By Lizzy Chirkpi The United Kingdom has removed Nigeria, Ghana and India from the list of countries whose teachers can directly apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England under the overseas-trained teacher route.
The change, which took effect on September 9, 2026, means teachers trained in Nigeria, Ghana and India can no longer use England’s “Apply for QTS” service.
The UK Department for Education (DfE), however, said the decision does not amount to a ban on Nigerian or Ghanaian teachers working in England, as alternative routes into the teaching profession remain available.
QTS is the professional teaching status used by many schools in England, and obtaining it can improve the employment prospects of teachers trained outside the UK.
According to the DfE, the eligibility requirements were changed to ensure that the professional qualifications and employment records submitted by overseas-trained teachers can be properly authenticated.
The department said countries whose teachers are eligible for the direct QTS application route must have systems that enable applicants’ professional standing and employment history to be verified.
For Nigeria and Ghana, the DfE specifically identified difficulties with employment-reference verification.
The department said more than 70 per cent of applications from teachers in the two countries contained work-history references using public email addresses, such as Gmail or Hotmail, rather than official school email domains.
“This means assessors spend additional time and resources trying to verify information provided in applications,” the department said.
It added that the verification requirement was necessary because “we must be confident that the information applicants provide is genuine.” The DfE said the process was designed to ensure that teachers awarded QTS possess the required skills and experience to teach in English schools.
India was removed from the list for a different reason.....
