Britain Introduces Visa By Post
Drops phone-in system
By Moses Jolayemi
The British High Commission is set to embark on a new visa application process which will enable Nigerians obtain visas by post. This according to the new Director of United Kingdom visa services in Nigeria, Mr. Chris Dix, will put an end to the seemingly endless queues for which the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos has come to be identified with in recent times.
The new process, Dix disclosed in an exclusive interview with THISDAY, will drop the phone-in system of visa appontment which has been hotly criticised as burdensome and time-wasting. The trend had in the last over one year created a lucrative business for touts who extorted between N10,000 and N30,000, from visa applicants unable to get through the telephone lines to secure appointment dates.
Dix who came into the country after four years in a similar position in India said he was given a clear mandate on arrival.
"My major objective is to refine, modify our service so that we'll be more productive and we'll see more visa applicants. Two, if a visa customer walked in to apply for a visa, he should be allowed to do so without having to spend hours or days on the telephone and without, having to be subjected to the tout treatment"
This mandate, he said, was given to him by the former High Commissioner, Sir Philip Thomas, who left the country a couple of weeks for his new assignment in New York.
To achieve the objective, Dix said the High Commission will soon employ the services of a few, selected courier companies which will send in the applicant's passport and all necessary supporting documents. The courier company will then bring back the passport to the customer after a decision has been taken. Those required to come forward for interview will, however, be invited This, he explained, will enable customers make their applications on any day they desire.
With the new system, more Nigerians will now be issued visas without being interviewed. The total turn around time for a visa application, he said, will be about a week or in "worst cases, not more than two weeks"
He, however, denied allegations that the High Commission staff are colluding with touts to extort money from applicants. He admitted having heard such insinuations many times in the past but explained none has been found to be true after due investigations.
"I recognise that at the moment, for many of our applicants, not all, but a significant portion of our applicants, the visa application process is a time-consuming, difficult and stressful experience for them. And what we have done, our main objective, is to reduce the stress and the inconveniences associated with the whole application process".
Though erradicating touting activities may not be achieved overnight, Dix however declared: "I assure you in a not too distant a future, we shall totally frustrate the touts and give Nigerians stress-free, prompt, courteous services. We believe they deserve this and we shall do all within our power to ensure this is achieved".
According to him, "What we are doing, at all times, is to make it difficult for touts to operate. We make it absolutely clear to our customers that the only fee that they should pay is the visa fee and there are three notices outside (visa gate) to that effect."
He also encouraged the public "to give us full details of any approaches they have from touts and we would follow them all up, absolutely all of them."
"We had many, many touts arrested, taken and detained by Nigeria Police. There are cases of prosecution underway at the moment. All our MOPOL (Mobile Policemen) officers outside are briefed to move suspected touts on, not really have to be sure that they are touts. Even if they are suspected they are gone immediately," he said.
Dix, however, emphasised that the new system should not in any way be misconstrued to mean that the rules guiding the decision for issuance of visas will no longer be observed.
According to him , the UK immigration rules remain unchanged. The process of making the application is what has been modified in order to give Nigerians a better service.
The applicant must still be able to back up the claims they are making.
Immigration laws are phrased in such a way that the onus is on the applicant to satisfy the visa officer, he said adding, "it's no for the visa officer to find something wrong within an application, necessarily. But the applicants have to take responsibility themselves to satisfy the visa officer that they are genuine travelers."
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