Abuja - A New 50,000 five-year visa window has been opened for Nigerian businessmen wishing to do business in the United Kingdom (UK), by the British High Commission.

Besides, the High Commission has also introduced what it calls ‘Business Express’ programme to facilitate visa issuance to business people.

The initiative, according to the Director, UK Trade and investments, Mr. Peter Stephenson, was scripted to boost the bilateral trade relations between the two countries.

[Read more →]

Abuja - The British High Commission in Nigeria said it refused over 71% of student visa application, across its embassies in Nigeria during the 2007 fiscal year.got about 24,500 student visa applications across the country in 2007.

According to the Entry Clearance Manager of the Commission, Mr. Stuart Loughray, the amount represents 17,444 denials out of the 24,500 student visa applications received in 2007. Majority of the prospective “students” were refused visa mainly because of funding problems, and submission of fake documents.

Painting a vivid picture of what happens during such applications, he said that funding was the major reason for denying most student visa applications over the years.

[Read more →]

Abuja - The British High Commission on Wednesday said the lack of standards in administrative procedures by most universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education was responsible for its denial of many students the visas to study in UK. The commission gave the number of student applications for visas in Abuja as almost 60,000 in 2007, while Lagos was said to have a higher number in the same year.

The Verification Officer of the British High Commission, Mrs. Esther Samuel, and the Entry Clearance Forgery Officer, Mr. Coran Oakley, both confirmed that the situation had become a ‘nightmare’ to the commission.

[Read more →]

Abuja - THE British High Commission has announced the details of Britain’s new Australian-style points-based immigration system (PBS) for highly skilled foreign workers applying to enter the United Kingdom (UK).

According to the commission in Abuja, the regulations will come into force on February 29, when highly skilled foreign nationals currently working in Britain and who want to extend their stay would need to apply under the new system.

In April, the new system would begin to be rolled out overseas when anyone from India who wants to work in the UK as a highly skilled migrant would need to apply under PBS. By the summer, the new highly skilled system would operate worldwide.

[Read more →]

Punch - A new biometric (Fingerprint) system introduced by the United Kingdom for all visa applicants has reportedly exposed a Nigerian man trying to enter the country with a false identity.

A report on news.zdnet.co.uk said the unidentified man had previously served an eight-month sentence at an undisclosed UK prison. It said the new fingerprint database system, which will cover 133 countries, contained the records of over one million previous visa applicants.

It said the system had already uncovered 10,000 visa applicants connected to earlier immigration cases and asylum requests as well as 500 cases of identity swapping.

[Read more →]