The United Kingdom has removed Nigeria and Ghana from the list of countries whose trained teachers can directly apply for Qualified Teacher Status, QTS, in England.

The change, which took effect on September 9, 2026, means teachers trained in Nigeria and Ghana can no longer use the UK’s direct overseas-trained teacher application route for QTS.

According to the UK Department for Education, countries included in the scheme must have a national regulator capable of confirming teachers’ professional status and providing verifiable references.

The department said more than 70 percent of applications from Nigeria and Ghana contained work-history references using public email services such as Gmail and Hotmail, rather than official school email addresses, making verification more difficult.
India was also removed from the list, while South Africa remains the only African country on the eligible list under the relevant route.

However, the UK government said teachers who are no longer eligible for the direct QTS application can explore alternative routes into teaching in England.

QTS is a professional teaching status that can make it easier for teachers to secure employment in many schools across England.