UK charges fee for visa email enquiries

The British High Commission says email enquiries by visa customers applying from outside the UK now attract a fee. The high commission made this known in a report on changes to UK visas & immigration customer care operations made available by the Media Officer, Joseph Abuku, in Abuja.

According to the report, the changes will help the government reduce costs and ensure that those who benefit directly from the UK immigration system make an appropriate contribution.

“Effective June 1, email enquiries by visa customers from overseas will attract a fee. How you contact UK Visas and Immigration is changing. From 1 June, all customer enquiries will be handled by a new commercial partner Sitel UK. The new contract will see a number of changes for customers,” he said.

The high commission stated that changes were made in all phone numbers and opening hours. Other changes made were a reduction in the number of languages offered including English, and a fee of £5.48 for customers who contact the UK Visas and Immigration by email.

“You will need to pay using a credit or debit card for contacting us by email. The charge includes the first email enquiry you send and any follow-up emails to and from the contact centre relating to the same enquiry. The way you pay to use the telephone service will remain the same using a credit or debit card. If you do not have access to a credit or debit card, you may choose to use a trusted 3rd party such as an agent or sponsor.”

The UK mission, however, stated that there were no changes to services for customers contacting from inside the UK. (NAN)