The United Kingdom has removed Nigeria, Ghana and India from the countries whose overseas-trained teachers can apply directly for Qualified Teacher Status in England.
The change, announced by the UK Department for Education, took effect on September 9, 2026, and means teachers trained in the three countries can no longer use the “Apply for QTS in England” service.
The department said the revised eligibility requirements were introduced to strengthen the verification of qualifications and professional records submitted by overseas-trained teachers.
According to the DfE, countries eligible for the direct application route must have a national regulator capable of confirming teachers’ professional standing and providing references that meet the UK government’s verification requirements.
The department said India was removed because it does not have a national regulator that can confirm the professional standing of teachers.
For Nigeria and Ghana, it said more than 70 per cent of applications from teachers in both countries included work-history references sent through public email addresses, including Gmail and Hotmail, instead of official school email domains.
The DfE said the revised requirements were necessary to ensure that information supplied by overseas-trained teachers could be properly verified.
Teachers with recognised qualifications from Australia, Canada, the European Economic Area, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Jersey, New Zealand, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United States can continue to use the direct QTS application service, subject to meeting the other requirements.
Applicants from the eligible countries must still satisfy requirements covering their teaching qualifications, professional standing, teaching experience and English language proficiency.
Teachers qualified in Jamaica, Singapore and South Africa can also apply, but under additional conditions.
Those currently working in a valid teaching role in England may apply if they meet the other requirements, while applicants who are not working in such roles must satisfy additional eligibility conditions.
Generally, applicants from the three countries must demonstrate a subject specialism in mathematics, science or languages and be qualified to teach children aged between 11 and 16.
The removal of Nigeria from the direct application route does not amount to a ban on Nigerian-trained teachers working in England.
The UK government said overseas-trained teachers who do not qualify for the direct QTS service could explore other routes depending on their qualifications and individual circumstances.
These include assessment-only QTS, teacher training in England and International Qualified Teacher Status.
Nigerian-trained teachers may also be able to work in England without immediately obtaining QTS under certain conditions.
The UK government states that qualified teachers from outside the UK can teach for up to four years without QTS in many schools, subject to applicable requirements and exemptions.
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