The United Kingdom’s Home Office has instructed some Nigerian nurses under investigation for alleged examination fraud to leave the country.
According to Nursing Times, the nurses, whose appeals are still pending, have had their UK visas revoked. Reports indicate that the Home Office has sent them letters ordering them to leave the country starting next week.
The deportation order follows an investigation by the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) into suspected malpractice at Yunnik Technologies Test Centre in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The NMC launched the probe after detecting “anomalous data” in its system. The investigation, which began in 2023, was prompted by unusual data patterns found in the computer-based test (CBT) for foreign nurses seeking UK registration.
The CBT is a crucial part of the UK’s nursing qualification process and is typically taken in applicants’ home countries.
Following the investigation, the NMC reported that 48 registered nurses and 669 applicants may have obtained their test results fraudulently at the Yunnik centre. As a result, the NMC declared all test results issued by the centre invalid.
The NMC stated that each affected individual would have their case assessed by an independent panel to determine if they were involved in fraud.
In February 2025, around 50 of the affected individuals sent a pre-action protocol letter to the NMC, alleging that their hearings were “deliberately” delayed.
They also urged the NMC to collaborate with the Home Office to allow them to remain in the UK while their appeals are under review.
