THE Director of UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), Marc Owen, has called for digitising vital records in Nigeria to enhance migration processes.
He also cautioned Nigerians against falling prey to visa fraud.
Owen made these calls during his first official visit to Nigeria earlier this week. The trip underscored the country’s significance as one of the UK’s largest visa markets, according to a statement by the UKVI office on Thursday, November 28.
During the visit, Owen met with government officials and other stakeholders in Abuja and Lagos, where he emphasised the importance of digitising records such as birth and death certificates and tuberculosis test certificates.
Owen also noted that doing so would improve how these records are stored, transmitted, and verified.
He said this would benefit Nigeria and the UK by fostering transparency and efficiency in migration procedures.
According to the statement, in Abuja, Owen held discussions with the director for Legal, Migration, and Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Asari Allotey, and with representatives from the National Population Commission (NPC) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
He also visited the British Council office, where he toured the English language test centre and engaged with student counsellors and UK university representatives.
Owen’s visit to Lagos included a meeting with the UK Joint Border Task Force (JBTF) and prominent business leaders.
He also inspected operations at the newly inaugurated UK Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Ikeja, managed by VFS Global, the UK’s new commercial partner.
While highlighting these advancements in his organisation’s operations, Owen issued a stern warning to Nigerians to avoid fraudulent travel agents and apply for UK visas only through official UKVI channels.
He stressed that engaging fraudsters would jeopardise applications and undermine the trust and integrity of the UK visa system.
“Throughout his time in Nigeria, Marc also addressed the challenges posed by visa fraud and fake travel agents and cautioned visa applicants to be vigilant and reiterated the importance of using only official UKVI channels when applying for UK visas. This step is vital to safeguarding applicants and maintaining trust in the visa process.
“His visit marks a new chapter in UK-Nigeria collaboration, with promises of greater engagement and impactful outcomes,” the statement added.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M