How to Apply for a UK Visa in Nigeria

How to Apply for a UK Visa in Nigeria

Apply for a UK Visa in Nigeria – One of the things you will always hear from young people in Nigeria who are still striving to make ends meet and to build an idea or business is that the “hustle is real” and of the areas of such hustle is in trying to get a visa to travel to a country like UK where there seems to be more opportunities, conducive environment and a better value of money. Now that is one reason why people get visas to travel to a country like the United Kingdom.

Other reasons will depend on what exactly you are going there to do and they can include;

• For visits i.e you are going temporary for visits, vacation, seminars, honeymoon, etc. your visa will be time-bound and you are expected to return once it expires.
• As a Student; this is exclusively for study purposes and can take up to three years depending on the duration of one’s program.
• On Transit; issued only when is passing through the country.
• On diplomatic purposes; specifically for government officials and it is for a short period.

Requirements for Visa Application

Just like any other application and other country’s visa, there are required documents to start the process and also to follow it through. Visas are highly sensitive and will require good documentation and profiling if you are going to have a smooth one on it. So these documents will be required;

1. An International Passport that is valid.
2. A coloured passport photograph with white background not more than 45 by 30mm.
3. Visa fees.
4. The UK Visa Application form for Nigerians. This can be gotten on visa4uk.fco.gov.uk.
5. A Letter of Invitation.
6. A bank statement of at least 6 months.
7. The photocopy of your Passport personal data page.
8. Certificates of Birth for children travelling with parents.
9. For official purposes there has to be a letter of appointment/invitation/ training confirmation and the address of the particular organization involved.

• Utility bills i.e. water or light bills.
• Hotel bookings/reservation details.
• Marriage Certificate if you are married.
• A reference/document from sponsor.

Before we proceed to the steps you need to go through, here are the various addresses of high commissions and embassies for the United Kingdom;

• UK Visa Application Center Victoria Island, Lagos Nigeria 1st Floor, Churchgate Tower 2 Plot PC31 Churchgate Street, Victoria Island, Lagos
• UK Visa Application Center Ikeja, Lagos TLS Contact Processing Services Ltd. Etiebets Place, 21 Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way Ikeja, Lagos
• UK Visa Application Center, Abuja. TLS Contact Processing Services Ltd. 3rd oor El Yakub Plaza, Plot 1129 Zakariya Maimalari street, opp war college Central Business Area, Abuja
• UK Government for Visas & Immigration British High Commission, Lagos Dangote House, Aguyi Ironsi Street Maitama District, Abuja
• UK Government for Visas & Immigration British Deputy High Commission, Abuja 11 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The Steps Required

Now we can delve into what steps you will need to follow having known the different types of visas, the needed documents and the location of various UK Application Centres.

Step A

Firstly, one must know the type of visa they want as have been listed above and to know the one that applies to you, one needs to visit the UK Immigration and Visa site. Visiting their site will help you know which is suitable for you and the fees that you will need to pay. The next will be to book an appointment with the UK Application Centre after which you will be issued a GWF number and this needs to be kept safe and intact as you will need for the entire registration process. After this you will be sent an email that contains your appointment date, the location and the documents you are required to bring along.

Step B

The next would be to register your details at the Teleperformance website ((www.ge2ng.tpcontact.co.uk/register) without which your appointment would not be honoured. The Teleperformance Centre is the UK application centre that is located in Abuja and Lagos and they are in partnership with the UK government to make visa application easy for applicants. The good thing about this registration with Teleperformance is that after registering with them, you can be able to track the progress of your registration process.

Step C

The next step would be to go for the appointment and it is important to take note of the date of the appointment and time as well and if possible set a reminder the day before. While you are waiting for the day of appointment, you can ensure that every document you need to go with is ready, up to date and without any issues. After you make your necessary visa fees payment, your biometrics will be collected and this also applies to children below the age of 5. The submission of your biodata takes places between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm on weekdays except on holidays. The processing period after submission will about 4-6 working days except for outright refusal for obvious reasons like crime.

Step D

You will be sent an email or text informing you that your application has been forwarded to the UK embassy (same day of submission) for processing and approval and also informed when it is returned to the UK application centre for collection. For collecting your visa will require one to come with your application checklist, Original of Identification Card,  and the photocopy of the data page as it is found on your passport. The time of collection falls between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm. Third party collection is not allowed except for special cases like; government officials and representatives, a parent collecting for their child or a family member collecting for another if they applied for it together.

Now you have your UK visa which allows you entry into the country, all you need do is to ensure you get a flight ticket, leave as scheduled and when your visa duration elapses you do well to come back to avoid any kind of embarrassment.