The United Kingdom’s Department for Education (DfE) has removed Nigeria and Ghana from the list of countries whose teachers can apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England through its overseas-trained teacher application route. The change took effect on September 9, 2026, following concerns over the verification of teachers’ professional credentials and work experience.

According to the UK education department, Nigeria and Ghana failed to meet a key eligibility requirement for the overseas teacher qualification route. The requirement states that a country must have a national regulator capable of confirming a teacher’s professional standing and providing authenticated references. The DfE said the condition is necessary to ensure that overseas-trained teachers meet England’s professional teaching standards.

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Explaining the decision, the department disclosed that more than 70 per cent of applications from Nigerian and Ghanaian teachers contained work history references using public email services such as Gmail and Hotmail rather than official school email addresses. According to the DfE, this creates additional verification work for assessors and consumes resources as officials attempt to establish the authenticity of information submitted by applicants.

The department stressed that applicants seeking Qualified Teacher Status must satisfy strict requirements, including holding a valid passport, possessing an undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, being recognised as a professional teacher in the country where they trained and completing mandatory induction requirements for full teacher registration. The DfE said its verification measures are intended to ensure that teachers awarded QTS have the qualifications, skills and experience required to teach in England.

Nigeria and Ghana were not the only countries affected by the review, as India was also removed from the eligibility list over the national regulator requirement. South Africa remains eligible and is now the only African country on the list under the route. The department said it must be confident that information supplied by applicants is genuine before awarding Qualified Teacher Status.

The decision affects Nigerian and Ghanaian teachers seeking QTS through this specific overseas-trained teacher route; it should not automatically be interpreted as a blanket ban on Nigerian or Ghanaian nationals working as teachers in the UK. The development nevertheless creates an additional challenge for educators from both countries seeking professional recognition in England. Prospective applicants should consult the official UK Department for Education guidance for the latest eligibility rules and alternative routes that may apply to their circumstances.