UK Extends Visa Processing Duration For Nigerians | READ WHY
The British High Commission in Nigeria on Tuesday, announced that the visa and immigration process for those visiting the UK will now take six weeks.
This announcement was made on the UK Visas and Immigration office’s official Twitter account, which also stated that they are striving to reduce the current processing time as rapidly as feasible.
The longer processing times are due to fluctuating demand across all visa centers, which is a result of the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact and global travel restrictions.
The UK Visas and Immigration Office (UKVI) has issued a statement that reads as follows:
’Due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19 and global travel restrictions, UKVI is experiencing unpredictable demand across all visa routes. Standard visitor visa applications are taking on an average of six weeks to process. UK Visas and Immigration are working to reduce the current processing time as quick as possible. You should bear this in mind when making travel arrangements.”
The UKVI urged applicants to avoid needless trips to Visa Application Centres (VACs) unless they were invited, and that applicants whose passports were available for pickup would be contacted by authorities at the center.
It is also mentioned that very compassionate or compelling circumstances, such as medical emergency, will be taken into account, however at an additional expense.
The following are some additional details about the statement:
“You will be contacted by the Visa Application Centre (VAC) when your passport is ready for collection. Please do not attend the VAC until you have been invited to do so,”
Where there are extremely compassionate or compelling circumstances (for example, a medical emergency), we may consider expediting specific cases.
However, the bar for this is high and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. If your request is exceptionally urgent you can contact UK Visas and Immigration for help. Please note that this is a chargeable service for overseas customers. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”
