Reactions still dey follow reports from di United Kingdom wey block road for dependents of Masters Programme students to follow bodi come with di pesin wey dey run di degree.
Di UK goment dey propose new immigration policy wey restrict foreign students wey dey study for masters degrees to bring dia family members wit dem come UK.
Last year, UK grant 135,788 visas to dependents of foreign students – almost nine times di figure for 2019.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently tok say legal migration too dey high.
Reacting, Bridget Ayodeji wey wan go UK to get Masters in Marketing so as to beta her business for Nigeria say her plans now don enta speed mode.
Her plan na to go for January for di Masters programme but some parts of di plan don change.
“Wetin suppose take a year or so to finish, we gats run am in some months, so I go fit come back house come run my business”.
While she currently dey reason how she go run her masters program, she say di news no come to am as shock sake of say she don get family for dia wey gist am of wetin go happun.
She reveal say, “di plan don dey dia for a while, I don dey contact with my school for about a year but because of my pikin dem, di timeframe dey shorter for pipo like us wey get pikin”.
But one tin dey sure, she no dey leave her pikin dem sake of dis Masters Degree.
Mrs Ayodeji be mama of two pikin all under di age of four, and she say di pesin wey she for trust with her pikin dem, her mama, don pass so therefore, she must to carry dem follow bodi.
She say, “I still dey travel with my pikin dem, di only tin wey go change now na di time wey I go spend for dia. I bin wan take my time wetin dis one mean be say I no fit take my time”.
Mrs Ayodeji say she dey run fashion business for Nigeria and bin choose to go UK for her masters in order to to fit learn about oda cultures to fit to expand.
But unlike di narrative of di ‘japa’ trend, she bin no dey plan to stay for di United Kingdom indefinitely.
“I bin no get plans to stay for UK for long sef. Nigeria na my kontri and I love my kontri. I just wan make e beta, I no get reason to say I do go for life. Go wia? Nigeria na my reality”, na how she view di mata.
“Wetin go happun be say, I go go dia, abide by dia laws because at di end of di day na dia kontri be dat”.
Blessing Iyamadiken meanwhile dey of di opinion say make di UK goment leave di dependent issue di way e be.
Ms Blessing tell BBC say, “E dey very hard to comot your kontri without support system”.
Although she no carry any dependant follow bodi, e dey vex am sake of say she believe say, “in all of dis, na UK gain pass. Dem get large group of educated pipo wey dey come for further studies. Dis pipo go contribute to di workforce and bring more value enta di economy.
“Di schools go also chop sake of di plenti school fees dem dey charge students and wey dey run di schools. Afta dat, you go come add di money for visa applications”.
26-year-old engineering student, Opeyemi Ogeroju agree with am say, “Becos I wan go study no mean say I go seperate from my family for long time. Dis dependents no be liabilities. Dem dey work and pay tax”.
Rotimi Lawal wey enta UK to do im masters for mechanical engineering for di price of £15,000, say di reason to enta UK na both for education and di opportunities for di economy.
E say, “for me to study for UK give me beta opportunity to follow work dia”.
With beta money and di chance to get beta life, e say, “I feel like na smart tin to do.”
‘I break down wen I bin no get family with me’
Oluwadara Olunaike-Talabi go UK for 2014 to do her masters degree and she tok say days bin dey wen she “break down finish” and “feel depressed” sake of say she no get any pesin with her.
Now wey she be PhD student, Mrs Olunaike-Talabi explain to BBC say at di time, “na my aunty and uncle wey I bin dey stay with become like my shoulder to lean on wen tins dey too stressful”.
Associate dean for students and education for di University of Wolverhampton tok say to ban foreign masters student to carry dia dependant follow bodi fit harm dia education.
Dr Rachel Morgan-Guthrie tok say, “na support network and students for hia wen dem get dia support networks, dem dey more likely to succeed”.
Di vice chancellor for Coal City University for Enugu, Nigeria, Professor Afam Icha-Ituma echo her comment as im explain say familial values dey strong among Nigerians so “e dey understandable why pipo go wan travel with dia married partner”.
