The UK High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing have advised Nigerian students intending to study in schools in the United Kingdom this September to make time a priority in their calculations.
Speaking in a video message, which Clariform has obtained, she said that early application for the student visa is key to getting response from the High Commission before the September resumption date for the UK schools.
She advised against any attempt to wait until August to begin the UK visa application process, as this will be well too late for any applicant.
According to Catriona Laing, the need for early applicant is due to the ongoing pressure on the UKVI, owing to the “humanitarian situation in Ukraine”, which she says has even necessitated the cancelation of priority visa services by the UKVI, the UK visas and immigration services system.
Notable Quotes
Speaking in the video, she said, “My message is directed at those of you who are planning to study in the UK this academic year September 2022.
“The UK is a fabulous place to study, our academic qualifications are reorganized globally as the best, and we welcome students from around the globe and in particular from Nigeria because we want the brightest and the best.
“We have a transparent point based system and 96 percent of Nigerians who apply for student visas are granted those visas.
“But my message this morning is please help us to help you by applying much earlier than you would think you would need for your visa this year.
“in previous years it might have been ok to apply in August for a visa to start your studies in September. This year that`s going to be much too late.
“So, I appreciate that some of you may still be getting your paperwork together, your confirmation of acceptance of study, your requirement for your TB clearance, and of course your exams result.
“But there is other paperwork that you can be starting to put together so you have everything together in one package, so you can just press go as soon as all the paperwork is complete.
“The reason for this is that UKVI, our visa and immigration processing system is under enormous pressure. You will all be aware of the horrible humanitarian situation in Ukraine, and we have to prioritize processing visas to people trying to get out of that horrible war zone.
“That means we have had to pause our priority and super priority visa processing systems. So it is really really imperative that you get your paperwork together as soon as possible and you apply as early as you can.
“So please help us to help you to make sure you get to the UK in September for your studies, which is going to be fabulous. We want you to have a wonderful time studying in the UK”, she said
