UK OPENS BIGGEST AFRICA VISA APPLICATION CENTRE IN LAGOS
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| L-R: VFS UKVI Account Management Team, Mr. Kingsley Magee; Chief Operating Officer – Global Operations, and Head of UKVI Account Management Team, Mr. Srinarayan Sankaran; British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Mr. Jonny Baxter; Director for Visa, Status and Information Services at UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), Mr. Marc Owen; Head- Sub-Saharan Africa, VFS Global, Mr. Alok Singhal at the inauguration of the newly opened UK Visa Application Centre in Ikeja, Lagos on 27 November 2024. |
The
United Kingdom’s biggest Visa Application Centre in Africa has opened in Lagos,
Nigeria through the UK’s new commercial partner - VFS Global.
Residents of Nigeria travelling to the UK can now book appointments to submit their visa applications through VFS Global’s new state-of-the-art Visa Application Centres (VAC) located in Abuja, Ikeja (Lagos) and Victoria Island (Lagos) which have commenced operations since 19 November.
Commenting
at the launch of the new UK Visa Application Centre today in Ikeja, Lagos,
British Deputy High Commissioner, Mr. Jonny Baxter, said:
“I
am delighted to witness the opening of this, the largest visa application
centre in Africa. Nigeria remains one of the UK’s most important partners, and
we hope that VFS deliver ever improving services for those applying for visas
to the UK.”
Director
of Visa, Status and Information Services at UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI),
Mr. Marc Owen, said:
“The
opening of our new VAC in Ikeja marks an exciting milestone for UKVI and VFS
Global in the provision of a world-class UK visa service here in Nigeria and
elsewhere across Africa. In the year to June 2024, we processed more than 225k
UK visas for Nigerian nationals across all categories and this new partnership
demonstrates our continued commitment to ensuring our visa services are
accessible, efficient and meet the needs of all applicants.”
Head-Sub-Saharan
Africa, VFS Global, Mr. Alok Singhal added:
“We
are excited to embark on this new journey with UK Visas and Immigration here in
Nigeria. We have enjoyed a long-standing partnership with UK Visas and Immigration
since 2003 and look forward to now bringing travellers from Nigeria our
best-in-class services.”
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The
UK is a popular destination for travellers across Africa, with Nigeria being
among the highest nationalities by volume for UK visit visas, accounting for 5%
of the global total. In the African region, VFS Global will provide Visa
Application Centres for the UK in 31 countries.
UK
visa customers can now choose from optional services offered by VFS Global, to
provide enhanced comfort and convenience. These include document upload
assistance, Prime Time for application submission outside of business hours,
SMS notifications, document checking service, and courier return of the
passport once a decision has been made. VFS Global’s Keep My Passport While
Applying service allows customers to keep their passports once their
application is submitted and biometrics have been enrolled. Customer will only
need to re-submit their passport when a decision is reached.
Customers
in Abuja can also submit their UK visa applications from the comfort and safety
of their home, office, or any other preferred location with our On Demand
Mobile Visa service. In addition, their Premium Lounge service offers a
personalised submission experience with dedicated staff members.
These
services are completely optional and have no bearing on the processing timeline
and outcomes of visa applications.
As
a partner to the UK Visas and Immigration since 2003, VFS Global offered visa
services in 58 countries before the new contract and has now been awarded the
contract to provide UK visa services in 142 countries worldwide.
· The temporary
Visa Application Centres in Port Harcourt and Enugu currently operated by TLS
Contact closed from 26 November (Enugu) and 27 November (Port Harcourt).
· All customers
that had booked appointments in these locations before the transfer to VFS were
contacted by TLS ahead of these closure dates.
· VFS is keen to
expand in markets where commercially viable and will assess locations other
than Abuja and Lagos for future openings
· The VACs in
Abuja and Lagos (Ikeja and Victoria Island) remain fully operational, and we
continue to welcome UK visa applications from across Nigeria.
· If a customer
wishes to amend an appointment, claim a refund or make a complaint about the
service they received from TLS contact in these locations, they can use the
following forms:
Port Harcourt
o Amend an
appointment: https://pos.
o Request a
refund: https://pos.
o Complaint form: https://pos.tlscontact.
Enugu
o Amend an
appointment: https://pos.
o Request a
refund: https://pos.
o Complaint form: https://pos.tlscontact.
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