Nigerian Student, Job, Family Visas Restricted In The UK
In light of the continuing Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the United Kingdom has stated that it has stopped priority visas for Nigerian students, workers, and family members.
In a statement released yesterday and made available to THISDAY, the British government declared that its attention was being focused on Ukrainians who are in desperate situations as a result of the Russian army’s invasion of their nation.
“Unfortunately, we are still unable to provide PV for visitor applications in Nigeria at this time. Standard visitor applications are presently taking an average of six weeks to complete, according to the Department of Homeland Security “stated the government of the United Kingdom.
“When an applicant’s passport is available for pickup, the Visa Application Centre (VAC) will call them to let them know. They should not attend the VAC unless and until they have been requested to do so by the organization. Please accept our apologies for any trouble this may have caused.”
Since the Russian military crossed the border into Ukraine on February 24, the nation has been subjected to a barrage of missile and armored strikes. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have left the country as a result of the conflict, prompting friendly European countries to rush to take them in as refugees as a result.
Applicants for priority visas under the Ukraine Family Scheme are currently being prioritized, following the scheme’s launch and in response to the humanitarian crisis resulting from the invasion of Ukraine, the British government announced in an email to Nigerians who wish to submit a priority visa application.
The message went on to say, “UKVI has temporarily paused priority and super priority services for new study, employment, and family visa applications as a consequence of this development. There may be occasional processing delays for customers who submit regular applications via the study, employment, and family pathways.”
The Ukraine Family Scheme was established by the British government as part of its humanitarian efforts to help Ukrainians in need.
Ukrainians may apply for a visa under the program in order to join family members in the United Kingdom or to prolong their stay in the country. According to the United Kingdom government, the visa is free to apply for and enables Ukrainians to live, work, and study in the country while also having access to public funding and services there.
Following the outbreak of the crisis in Ukraine, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) reports that the UK government is providing a range of economic, humanitarian and defensive military assistance to the country, including the provision of additional humanitarian aid for critical medical supplies and other assistance, as well as supporting non-governmental organization responders by matching £25 million in public donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine humanitarian appeal.
As part of its defensive military assistance to Ukraine, it said that it was continuing to collaborate with international partners to deliver crucial weaponry to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well.
The United Kingdom has placed a slew of penalties on Russia and its interests, including persons thought to be associates of President Vladimir Putin’s regime, in addition to the humanitarian gesture to Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced the imposition of over 370 further Russian and Belarussian penalties, bringing the total number of persons and companies sanctioned by the United Kingdom under the Russian sanctions system to over 1,000 since the invasion.
More Russian billionaires and their family members, as well as Putin’s political supporters and propagandists, are targeted by the sanctions. The United Kingdom is also penalizing over 370 other persons, 51 of them are oligarchs and members of their families.
True, the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act, which has received Royal Assent, allows the UK government to act in the public interest by designating individuals and entities under an urgent procedure while evidence is gathered to sanction them under “our own standard procedure,” according to Truss.
“Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven, and German Khan are among the Russian billionaires who have been sanctioned by the United Kingdom. Each of the oligarchs who are set to be sanctioned today is thought to have a combined net worth of more than £100 billion (estimated net worth based on Forbes estimates) “Truss threw in his two cents.
“Putin’s political friends, including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, have all been sanctioned as a result of the sanctions.
Meanwhile, Russian propagandists have been identified, including Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary, and Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Internet Research Agency, a well-known ‘troll farm’ on the internet, has also been barred from operating.”