the UK on Health and Care Worker visas can no longer bring dependents.
“This is part of our plan to deliver the biggest ever cut in migration.”
The UK Government had taken to its official UK Home Office verified X handle, formerly Twitter to make the announcement.
The ban is coming in amid growing concerns in Nigeria about the brain drain and shortfall of skilled professionals in the health sector, considering the exit in excess of 16,000 medical doctors in just five years.
Quoting available records from the British Government, the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) said health workers migration to the UK rose by 215 per cent between 2022 and the end of 2023.
In a space of one year, Nigeria health and care workers toped the list of Africans granted visas by the United Kingdom in one year with 26,715 in 2023 against 8,491 a year earlier in 2022 leaving an alarming 18,224 increment in just a year.