Visa Refusals –

Lagos Tops League Table

Ever wondered which country has the highest number of UK Visa refusals? The Independent Monitor’s 2005 report shows that the British Embassy which declined by far the highest number of visa applications (without the right of appeal) was Lagos, Nigeria.

The British High Commission in Lagos handled a staggering 101,000 visa applications in 2005, refusing just over 46,000 or 46% of Entry Clearance requests, an average of 180 every day.

Other Embassies which featured high on the list include Islamabad, with 50,000 applications and 17,000 refusals and Abuja with 44,000 applications and just over 19,000 cases declined.

Manila had the lowest rate of refusals at 22% of 9000 applications received.

The report entitled “Independent Monitor Entry Clearance refusals without the right of Appeal” was Chaired by Mrs Linda Costelloe Baker.

In a letter to The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, commenting on an Entry Clearance Manager's statement claiming that Entry Clearance Officers (ECO’s) based their decisions on “written and oral evidence, not on imaginary explanations” she said: 

“Many Entry Clearance Officers do indeed base decisions on facts, but others look careless and casual.

“I do not doubt UK Visas’ willingness to tackle the problem of lack of consistency, but in order to be successful it needs to be focused, and to improve the quality and capability of its internal review system.”

The document highlights the problems hundreds of thousands of potential visitors face in under-resourced and over-stretched British Embassy posts all over the world.

The cost of visa applications is expected to rise in April 2007 following a Government consultation last year. Let’s hope the price hikes will be matched by more resources and improved services.

If you should have any questions on visas, entry clearance or need help with an appeal, please email Charles Kelly info@immigrationmatters.co.uk.

I will be speaking at the ‘Showcase for Social Care and Social Work’, organized by Surrey Care Association and Skills for Care, on: “Employing Overseas Staff?” – 14^th March 2007 at the Copthorne Hotel, Effingham Park.