The UK Is Tightening Its Immigration Rules — What Nigerians Need to Know Before 2027

If You Are Coming to Work

Skilled Worker Visa: Higher Salary and Skills Requirements

For most new Skilled Worker visa applications, the sponsored role must pay at least £41,700 a year and the full going rate for the relevant occupation code, whichever is higher.

Lower salary requirements may apply where an applicant qualifies for a permitted salary option or transitional arrangement.

When a Lower Salary May Apply

A lower salary threshold may be available for:

• Eligible new entrants
• Applicants with a relevant PhD
• Applicants with a relevant STEM PhD
• Workers sponsored for qualifying jobs on the Immigration Salary List
• Some workers covered by the Skilled Worker transitional arrangements

The required salary depends on the occupation code, the applicable going rate and the salary option used.

Degree-Level Skills Requirement

The standard skills threshold for new Skilled Worker visa applicants is RQF Level 6.

This means the sponsored occupation must be assessed as degree-level work. The applicant does not always need to hold a degree.

If Your Job Is Below RQF Level 6

A job below RQF Level 6 may be eligible only if:

• It appears on the Temporary Shortage List
• It appears on the Immigration Salary List
• The worker qualifies under transitional arrangements for people already on the Skilled Worker route

New applicants sponsored for a medium-skilled role below RQF Level 6 on either list may be unable to bring a partner or children as dependants.

Proposed Changes to Settlement, Salary Bands and Settlement Timeline

Under the proposed earned-settlement reforms, most Skilled Workers in roles at RQF Level 6 and above would face a 10-year baseline before they could apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

The proposals would allow some higher earners to reduce that period. Applicants with taxable income of at least £50,270 in each of the 3 years immediately before applying could receive a 5-year reduction, creating an effective 5-year route. 

Those earning at least £125,140 in each of those 3 years could receive a 7-year reduction, potentially reducing the route to 3 years. The reductions are not intended to be combined.

Workers in roles below RQF Level 6 could face a proposed 15-year baseline,rather than the current 5-year Skilled Worker settlement route.

These salary bands and timelines remain proposals. The government has not yet published final Immigration Rules or confirmed implementation and transitional arrangements for people already on the Skilled Worker route. Anyone planning around settlement should obtain advice tailored to their circumstances.

Care Worker and Senior Care Worker Roles

The UK closed new overseas applications for care worker and senior care worker roles on 22 July 2025. This means Nigerian nationals applying from outside the UK cannot obtain a new Health and Care Worker visa for a care worker or senior care worker position.

The closure applies to care workers and home carers under SOC 6135, and senior care workers under SOC 6136. It does not close the Health and Care Worker visa route for every health or social care occupation.

Eligible doctors, nurses, health professionals and other qualifying health or social care workers may still apply for a Health and Care Worker visa. They must have an eligible job offer from a Home Office-approved UK employer, a valid certificate of sponsorship and the required salary for their occupation. The employer may be the NHS, an NHS supplier or another eligible organisation.

A temporary in-country switching arrangement remains available until 22 July 2028. An eligible person already in the UK may be able to switch into a care worker or senior care worker role if they have worked legally in the relevant sector for at least three months before applying.

This arrangement does not allow new overseas recruitment for these roles. It also does not mean that care workers and senior care workers who already hold valid sponsored permission must leave the UK in July 2028. Existing sponsored workers may be able to extend their permission, change sponsors or apply for settlement if they continue to meet the relevant Immigration Rules.

If You Are Coming to Study

Student Visa: What Has Changed

Nigerian nationals granted a UK Student visa will receive an eVisa, which is a digital record of their immigration status. They must create or access a UK Visas and Immigration, or UKVI, account to view their eVisa, check that their passport details are correct and manage their status before travelling to the UK.

Student visa applicants must still meet an English-language requirement linked to the level of their course. Applicants studying below degree level must demonstrate English at CEFR B1 level, while applicants studying at degree level or above must demonstrate English at CEFR B2 level.

Student visa maintenance requirements have also increased. Students studying in London must show £1,483 per month for living costs, for up to 9 months. 

Students studying outside London must show £1,136 per month for up to 9 months.

These funds are separate from any outstanding course fees. Applicants must also meet the financial evidence rules, including the requirement to hold the funds for the required period before applying.

If You Are a Recent Graduate

Graduate Visa: 18 Months From January 2027

If you plan to apply for a Graduate visa after completing your UK course, the date of your application will determine how long your permission lasts.

Applications made before 1 January 2027 can receive 2 years of a Graduate visa permission. Applications made on or after 1 January 2027 will receive 18 months of permission unless you have completed a PhD or other doctoral qualification, which continues to lead to 3 years of permission.

