Starting from tomorrow, Friday, March 18, 2022, Nigerians traveling to the United Kingdom will no longer be required to show evidence of COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination as a pre-condition for entering into the country.
This advisory is contained in the ‘Travel Abroad’ guide published on the UK government website.
“If you will arrive in England from abroad after 4am, Friday 18 March, you do NOT need to: take any COVID-19 tests – before you travel or after you arrive; fill in a UK passenger locator form before you travel.
“This will apply whether you are vaccinated or not.
“You also will not need to quarantine when you arrive, in line with current rules,” the new guideline reads.
The same rule also applies to those traveling to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, it is still possible for Nigerians to apply for the United Kingdom student, work and family visas, the UK government has said.
The clarification follows the statement by the British High Commission in Nigeria on March 15 announcing “temporary suspension of priority visas for student work and family applications”.
In its clarification on Wednesday, the UK embassy in a statement by Ndidiamaka Eze, Press and Public Affairs Officer/Communication Lead, Prosperity and Economic Development/ Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, stated the possibility of still being able to accommodate all applicants.
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The High Commission however apologised for the inconvenience while promising to alert Nigerians when the ‘Priority’ and ‘Super Priority’ visa services resume.
The statement reads in part: “We are aware of reporting circulating in the Nigerian media and online that the UK has suspended student, work and family visas for Nigerian applicants.
“This is not true. It is still possible to apply for any category of UK visa in the usual way on gov.uk and via our Visa Applications Centres (VAC) in Nigeria.
“Our VACs remain open and customers are welcome to apply for a standard visa of any category in the usual manner, this includes student, family, work and visit visas.
“However, due to a reprioritisation of resources in response to the humanitarian crisis arising from the invasion of Ukraine, the UK has temporarily suspended its priority visa service.
“As our 15 March statement, made clear, this temporary suspension only applies to the UKVI’s expedited, added-value ‘Priority’ and ‘Super Priority’ visa services. This suspension is to enable the UKs global visa operation to prioritise applications for the new Ukraine Family Scheme.
“This decision to suspend priority visa services is also clearly stated on UKVI’s guidance page, which sets out the latest decision waiting times for visa applicants outside the UK: www.gov.uk/guidance/visa-decision-waiting-times-applications-outside-the-uk
“On behalf of UKVI, the British High Commission in Nigeria would like to apologise for any inconvenience this development has caused.
“The British High Commission in Nigeria will issue an updated statement the moment ‘Priority’ and ‘Super Priority’ visa services resume.”
