The United Kingdom has removed Nigeria and Ghana from the list of countries whose teachers can directly apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England.
The change, which took effect on September 9, 2026, also affects teachers trained in India and means applicants from the three countries can no longer use the UK Department for Education’s “Apply for QTS in England” service.
QTS is the professional teaching status used in England and is recognised by many schools. The Department for Education said countries covered by the overseas-trained teacher route must have systems that allow applicants’ professional qualifications, standing and employment history to be properly verified.
According to the department, more than 70 per cent of applications from teachers trained in Nigeria and Ghana contained work-history references using public email addresses such as Gmail or Hotmail rather than official school email addresses.
The department said this created additional work for assessors who had to carry out further checks to verify information submitted by applicants.
Recent application data also showed a high number of unsuccessful applications from the affected countries. For the 2024/2025 academic year, Nigeria recorded 1,076 applications, with 364 resulting in QTS and 599 declined. Ghana recorded 1,067 applications, of which 196 resulted in QTS and 749 were declined, according to data reported by PUNCH.
The UK government said the new eligibility requirements are intended to ensure that information supplied by overseas-trained teachers can be independently verified and that applicants awarded QTS meet the required professional standards.
South Africa remains the only African country among the main countries whose teachers can use the direct QTS application route, while teachers from Jamaica, Singapore and South Africa can apply under additional conditions. Other eligible countries include Australia, Canada, countries in the European Economic Area, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United States.
Nigerian Teachers Still Have Other Routes
The change does not amount to a blanket ban on Nigerian teachers working in England.
The UK government says overseas-trained teachers who are not eligible for the direct QTS service can consider alternative pathways, including assessment-only QTS, teacher training in England and International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS), depending on their qualifications and circumstances.
Under the assessment-only route, experienced teachers may be able to obtain QTS without completing a traditional teacher-training programme if they meet the required conditions. The UK guidance says applicants generally need at least two years of teaching experience, a bachelor’s degree and other specified qualifications and teaching requirements.
The UK also allows qualified teachers from outside the country to teach in England for up to four years without QTS in many schools, subject to the applicable requirements. QTS is not legally required in every type of school, although it is commonly used by schools when assessing teaching candidates.
The Department for Education has therefore advised teachers who have lost eligibility for the direct application service to consider the alternative routes available to them.
