UK Launches Premium Visa Centres in Enugu and Port Harcourt to Serve Growing Nigerian Demand

The United Kingdom has officially opened Premium Visa Application Centres in Enugu and Port Harcourt, Nigeria, to streamline visa processing for residents in these regions.

The centres, situated at Omedel Luxury Hotel in Enugu and Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt, aim to ease access amid increasing applications, particularly during the peak summer travel period.

These new facilities augment existing centres in Abuja and Lagos, which have been serving Nigerian applicants since late 2024. Online appointment booking is available via VFS Global’s platform.

Rt. Hon. Lord David Hanson, Minister of State at the Home Office, emphasized the strategic importance of these centres: “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.”

Alok Singhal, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at VFS Global, noted, “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.”

Applicants using these centres benefit from enhanced services including biometric enrolment, document upload assistance, and courier return options. This expansion reflects the UK’s commitment to facilitating travel for Nigerian nationals, who remain among the top four global applicants for UK visit visas.