UK lift visa processing ban on Nigeria and other countries.

adminNews4 years ago

The United Kingdom (UK) authorities have lifted the ban on processing visitor visas in all countries previously on the red list which includes Nigeria.

In a statement on Wednesday, the UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) announced the lifting of the ban.

According to the UK government, the ban was lifted on all countries due to the removal of Nigeria and other countries from the red list restrictions over the surge in Omicron variants.

“From 4:00 am on 15th December, all countries currently on the red list will be removed. In line with the lifting of red list restrictions, UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) will lift the pause on processing visitor visas in all countries previously on the red list,” the statement reads.

“Due to extremely high global demand, standard UK visitor visas are currently taking significantly longer than usual to be processed.

“UKVI are working hard to process visitor visa applications as soon as possible and sincerely apologise to all our customers affected.

“Non-visitor visa applications (including student and work visas) are still being processed within published service standards, and we are working hard to meet customer demand.”

Also, applicants will be contacted by the Visa Application Centre (VAC) when their passports are ready for collection.

“They should not visit the VAC until they have been invited to do so,” it added.

“Those with an urgent need to travel to the UK for compassionate reasons will still need to apply for a visa in the usual way, including submitting biometrics at a VAC.

“Applicants should clearly explain the compelling or compassionate reasons for the visit in their application form and must alert the VAC staff during biometric submission.”

However, the statement added that Priority Visa (PV) and Super Priority Visa (SPV) services remain temporarily suspended for all visa routes in all countries, coming off the red list. UK authority said this decision was made to enable UKVI to concentrate on assessing applications in date order for all visa customers and deal equitably with the increased demand.