UK Drops Nigeria, Ghana, India From Direct Teacher Qualification Route Over Verification Concerns

The United Kingdom has removed teachers trained in Nigeria, Ghana and India from the list of countries whose teachers can use its direct application service for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England, effective September 9, 2026. According to the UK Department for Education, eligible countries must have a national regulator capable of confirming a teacher’s professional standing and provide verifiable references, with India cited for lacking such a regulator.

For Nigeria and Ghana, the UK linked its decision to concerns over verifying applicants’ work-history references, noting that more than 70 per cent of applications from teachers in both countries used public email addresses, such as Gmail or Hotmail, rather than official school domains — a pattern the department said required additional time and resources to verify.

Under the revised rules, overseas-trained teachers seeking QTS through the direct route must hold a UK ENIC-verified bachelor’s degree, full professional status confirmed by a national regulator, completed mandatory training including any induction period, and at least one school year of unsupervised teaching experience gained after qualification. Applicants must also meet English-language proficiency requirements and have their references contacted for verification. The UK said affected teachers could explore alternative routes into teaching, while the direct QTS service remains open to countries including Australia, Canada, the EEA, New Zealand, the US and others, with Jamaica, Singapore and South Africa eligible under specific conditions.