£3,000 Visa Bond: Plan Being Reviewed

Reports had emerged earlier this year that the British government was planning to implement a new scheme under which some visitors from some Commonwealth countries, including Nigeria, would be asked to pay a £3,000 cash bond in return for visitor visas that allowed them to stay in the UK for up to six months.

The development had resulted in an outcry by nationals of the affected countries with the Nigerian government calling on its British counterpart to renounce the policy.

However, the British High Commissioner, after ringing the closing bell at NSE in Lagos yesterday told journalists that, “We have made it very clear to our government in London that there is concern about this. So, this is being reviewed and considered in London as we speak now.”

Pocock, who said visas were issued to 125,000 Nigerians every year, added, “If we decide that this will become a policy we will tell, firstly then Nigerian government and secondly, the Nigerian people so everyone has all the information they need. This is not a major threat to Nigerians coming to the UK; that I can guarantee.”

According to Pocock, the scheme will not be a threat to Nigerians because even if it is implemented it will affect only a fraction of Nigerians who apply for UK visas.

He also clarified that, “The visa bond, as it is being called here, is not a £3,000 charge for a British Visa. That is not the case, it is not going to happen now and it is not going to happen in the future. Visa fee, which is what you pay for a visa, will not go to £3,000 or anywhere near it.”