The UK has announced that it has suspended priority visas for student, work and family applications for Nigerians amid ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
In a statement, the British government stated that its focus was being directed at Ukrainians who are in dire straits due to the invasion of their country by Russian army.
“We are still currently unable to offer PV for visitor applications in Nigeria. Standard visitor applications are currently taking an average of six weeks to process,” said the UK government. “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. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Ukraine has come under severe missile and armoured attacks since February 24 when the Russian soldiers stepped into the European country. Amid the war, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have fled the country leaving friendly European nations rushing to take them in as refugees.
“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,” announced the British government to Nigerians intending to make priority visa application.
The statement added, “As a result, UKVI have 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.”
As part of its humanitarian efforts to assist Ukrainians, the British government set up the Ukraine Family Scheme.
The visa scheme allows Ukrainians to apply to join family members or extend their stay in the UK. According to the UK government, the visa is free to apply for and allows Ukrainians to live, work and stud in Britain and access public funds.
According to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the UK government is providing a range of economic, humanitarian and defensive military assistance to Ukraine, including the provision of additional humanitarian aid for vital medical supplies and other help, including supporting non-governmental organisation responders by match funding £25 million of public donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine humanitarian appeal. It said it was also providing defensive military aid to Ukraine, continuing to work with international partners to supply vital weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Besides the humanitarian gesture to Ukraine, the UK government has imposed a laundry of sanctions on Russia and its interests, including individuals deemed as allies to President Vladimir Putin’s government.
The UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced over 370 more Russian and Belarussian sanctions on Tuesday, which means the UK had designated over 1,000 individuals and entities since invasion under the Russian sanctions regime. The sanctions include more Russian oligarchs and their family members, Putin’s political allies, and propagandists. The UK is also sanctioning over 370 more individuals, 51 of whom are oligarchs and their family members.
According to Truss, the vast majority of Tuesday’s designations are made possible under the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act, which has Royal Assent, giving the UK government new powers to act in the public interest and immediately designate individuals and entities under an urgent procedure, while evidence is gathered to sanction them under “our own standard procedure.”
“Russian oligarchs now subject to UK sanctions include Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven, and German Khan. The oligarchs who will be sanctioned today have a combined estimated worth of more than £100 billion (estimated net worth based on Forbes),” added Truss. “Putin political allies now sanctioned include Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and former President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev. Meanwhile, Russian propagandists who have been designated include Putin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov and Russian Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, among others. A notorious internet ‘troll farm’, the Internet Research Agency, has also been sanctioned.”
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