Mirian Gom 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Teachers trained in Nigeria and Ghana can no longer apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England through the UK Government’s overseas-trained teacher route.
The eligibility change took effect on September 9, 2026, with India also removed from the list of countries whose teachers can use the route. The UK Department for Education (DfE) said the change followed an update of the eligibility requirements for overseas-trained teachers.
The DfE said countries must meet specific requirements to remain eligible, including having a national regulator capable of confirming a teacher’s professional standing and providing authenticated references.
Nigeria and Ghana failed to meet the revised requirement, according to the department.
The DfE said more than 70 per cent of applications from teachers in Ghana and Nigeria contained work-history references using public email addresses, including Gmail and Hotmail, instead of official school email domains. “This means assessors spend additional time and resources trying to verify information provided in applications.”
The department said the verification requirement was intended to ensure that teachers awarded QTS have the necessary skills and experience to teach in English schools.
Teachers applying through the overseas-trained route are generally required to hold a valid passport, an undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree and recognised teacher status in the country where they trained. They must also meet other professional and registration requirements.
The UK Government said the eligibility rules are designed to ensure that qualifications and professional experience can be independently verified.
India was also removed from the route because, according to the DfE, it did not have a national regulator that could confirm applicants’ professional standing.
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Oluwatobi Adu 