For most Nigerians currently outside the UK, the Graduate visa is not available to apply for directly from Nigeria.

You must first obtain a Student visa, complete an eligible course with a licensed UK student sponsor and apply for the Graduate visa from within the UK while your Student visa remains valid. Your university must also confirm to the Home Office that you have successfully completed the course.

Whether you receive 2 years or 18 months will depend on the date you submit your Graduate visa application, rather than the date you begin your studies.

For most Nigerian applicants currently in Nigeria, the 18-month Graduate visa will only become relevant after you have completed a full course of study in the UK, which means at minimum 2 to 4 years away. If you have already graduated from a qualifying university and want to move to the UK now, without waiting to study first, there is a separate route called the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa that is worth considering.

High Potential Individual (HPI) Visa – More Eligible Universities

The High Potential Individual, or HPI, visa allows eligible graduates to apply from Nigeria without a UK job offer or employer sponsorship. 

To qualify, you must have received an eligible degree-level qualification within the past 5 years from a university on the Home Office Global Universities List for your qualification year. The list expanded from 50 to 100 institutions on 4 November 2025.

HPI permission lasts for 2 years, or 3 years for applicants with a PhD or other doctoral qualification. Visa holders can work in most jobs, change jobs, work for themselves and undertake voluntary work. New applicants must also meet the route’s English-language and financial requirements.

The HPI visa cannot be extended and does not lead directly to settlement. It may be relevant for Nigerian graduates of qualifying global universities who want to move to the UK before securing employment, but eligibility depends on the published Global Universities List and the date the qualification was awarded.

If You Want to Bring Family 

From 22 July 2025, new Skilled Worker visa applicants sponsored for jobs below RQF Level 6 on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List cannot bring a partner or children as dependants. This is a current Immigration Rule, rather than a future proposal.

The restriction does not apply in every case. Transitional arrangements may protect some people who held Skilled Worker permission before the rule change, so the outcome can depend on your occupation code and immigration history.

Eligible dependants can include a spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner and children under 18. Parents, siblings, grandparents and other extended family members cannot apply as Skilled Worker dependants and would need to qualify under a separate immigration route.

Refugee Family Reunion Route — Suspended

The dedicated refugee family-reunion route for people with refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK was suspended to new applications at 3 pm on 4 September 2025. Previously, it allowed eligible sponsors to bring a pre-flight spouse, partner, or dependent child to the UK without the usual family visa fee, minimum income requirement, or English-language test.

New applications under this route cannot currently be made. Applications submitted before the deadline continue to be considered under the previous rules. The government has not announced a reopening date.

Families seeking to reunite during the suspension may need to apply through the standard family visa rules in Appendix FM. 

Those rules can involve application fees, financial, accommodation, and English-language requirements, although exemptions or alternative financial rules may apply in some cases, for example, where the sponsor receives certain benefits or a fee waiver is granted.

Bringing Family as a Student

Since 1 January 2024, most Nigerian students on UK Student visas cannot bring dependants. The restriction covers undergraduate students and students on taught postgraduate courses, including most MSc, MA, and MBA programs.

The exceptions are narrow. You may be able to bring a spouse or partner and dependent children under 18 if you are:

• Studying full-time for a PhD, other doctoral qualification, or a research-based higher degree lasting at least 9 months, where the course and provider meet the Student-route requirements.
• Sponsored by a government to study a full-time course lasting at least 6 months, for example, through an eligible government scholarship or sponsorship arrangement.

Parents, siblings, and other extended relatives cannot qualify as Student dependants. There is also a limited continuity provision for dependants already linked to a Student who held qualifying permission before a further course application; it is not a general route for new families.

Family members who only want to visit while you study may apply for a Standard Visitor visa. 

It permits a stay of up to 6 months, but each applicant must meet the visitor rules, demonstrate that the visit is temporary, and satisfy the decision-maker that they will leave the UK at the end of the stay.

Bringing Family as a Skilled Worker

Skilled Workers in eligible RQF Level 6 and above roles can bring their spouse, civil partner, or unmarried partner, and dependent children under 18 to the UK.

For new applications, workers sponsored in RQF Level 3–5 roles on the Temporary Shortage List or Immigration Salary List cannot bring dependants if their Certificate of Sponsorship was assigned on or after 22 July 2025. Limited transitional protections apply to workers who held continuous Skilled Worker permission before that date.

Each dependant must make a separate application and pay the applicable visa application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge. 

The fee depends on the visa category and length of permission. For a standard Skilled Worker application, current published fees for each applicant are £628 for up to 3 years or £1,235 for more than 3 years, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge, £1035 per year for adults. 

Children under 18 pay a reduced surcharge of £776 per year. Health and Care visa dependants are subject to different fee and surcharge rules.

