Lagos: VFS Global has inaugurated a new Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Nigeria to enhance visa application experience for travellers. Mr. Marc Owen, Director for Visa, Status and Information Services at UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, VFS was recently awarded the contract to provide UK visa services in 142 countries worldwide. VFS Global announced that residents of Nigeria travelling to the UK can now book appointments to submit their visa applications through its new state-of-the-art Visa Application Centres located in Abuja, Ikeja, and Victoria Island in Lagos. These centres commenced operations from November 19, 2024.
The opening of the new VAC in Ikeja marks a significant milestone for UKVI and VFS Global in providing a UK visa service in Nigeria and across Africa. In the year to June 2024, more than 225,000 UK visas for Nigerian nationals were processed across all categories. This new partnership aims to ensure that visa s
ervices are accessible, efficient, and meet the needs of all applicants.
The British Deputy High Commissioner, Jonny Baxter, expressed his satisfaction with the opening of the largest visa application centre in Africa. He emphasized Nigeria’s importance as one of the UK’s key partners and expressed hope that VFS would continue to improve services for those applying for UK visas.
Mr. Alok Singhal, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at VFS Global, expressed excitement about the new journey with UK Visas and Immigration in Nigeria. He highlighted the long-standing partnership with UK Visas and Immigration since 2003 and the goal to bring best-in-class services to Nigerian travellers. Singhal noted that the UK is a popular destination for African travellers, with Nigeria ranking in the top four nationalities by volume for UK visit visas, accounting for five percent of the global total.
In the African region, VFS Global will provide visa application centres in 31 countries for the UK. Visa customers can now choose from
optional services offered by VFS Global, enhancing comfort and convenience. These services 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 retain their passports after application submission and biometric enrollment, only needing to resubmit them when a decision is reached.
Customers in Abuja can submit UK visa applications from their preferred locations using the On Demand Mobile Visa service. The Premium Lounge service offers a personalized submission experience with dedicated staff members. These optional services do not affect the processing timeline and outcomes of visa applications.
Singhal noted that VFS Global, a partner to UK Visas and Immigration since 2003, initially offered visa services in 58 countries and has now been awarded the contract to provide UK visa
services in 142 countries worldwide.