Teachers trained in Nigeria, Ghana and India can no longer apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England through the United Kingdom’s direct overseas-trained teacher application service.
The change took effect on September 9, 2026, following an update by the UK Department for Education (DfE) to its eligibility requirements for overseas-trained teachers.
QTS is the professional status required to teach in many schools in England and is preferred by most schools. However, the latest change affects access to the specific “Apply for QTS in England” service; it does not amount to a blanket prohibition on Nigerian-trained teachers working in England.
Under the revised rules, countries whose teachers remain eligible for the direct route must have a national regulator capable of confirming a teacher’s professional standing and must be able to provide references that meet the UK government’s verification requirements.
The DfE said India was removed because it does not have a national regulator that can confirm the professional standing of teachers.
For Nigeria and Ghana, the department cited concerns over the way employment references are submitted. It said more than 70 per cent of applications from teachers trained in the two countries contained work-history references using public email services such as Gmail or Hotmail rather than official school email domains.
According to the department, this creates additional work for assessors attempting to verify the information supplied by applicants and has contributed to the decision to revise the countries eligible for the service.
The change is significant for Nigerian teachers because Nigeria had been included among the countries whose teachers could use the direct QTS recognition route since its expansion in February 2023.
Under the previous arrangement, Nigerian-trained teachers who met the relevant requirements could apply for recognition based on their qualifications, professional standing and teaching experience.
The revised eligibility list now includes Australia, Canada, countries in the European Economic Area, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Jersey, New Zealand, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United States.
Teachers qualified in Jamaica, Singapore and South Africa can also use the route under additional conditions. Those already working in a valid teaching role in England can apply if they meet the other requirements, while those outside such roles may need to demonstrate a subject specialism in mathematics, science or languages and qualifications to teach pupils aged 11 to 16.
The DfE said applicants using the direct service must meet other requirements regardless of their country of training. These include holding an undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, recognition as a professional teacher in the country where they trained, completion of mandatory induction requirements and at least nine months of teaching experience gained after qualification.
Applicants must also provide evidence that their qualifications cover teaching children aged between five and 16, while some applicants are required to demonstrate additional qualifications for teaching pupils aged 11 to 16 and a relevant subject specialism. References must be capable of confirming their employment history and use an email address linked to the school’s domain.
The UK government said the verification requirements are intended to ensure that information supplied by overseas-trained teachers is genuine and that those awarded QTS have the qualifications and experience required to teach in England.
The removal of Nigeria from the direct application service, however, does not automatically prevent Nigerian teachers from working in England. The DfE states that teachers who are not eligible for the direct QTS service can explore alternative routes depending on their qualifications and circumstances.
One such route is assessment-only QTS, through which eligible teachers can be assessed by an English teacher-training provider without completing a conventional teacher-training programme. Teachers working outside the UK may also be assessed in their place of work, subject to the requirements of the provider.
Another option is teacher training in England, while the UK also operates International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS) as an international training route. The availability and requirements of these alternatives vary according to an applicant’s qualifications and circumstances.
QTS itself does not provide a teaching job or a visa. Teachers in England are employed by individual schools, while immigration requirements are handled separately.
The DfE said it assesses 90 per cent of applications through the direct service within 12 months, although applications can take longer where additional information, references or verification of qualifications and professional standing are required.
The latest policy change therefore closes the standard direct QTS application route to newly applying teachers trained in Nigeria, Ghana and India, while leaving other pathways open to overseas-trained teachers who can meet England’s professional recognition and training requirements.
