UK suspends visa under student, work, and family categories
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Visa for Nigerians under student, work, and family categories has been temporarily suspended by the United Kingdom embassy in Nigeria because London is forced to prioritise applications made under the Ukraine Family Scheme.
More than two million Ukrainians have fled their homes since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion on 24 February.
Ukrainians have suddenly become refugees, mostly in neighbouring Belarus and Poland in the North and Moldova and Romania in the South, but a growing number are fleeing to other European countries, including the UK.
It is the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since the end of World War II in 1945.
A statement posted on the official Twitter page of the British embassy in Nigeria on Tuesday clarified that Nigerians whose passports are ready for collection will be contacted by the Visa Application Centre (VAC).
“UK Visas and Immigration is currently prioritising applications made under the Ukraine Family Scheme, following its launch and in response to the humanitarian crisis arising from the invasion of Ukraine,” the statement said.
“As a result, UKVI has temporarily suspended priority and super-priority services for new study, work, and family applications.
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Delay in visa processing
“Customers with standard applications in study, work, and family routes may experience some delays in the processing of their application,” the statement added, per reporting by The Nation.
“We are still currently unable to offer PV for visitor applications in Nigeria. Standard visitor visa applications are currently taking an average of six weeks to process.
“Applicants will be contacted by the Visa Application Centre (VAC) when their passport is ready for collection. They should not attend the VAC until they have been invited to do so.
“Where there are extremely compassionate or compelling circumstances (for example, a medical emergency), UKVI may consider expediting specific cases. However, the bar for this is high and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
“If a request is exceptionally urgent, applicants can contact UK Visas and Immigration for help. Please note that this is a chargeable service for overseas customers. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”