UK opens Africa’s biggest visa application centre in Ikeja

The United Kingdom on Wednesday said a new Visa Application Centre (VAC) has been opened in Ikeja, through its new commercial partner, VFS Global.

The British Deputy High Commission, which made this known in a statement, said it was the largest in Africa.

It noted that VFS Global also opened United Kingdom VAC in Abuja and Victoria Island, Lagos State.

The mission said Nigerians travelling to the UK could book appointments to submit visa applications through new VAC centre.

At the launch of the new application centre in Ikeja, British Deputy High Commissioner, Mr Jonny Baxter, said Nigeria remained one of UK’s most important partners.

“We hope that VFS delivers ever improving services for those applying for visas to the UK.”

Mr Marc Owen, Director of Visa, Status and Information Services at UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), said that the new VAC marked an exciting milestone for UKVI and VFS Global in the provision of a world-class UK visa service in Nigeria.

“In the year to June 2024, we processed more than 225,000 UK visas for Nigerian nationals across all categories.

“This new partnership demonstrates our continued commitment to ensuring our visa services are accessible, efficient and meet the needs of all applicants,” Owen said.

Also, Mr Alok Singhal, Head, Sub-Saharan Africa, VFS Global, said that VFS had enjoyed a long-standing partnership with UKVI since 2003 and was looking forward to bringing travellers from Nigeria best-in-class services.

The Deputy High Commission said in the African region, VFS Global would provide VACs for the UK in 31 countries.

According to the commission, UK visa customers can now choose from optional services offered by VFS Global to provide enhanced comfort and convenience.

These, the mission said, would include document upload assistance and prime time for application submission outside of business hours.

The others include SMS notifications, document checking service and courier return of the passport once a decision has been made.

“Customers in Abuja can also submit their UK visa applications from the comfort and safety of their homes, offices or any other preferred locations with our on-demand mobile visa service.”

According to the mission, the services are optional and have no bearing on the processing timeline and outcomes of visa applications.