THE United Kingdom (UK) has opened Africa’s largest visa application center in Lagos State.
The Deputy High Commissioner, Jonny Baxter expressed his pleasure at attending the inauguration of this significant UK Visa Application Centre in Ikeja, Lagos.
He noted that Nigerian residents planning to travel to the UK can now book appointments to submit their visa applications at VFS Global’s new, state-of-the-art Visa Application Centres (VAC) in Abuja, Ikeja, and Victoria Island, which became operational on November 19.
“I am thrilled to see the opening of Africa’s largest visa application center. Nigeria is one of the UK’s key partners, and we expect VFS to continue enhancing their services for visa applicants,” said Baxter.
The Director of Visa, Status and Information Services at UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), Marc Owen, remarked, “The launch of our new VAC in Ikeja is a significant milestone for UKVI and VFS Global in delivering a world-class UK visa service in Nigeria and throughout Africa.
“From June 2023 to June 2024, we processed over 225,000 UK visas for Nigerian nationals across all categories. This new partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to making our visa services accessible, efficient, and tailored to the needs of all applicants.”
The Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at VFS Global, Alok Singhal, highlighted that this initiative reinforces Nigeria’s longstanding relationship with the UK.
“We are enthusiastic about this new collaboration with UK Visas and Immigration in Nigeria,” he stated. “We have enjoyed a strong partnership with UK Visas and Immigration since 2003 and look forward to providing travellers from Nigeria with our top-tier services.”
