The United Kingdom Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has announced that VFS Global will replace TLScontact as the official partner managing visa application services in Nigeria.
This transition is part of a global update affecting multiple regions, set to begin on November 19, 2024.
Visa Application Centres (VACs) work with selected commercial partners to handle visa applications on behalf of UKVI. With this change, applicants in certain locations may start their application with one provider and finish it with another, highlighting the need for awareness among visa applicants.
The UK government also noted that the shift to VFS Global will be carried out gradually across various regions.
Nigeria will from 19 November 2024, join this list, with VFS Global taking over the management of visa application centres.
While countries like Cyprus (North), France, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan will transition to VFS Global from 5 November 2024.
Nigerians applying for UK visas are advised to stay informed and vigilant during this transition by watching for emails since affected applicants will receive communications from both TLScontact and VFS Global.
They also advocated thorough email verification, stressing that applicants must ensure the email received are from addresses ending in @tlscontact.com or @vfsglobal.com.
The UK government also encouraged applicants to attend appointments.
They also noted that applicants who have paid the mandatory User Pay (MUP) fees to TLScontact when booking appointment, may need to pay again if appointments are changed to one with VFS Global.
The transition will also result in changes to the addresses and opening hours of some visa application centres.
However, it’s important to note that the changes will not affect the decision-making process for applications or the duration it takes to receive a decision.