The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Andrew Pocock, has revealed that the Britain has put the intention to introduce £3,000 visa bond under review.
Pocock made the revelation when he visited the Nigerian Stock Exchange to ring the closing bell and also discussed ways in which more British companies could be encouraged to invest in the Nigeria’s capital market.
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.”
Pocock noted that even if it is implemented, the scheme will affect only a fraction of Nigerians who apply for UK visas.
Hence, it will not be a threat to Nigerians.
“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”, he also clarified.
Pocock also said although there are many security concerns of the British government but they were not insurmountable in many instance and could be managed by Britain.
“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”, he told reporters.
It could be recalled that earlier this year the British Government disclosed plans to employ a new scheme under which Nigeria and some other Commonwealth countries would pay a £3,000 cash bond in return for visitor visas after staying in the UK to six months.
It was also pointed out that the policy was expected to create a system of bonds that deters overstaying and recovers costs if a foreign national has used our public services in the long run.
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