UK Grants 132,000 Visas to Nigerians in 2023, Reduces Tariffs on 3,000 Goods From Nigeria
- The United Kingdom revealed that it granted 132,000 visas to Nigerians in the first six months of 2023
- The number represents a 10% spike in the number issued in the 2022
- The move follows the reduction of tariffs on 3,000 products from Nigeria by the United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom issued about 132,000 visas in the first six months of 2023, an increase from the 324,000 issued in 2022.
The figure represents a 10% share of all issuances by the United Kingdom in the period.
Source: Getty Images
UK increases visa application fees for Nigerians
According to the British High Commissioner, Jonny Baxter, the increase was due to several factors, including the robust economic relationships between the two countries and the increasing number of Nigerians studying in the United Kingdom.
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The High Commissioner also stated that the UK government recently changed its rules, allowing students to bring dependents to the UK.
Baxter said the move will lead to more Nigerians emigrating to the UK.
He said the UK government has also raised application fees, stating that the move was necessary to cover processing costs and visa issuances to holders.
He asked Nigerians to apply for visas well before their travel dates, as there could be delays in visa processing.
BusinessDay reports that the spike in visa issuance to Nigerians is a sign of the relationship between the two countries, reflecting the growing economic and educational ties between the UK and Nigeria.
UK reduces tariffs on 3,000 products from Nigeria
The move comes as the United Kingdom has announced a reduction of tariffs on close to 3,000 products exported from Nigeria under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTC).
According to reports, the ex-British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, said this in Abuja on Tuesday, August 22, 2023, at the sensitisation workshop on the UK Developing Countries Trading Scheme organised in collaboration with the federal Ministery of Industry Trade and Investment and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
The UK High Commissioner, represented by the Deputy British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Atkinson, said a decision was taken to boost the trade relationship between the UK and Nigeria.
Programme already effective and benefitting Nigerian, UK businesses
The High Commissioner revealed that the new trading scheme came into effect on June 19, 2023 and offers fast-growing economies a set of trading choices of any country in the world and shows UK's commitment to building long-term relationship with Africa's largest economy.
Baxter revealed that the scheme will also benefit the UK as it reduces costs by 750 million pounds yearly and helping UK businesses and consumers.
He said Nigeria would benefit more than any country from the changes introduced by the programme. It will also see tariff reductions on over 3000 products from Africa's largest economy. 99% of existing Nigerian exports to the UK by value will be duty-free tariffs, which will promote the value addition in crucial export items such as cocoa and paste and sesame oil, among others.
The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Investment, Evelyn Ngige, said the trade scheme will improve the volume of exports from Nigeria.
The United Kingdom has made a series of adjustments in its requirements from Nigerians and other nationals in recently.
A new report stated that the country remains top choice destination for Nigerians seeking to relocate abroad.
Nigerians form long queue at Lagos UK Visa office after Legit.ng story
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that two days after Legit.ng published a story that the United Kingdom has resumed Priority Visa issuance to Nigerians, the UK visa office is overflowing with Nigerians seeking to obtain visas.
Nigerians began to throng the UK visa office after it was announced that Nigeria had been removed from the UK red list following the drop in the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
A crowd of applicants milled outside the visa office in Lekki Phase I offices of TLSContact. Long queues were seen as people waited to be called in for the application.
Source: Legit.ng
