UK opens premium visa application centres in Enugu, Port Harcourt

Residents of Enugu and Port Harcourt planning trips to the United Kingdom can now enjoy easier access to visa services, thanks to the launch of new Premium Visa Application Centres by VFS Global.

In a statement released on Monday, the UK Home Office announced the opening of these centres at Omedel Luxury Hotel in Enugu and Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt. The initiative is aimed at meeting the rising demand for UK visas from Nigeria, especially as the summer travel season approaches.

Applicants can conveniently book appointments online through the VFS Global website.

The statement noted that these additions complement existing UK Visa Application Centres in Abuja, Ikeja, and Victoria Island, Lagos, which have been operational since November 2024.

Nigeria remains one of the top four countries globally for UK visit visa applications, accounting for six percent of the total, the statement added.

The UK Minister of State at the Home Office, Rt. Hon. Lord Hanson noted the significance of the openings. “The government is pleased to be able to reopen the Premium Visa Application Centres in both Port Harcourt and Enugu.

“In 2024 we received more than 230,000 visa applications from Nigerian nationals across all visa routes and these new premium application centres will provide greater convenience for applicants in and around Enugu and Rivers State demonstrating the importance of the UK – Nigeria relationship in these markets as well as Nigeria as a whole,” he said.

The Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at VFS Global, Alok Singhal, emphasised the added convenience. “We are pleased to open the additional, conveniently located touchpoints for our UK visa customers in the form of the recently opened Premium Application Centres in Enugu and Port Harcourt, Nigeria, which help us cater to a larger number of travellers to the UK.

“Our customers will continue to enjoy the same comfort, convenience, and best-in-class services at these locations that they do at our Visa Application Centres in Abuja and Lagos,” he said.

Applicants using the Premium Centres can also take advantage of additional services, including document upload assistance, application status notifications, courier return of documents, and the option to keep their passports while applications are processed.

VFS Global, which began partnering with UK Visas and Immigration in 2003, was awarded the global contract to manage UK visa services in 142 countries in 2023.

The company operates over 3,500 application centres across 158 countries and has processed more than 309 million applications since 2001.