The United Kingdom High Commission in Nigeria has announced a temporary suspension of priority visas for students, work and family applications with focus now being placed on applications made under the Ukraine Family Scheme.
This is coming after the UK visa and immigration launch of the Ukraine Family Scheme in response to the humanitarian crisis arising from the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
This information was disclosed in a statement titled, “Temporary Suspension of Priority Visas for Student, Work and Family Applications on Tuesday, the 15th of March 2022 by the High Commission in Nigeria.
The High commission stated that its customers with standard applications in study, work and family routes may experience some delays in the processing of their application.
What the UK High Commission is saying
The High Commission noted that the Visa Application Centre would contact Nigerians, whose passports were ready for collection.
The statement from the high commission read:
“UK Visas and Immigration is currently prioritizing applications made under the Ukraine Family Scheme, following its launch and in response to the humanitarian crisis arising from the invasion of Ukraine.
“As a result, UKVI has temporarily suspended priority and super-priority services for new study, work, and family applications. Customers with standard applications in study, work, and family routes may experience some delays in the processing of their application.
“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.”