Eligible Skilled Worker dependants can work in the UK, including self-employment and voluntary work, subject to the conditions of their immigration permission.

Bringing Family as a British Citizen or Settled Person

If you are a British citizen, have Indefinite Leave to Remain, or hold settled status, you may sponsor a Nigerian spouse, civil partner, or unmarried partner through the UK family-visa route under Appendix FM. 

The couple must show that their relationship is genuine and subsisting, intend to live together permanently in the UK, and meet the relevant English-language and financial requirements.

For most new partner applications, the minimum income requirement is £29,000 a year. The applicant and sponsor may use permitted sources of income, including qualifying employment income, self-employment income, pensions, property income, and cash savings. If relying solely on cash savings, the amount required is £88,500, with the savings held for at least 6 months. 

Applicants who are extending permission with the same partner under transitional arrangements may instead be assessed against the former £18,600 threshold. Certain sponsors that receive specified benefits may be exempt from the minimum-income test and must instead meet the adequate-maintenance test.

A first successful partner application from outside the UK grants 33 months, not 30 months, of permission. A further application grants 30 months, after which settlement may be available on the standard partner route after 5 years, provided all requirements are met. Applications made from inside the UK are granted 30 months initially.

Dependent children can apply with the parent or separately, subject to the relevant eligibility rules. Parents, siblings, and grandparents do not ordinarily qualify as dependants on a partner visa. 

However, an adult relative may, in rare cases, qualify under the separate Adult Dependent Relative route, which has exceptionally strict long-term-care and dependency requirements.

Bringing Family to Visit

Family members who do not qualify for a dependant visa may apply for a Standard Visitor visa to visit the UK for up to 6 months. A visitor cannot work, access public funds, live in the UK through frequent or successive visits, or undertake study except where it is permitted under the visitor rules.

Applicants must show that they are genuine visitors. This means demonstrating that they:

• Have a permitted reason for travel, such as visiting relatives or attending a wedding, graduation, or family event
• Intend to leave the UK at the end of their visit
• Can cover the reasonable costs of the trip, including accommodation and their return or onward journey
• Will not work, live in the UK through frequent or successive visits, or access public funds

There is no fixed minimum bank-balance requirement. Each application is assessed on the applicant’s personal circumstances and the likely cost of the proposed visit.

Evidence of employment, business commitments, studies, family responsibilities, assets, or a consistent travel history may help demonstrate the applicant’s circumstances and intention to return to Nigeria. 

Evidence of the visit’s purpose, the host relationship, and travel arrangements can also support the application. Each case is decided individually, and a visa permits travel to the UK but does not guarantee admission at the border.

Planning your route to UK settlement starts before you apply for your first visa. The occupation code, salary level, and visa route you choose at the outset can all affect how long it takes to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain, and whether you can bring your family with you.

Our immigration lawyers in Lagos can assess your eligibility across multiple routes, advise on the settlement implications of each, and help you build a long-term plan that fits your circumstances. Call +234 201 330 6361 or contact us online to book a consultation.

If You Are Working Towards Settlement

The current qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain on the Skilled Worker route is 5 years, provided you meet the route’s continuous-residence and other settlement requirements.

The government’s proposed earned settlement reforms could affect the time some migrants need before they can apply for settlement. The final rules, implementation date, and any protections for people already building residences have not been confirmed.

People who are working in sub-degree roles or are already building residence towards settlement should obtain immigration advice based on their circumstances.

Global Talent Visa and Settlement

The Global Talent visa remains one of the UK’s fastest routes to settlement. Under the current rules, eligible Global Talent holders can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after 3 years if they were endorsed under an eligible exceptional-talent, research, or academic pathway, or qualified through an approved prestigious prize. Those endorsed under the exceptional-promise criteria qualify after 5 years.

The proposed earned-settlement model indicates that the accelerated 3-year route for Global Talent holders would be retained, rather than replaced with the proposed 10-year baseline for most work routes. This is a proposal, not a final rule, and no confirmed implementation or transitional arrangements have been published.

Applicants must still meet the route’s settlement requirements, including continuous residence, holding a valid Global Talent permission, and demonstrating UK earnings linked to the field on which the endorsement or prestigious-prize application was based.

How IAS Can Help

The 2026 changes to UK immigration rules are wide-ranging and affect multiple visa categories simultaneously. Whether you are applying for the first time, extending your current leave, or planning your route to settlement, getting the legal basis of your application right from the outset is critical.

Our immigration lawyers advise Nigerian nationals on UK visa applications, extensions, switches, and settlement routes. 

Contact the IAS Lagos team on +234 201 330 6361 to discuss your circumstances and understand your options before the next round of changes takes effect.