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The United Kingdom has excluded teachers trained in Nigeria and Ghana from the country’s overseas-trained teacher route for obtaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England
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UK Department for Education said the decision followed a review of eligible countries and was linked to difficulties verifying applicants’ professional records.
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The department said the verification problems place additional demands on assessors and make it harder to establish the authenticity of information supplied by applicants
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Nigeria and Ghana join India among countries removed from the revised list, leaving South Africa as the only African country currently eligible for the overseas-trained teacher route
September 22, (THEWILL) – The United Kingdom has barred teachers trained in Nigeria and Ghana from applying for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England through its overseas-trained teacher application route, following a review of countries whose teachers are eligible for the scheme.
The change, which took effect on September 9, 2026, was announced by the UK Department for Education (DfE), which said Nigeria and Ghana no longer met the requirements for inclusion on the list.
THEWILL gathered that the decision affects a specific route through which qualified teachers trained overseas can seek recognition to teach in England.
It does not, by itself, mean that teachers trained in Nigeria or Ghana are prohibited from working in the UK under every possible immigration or employment route.
The DfE said its decision was based largely on the need for reliable verification of applicants’ professional standing, qualifications and employment history.
According to the department, more than 70 per cent of applications from teachers in Ghana and Nigeria contain work-history references that use public email services, including Gmail and Hotmail, rather than official email addresses associated with schools.
The department said the practice creates difficulties for assessors attempting to authenticate information supplied by applicants.
“Our data shows that more than 70% of applications from teachers in Ghana and Nigeria include work history references that use public email addresses, such as Gmail or Hotmail, rather than a school’s official email domain.
“This means assessors spend additional time and resources trying to verify information provided in applications,,” the DfE said, stressing that the ability to independently verify professional records is a key requirement for countries whose teachers are permitted to use the overseas-trained teacher route.
It said an eligible country must have a national regulator capable of confirming a teacher’s professional standing and providing authenticated references.
The DfE added that its assessment process is intended to ensure that teachers awarded QTS possess the qualifications, skills and experience required to teach in English schools.
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India Also Removed
Nigeria and Ghana were not the only countries affected by the latest review. India was also removed from the list after the DfE determined that it did not have a national regulator capable of confirming applicants’ professional standing to the standard required under the overseas-trained teacher route.
With the latest changes, South Africa is now the only African country remaining on the list of countries whose teachers can apply through the route.
The revised eligibility framework places particular emphasis on the ability of national regulatory bodies to authenticate the professional status and records of teachers seeking recognition in England.
Strict Requirements
Under the overseas-trained teacher route, applicants are generally required to hold a valid and unexpired passport, an undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree and professional recognition as a teacher in the country where they completed their training.
They must also have completed all mandatory induction requirements necessary to obtain full teacher registration in their country of qualification.
The applicants’ teaching qualifications and professional experience are subsequently assessed against the UK’s requirements before QTS is awarded.
The DfE said the verification process is necessary because it must be able to establish that information provided by applicants is genuine.
“We must be confident that the information applicants provide is genuin. This helps ensure that overseas teachers awarded qualified teacher status have the skills and experience needed to teach in schools in England,” the department said, adding that about 90 per cent of applications are assessed within 12 months.
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