The United Kingdom’s largest Visa Application Centre in Africa has officially opened in Lagos, Nigeria, in partnership with VFS Global, the UK’s new commercial partner.
Nigerian residents travelling to the UK can now book appointments to submit their visa applications at VFS Global’s state-of-the-art Visa Application Centres (VAC), located in Abuja, Ikeja, and Victoria Island in Lagos. The centres commenced operations on November 19.
This expansion is significant because the UK is a popular destination for travellers from Africa, with Nigeria accounting for 5% of global visit visas—one of the highest volumes from any nationality. VFS Global will establish Visa Application Centres for the UK in 31 African countries.
With these innovations, UK visa customers can now choose from several optional services provided by VFS Global to enhance their comfort and convenience. These services include assistance with document uploads, ‘Prime Time’ for application submissions outside of regular business hours, SMS notifications, a document checking service, and the opportunity for couriers to return passports once visa decisions are made.
Additionally, the ‘Keep My Passport While Applying’ service allows customers to retain their passports once their applications are submitted and biometrics have been enrolled; they will only need to re-submit their passports when a decision is reached.
Customers in Abuja can also submit their UK visa applications from the comfort and safety of their homes, offices, or any preferred location through the On Demand Mobile Visa service. VFS Global’s Premium Lounge service provides a personalised submission experience with dedicated staff members.
It is important to note that these services are entirely optional and do not affect the processing times or outcomes of visa applications.
Speaking at the launch of the new UK Visa Application Centre in Ikeja, Lagos, Mr. Jonny Baxter, the British Deputy High Commissioner, expressed his delight at the opening of this significant facility. He highlighted Nigeria as one of the UK’s key partners and expressed hope that VFS Global will deliver continually improving services for UK visa applicants.
Mr. Marc Owen, Director of Visa, Status, and Information Services at UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), also praised the opening of the new VAC in Ikeja as an exciting milestone for both UKVI and VFS Global in providing world-class UK visa services in Nigeria and across Africa.
He disclosed that in the year leading up to June 2024, more than 225,000 UK visas had been processed for Nigerian nationals across all categories, emphasising the commitment to making visa services accessible and efficient for all applicants.
Mr. Alok Singhal, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at VFS Global, mentioned that VFS Global has been a partner to UK Visas and Immigration since 2003. Before this new contract, VFS Global offered visa services in 58 countries, and they are now entrusted with providing UK visa services in 142 countries worldwide.
“We are excited to embark on this new journey with UK Visas and Immigration here in Nigeria. Our long-standing partnership since 2003 has prepared us to bring Nigerian travellers our best-in-class services,” he stated.
