UK visa application centres open in Enugu, Port Harcourt
Sopuruchi Onwuka
Government of the United Kingdom has opened two visa application centres in Enugu and Port Harcourt to cater for travelers from the eastern flanks of Nigeria.
Under the new arrangement which involves third party service providers, customers of the British Consulate in Nigeria can now book appointments on online to visit Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt or Omedel Luxury Hotel in Enugu to submit their applications and enroll biometrics for the summer season.
VFS Global beats its chest with claims of being the global leader in trusted technology services, empowering secure mobility for governments and citizens. The company stated that it embraces technological innovation including Generative AI to support governments and diplomatic missions worldwide.
“The company manages non-judgmental and administrative tasks related to applications for visa, passport, and consular services for its client governments, increasing productivity and enabling them to focus entirely on the critical task of assessment.
“With a responsible approach to technology development, adoption and integration, the company prioritizes ethical practices and sustainability while serving as the trusted partner to 69 client governments.
“Operating over 3,500 Application Centres in 158 countries, VFS Global has efficiently processed more than 309 million applications since 2001,” it claimed in the statement.
The British High Commission declared in a release to The Oracle Today that its agents, the VFS Global, are now deployed in both cities to provide greater convenience for applicants in the region. With the new offices, residents of Nigeria travelling to the UK could now book appointments to submit their visa applications at the Premium Application Centres.
VFS Global also stated that the two centres are in addition to the state-of-the-art Visa Application Centres in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT); Ikeja and Victoria Island all in Lagos State. The VFS operations for UK visas in Lagos and FCT have been operational since November 2024, the company stated.
The British High Commission stated that the UK remains a popular destination for travelers across Africa, with Nigeria in the top four nationalities by volume for UK visit visas, accounting for six percent of the global total.
British Minister of State at Home Office, Rt Sir Hon Lord David Hanson, said, ‘’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 and these new premium application centres will provide greater convenience for applicants in and around Enugu and Rivers State demonstrating the importance of the UK – Nigeria relationship in these markets as well as Nigeria as a whole.’’
Head-Sub-Saharan Africa at VFS Global, Mr. Alok Singhal, stated, “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. 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.”
Customers who submit their documents and enrol biometrics at the Premium Application Centres can now enjoy a number of 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, customers can book the Keep My Passport While Applying service in advance on our 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.
