U.K. Granted 300,000 Visas To Nigerians In Two Years– Montgomery
The United Kingdom, UK, High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has said it granted 300,000 new visas to Nigerians in the “last couple of years”.
IRecall that the last month, the opened a new Visa Application Centre, VAC, in Ikeja, Lagos, through its new commercial partner, VFS Global.
Speaking at the launch, the British Deputy High Commission, Mr Jonny Baxter, said it was the largest in Africa.
Also, Baxter added that Nigeria remained one of UK’s most important partners.
Baxter noted that “In the year to June 2024, we processed more than 225,000 UK visas for Nigerian nationals across all categories.”
Today, responding to claims in some quarters that the UK’s immigration policies are harsh, British High Commissioner, Richard Montgomery, told Channels TV, “I have to contest this picture because the UK in the last couple of years has granted around 300,000 new visas to Nigerians, which far exceeds any other visa of relationship which Nigeria has with any other country.
“The trends have been really positive post-Brexit. Nigeria has been a major beneficiary of the post-Brexit migration visa rules.
“And if you look at say the number of people getting work visas in the UK, these people play an incredibly important role in certain sectors, particularly our social care sector.
“So I would like to emphasize how huge the relationship is. It outstrips any other visa relationship that Nigeria has with any other single country in my understanding.”
Montgomery said Nigeria accounts for about 10% of visas granted by the UK in the last two years.
He hailed the contributions of Nigerians in the UK and described their efforts as “incredibly important”.
