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By Chinelo Obogo
The United Kingdom Embassy in Nigeria has said that study, work, and family visa applications has been temporarily suspended as priority is now being placed on applications made under the Ukraine Family Scheme.
According to the embassy which said this in a statement on Tuesday on their official social media handles, the Ukraine Family Scheme was launched in response to the humanitarian crisis arising from Russia’s invasion of the European country.
The Ukraine family scheme makes provision for applicants to join family members or extend their stay in the UK where they would be able to live, work, study and access public funds.
The statement titled, “Temporary Suspension of Priority Visas for Student, Work and Family Applications”, however noted that Nigerians, whose passports are ready for collection, would be contacted by the Visa Application Centre.
“UK Visas and Immigration is currently prioritising 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,” the statement read.
