The UK government has announced the opening of two new Premium Application Centres in Nigeria for individuals seeking UK visas. Located in Enugu and Port Harcourt, the centres aim to cater to the increasing demand for travel to the UK, particularly during the summer season.
These new facilities, situated at the Omedel Luxury Hotel in Enugu and the Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt, will allow customers to submit their applications and enrol their biometrics. They complement the existing Visa Application Centres in Abuja and the Lagos areas of Ikeja and Victoria Island, which have been operational since November 2024.
According to figures released by the UK government, Nigeria ranks among the top four nationalities globally for UK visit visas, accounting for 6% of the total number of applications. In 2024, the UK received over 230,000 visa applications from Nigerian nationals across all visa categories.
Rt Hon Lord David Hanson, Minister of State at the Home Office, stated, “The government is pleased to be able to reopen the Premium Visa Application Centres in both Port Harcourt and Enugu. 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.”
Alok Singhal, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at VFS Global, the service provider managing the centres, added, “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 using the Premium Application Centres will have access to several complementary value-added services offered by VFS Global, including assistance with document uploads, application status notifications, and courier return of documents. Additionally, applicants can pre-book the “Keep My Passport While Applying” service online, allowing them to retain their passports after submission and biometric enrolment until a visa decision is made.
VFS Global has been a partner to UK Visas and Immigration since 2003 and currently operates visa services for the UK in 142 countries worldwide. The new Premium Application Centres in Enugu and Port Harcourt are now open from 8 AM to 5 PM.
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