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Between June 2023 and the same month in 2024, the British government earned over N68 billion from processing visas for Nigerian applicants.
Marc Owen, the Director of Visa, Status, and Information Services at the United Kingdom Visas and Immigration made this known at the launch of Africa’s biggest UK visa application centre (VAC) in Lagos on Thursday, November 28, 2024.
Owen revealed that no fewer than 225,000 visa applications from Nigeria were processed in the period under review.
“In the year to June 2024, we processed more than 225k UK visas for Nigerian nationals across all categories and this new partnership demonstrates our continued commitment to ensuring our visa services are accessible, efficient and meet the needs of all applicants,” Owen was quoted as saying by the British High Commission in Lagos.
“I’m delighted to be here in person as we celebrate this important moment together with our customers and partners.”
Though the Director didn't specify if certain classes of visas had more applicants, a standard UK visitor visa with six months duration costs $150.
In effect, the UK made over $34 million from the 225,000 Nigerian applicants. When converted to naira using the current exchange rate, the money would amount to approximately N68 billion.
Visa application fees are non-refundable whether or not the process turns out successful.
Nigeria has higher rejection rates
According to data from the British government earlier in the year, Nigeria ranked among five countries that experienced a rise in study visa rejection rates in the second half of 2023.
The Q4 2022 report revealed that one in 31 applicants from the West African country was rejected while in Q2 2023, about one in eight were declined.
Other countries with high UK visa rejection rates include Vietnam, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia, although as smaller accruals, with India the only country where declined application numbers trumped Nigeria’s.
The data further showed that visa approvals to Nigerians were down by 63% compared to the last three months of 2022.
The increase in rejections came as a result of tightened visa restrictions for immigrants by the UK authorities.