…As VFS Global open two new premium application centres
The United Kingdom (UK) minister of state at Home Office, David Hanson, has disclosed that Nigeria accounts for 6 percent of global UK visit visas.
He made this known during the recent unveiling of VFS Global new premium application centres in Enugu and Port Harcourt, stating that the UK remains a popular destination for travellers across Africa, with Nigeria in the top four nationalities by volume.
“The government is pleased to be able to reopen the Premium Visa Application Centres in both Port Harcourt and Enugu. In 2024 we received more than 230,000 visa applications from Nigerian nationals across all visa routes.”
According to him, the new premium application centres will provide greater convenience for applicants in and around Enugu and Rivers State, to further demonstrate the importance of the UK – Nigeria relationship.
Alok Singhal, head, Sub-Saharan Africa, VFS Global, said the company is opening the two premium centres to effectively cater to the growing outbound travel to the UK.
According to him, travellers to the UK can now book appointments to submit their visa applications at its newly opened Premium Application Centres in Enugu and Port Harcourt.
He disclosed that the two centres are in addition to the state-of-the-art Visa Application Centres in Abuja, Ikeja (Lagos) and Victoria Island (Lagos) operational since November 2024.
“We are pleased to open the additional, conveniently located touchpoints for our UK visa customers in the form of the recently opened Premium Application Centres in Enugu and Port Harcourt, Nigeria which helps us cater to a larger number of travellers to the UK,” Singhal said.
According to him, applicants can now book appointments on its website or visit Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt or Omedel Luxury Hotel in Enugu to submit their applications and enrol biometrics for the summer season.
“Our customers will continue to enjoy the same comfort, convenience, and best-in-class services at these locations that they do at our Visa Application Centres in Abuja and Lagos,” he said.
Singhal also disclosed that applicants who submit their documents and enrol biometrics at the Premium Application Centres will get some complementary value-added services offered by VFS Global such as document upload assistance, notification services on the status of their applications and courier return of documents.
Moreover, he said applicants can also book the Keep My Passport While Applying service in advance on its website which allows them to keep their passports once their application is submitted and biometrics have been enrolled.
“Customers will only need to re-submit their passports when a decision is reached. As a partner to UK Visas and Immigration since 2003, VFS Global offered visa services in 58 countries before the new contract and was awarded the contract to provide UK visa services in 142 countries worldwide in 2023,” Singhal said.
