The United Kingdom (UK) government has lifted the pause on
processing visitor visas in all countries previously on the red list, including
Nigeria.
The UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) announced this in a
statement on Wednesday.
The government said it lifted the pause due to the removal
of Nigeria and other countries from red list restrictions over the Omicron
COVID-19 variant.
“From 4:00 am on 15th December, all countries currently on
the red list will be removed. In line with the lifting of red list
restrictions, UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) will lift the pause on
processing visitor visas in all countries previously on the red list,” the
statement reads.
“Due to extremely high global demand, standard UK visitor
visas are currently taking significantly longer than usual to be processed.
“UKVI are working hard to process visitor visa applications
as soon as possible and sincerely apologise to all our customers affected.
“Non-visitor visa applications (including student and work
visas) are still being processed within published service standards, and we are
working hard to meet customer demand.”
The statement added that applicants will be contacted by the
Visa Application Centre (VAC) when their passports are ready for collection.
“They should not visit the VAC until they have been invited
to do so,” it added.
“Those with an urgent need to travel to the UK for
compassionate reasons will still need to apply for a visa in the usual way,
including submitting biometrics at a VAC.
“Applicants should clearly explain the compelling or
compassionate reasons for the visit in their application form and must alert
the VAC staff during biometric submission.”
It, however, said the Priority Visa (PV) and Super Priority
Visa (SPV) services remain temporarily suspended for all visa routes in all
countries, coming off the red list.
This, according to the government, will allow UKVI to
concentrate on assessing applications in date order for all visa customers and
deal equitably with the increased demand.
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