Nigeria Central Bank tok say Nigerians don spend up to $609.5 million on foreign education in eight months, dat na between January and August 2022.
Apart from even school fees sef, di money wey applicants wey dey find UK student visa fit spend fit reach up to £12,000, according to di goment.
To get dat kain money with di way Nigeria be now, some applicants go sell dia assets, borrow from friends and family, collect donation or even take out loans.
Na why Professor Afam dey of di opinion say make Nigeria “look inside, fix our own university system and make am so e sef go dey attractive so dat pipo go only comot because of high level knowledge demand”.
Which oda kontries dey allow foreign students carry dia dependents?
One of di big conversation for foreign students wey dis policy go affect wey don already set plans in motion to travel wit dia dependents to study now na what next? Or to put am in di way most pipo dey search now, where next?
E turn out say UK no be di only place foreign students dey dey allowed to go study wit dia dependentd before. Oda kontris still dey wey dey allow for students to carry dependants follow bodi.
United States
Di United States of America dey allow students to come into di kontri with dependents but terms and coditions dey sha.
According to di Department of Homeland Security, di family members wey fit follow pesin wey dey study for America na pikin dem wey neva pass di age of 21 years old and if dem get partner, dem fit carry dem fillow bodi.
Dis na if pesin dey school of University or College or even vocational schools.
Di dependents go fit to enta and comot America with di right documentation, dem no go fit to work or get social security numbers.
Dependents wey be pikin go fit attend school but na as di law tok for dat area.
Australia
For Australia, di mata still be di same tin as students fit get up to five years visa but e go depend on di course wey dem dey study and as part of dia benefits, dem fit carry family member follow bodi.
According to di Department of Home Affairs, you fit carry your partner, and you or your partner pikin dem wey neva pass di age of 18.
Di terms and condition be say you must to declare your family members for your own student visa application even if dem no dey follow you, or dem no go fit to use your name to go.
Canada
For Canada, pesin fit carry dia partner for (marriage or common law) and pikin follow bodi like di oda konris wey we don tok about.
But unlike some of di oda kontris wey we don mention, for Canada dem dey eligible for study or permit demselves or even visitor visa.
But di koko of di mata be say you must to submit dia application online with your own wen you dey apply for study visa.
Germany
Germany dey call dia own dependent visa waka say e be visa for family reunification,
Di German Foreign Office reveal say dis kain visa dey only possible if di pesin wey dey study for di kontri dey stay pass one year.
Di student go also need get residence permit and go need to prove say e don marry by di time dey give am dat kain permit.
Di foreign student also dey expected to suppot diasef and dia family without assistance from public money.
And na di family dis time dey apply for di visa.
Denmark
Di Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) dey define dependents as spouse, civil partner, partner wey don leave with di student for one and half years to two years and any child wey dey under di age of 18.
Di student must also fit support di dependents as dem no go fit get any benefits under di Active Social Policy Act.
Di dependent go get residency permit and fit visit di Schengen area for up to 60 days.
But if you stay abroad or stay outside for Denmark address for more dan 6 months you fit lose di right to stay for di kontri.
Di dependent also get di right to work for di kontri, run business or do educational programme although under 18 get limit.
New Zealand
For New Zealand, di student go fit bring dia partner or pikin come for two kain of visa, visitor visa and work visa, student visa for pikin (meaning dem fit go primary and secondary schools like domestic students).
According to New Zealand Immigration, di visitor visa dey allow partner fit stay with di student for di period of dat one schooling and go fit work for up tow three months. While pikin, wey be 19 or younger go fit go school for three months.
Under di work visa, your partner go fit to stay for as long as di student dey study, work for di kontri and also run study for up to three months.
To be student sponsor for dependents, you gats dey run Masters or PhD degrees. But you fit also sponsor dependents, if you dey run Bachelors degree or Diploma course on wetin dem dey call di Green List roles.
