By Palma Ileye
Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Isah Jere Idris has appealed to the Government of the United Kingdom to relax the present stringent requirements for issuance of the UK Visas so that suitable and eligible Nigerians can migrate safely and regularly.
Saying that stringent regulations surrounding regular migration may inadvertently fuel irregular migration.
Jere made this appeal yesterday during the Opening session of the 2023 Nigerian/United Kingdom Migration, Justice and Home Affairs Bilateral talks held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Headquarters in Abuja.
He advocated on the need to be guided by the provisions of the Agreement on Returnees saying that it should be voluntary and humane.
He stated that irregular migrants to be returned should be treated with respect and dignity with regards to their human right and fundamental freedom while calling on the experts at the meeting to discuss the modalities of carrying out evacuation exercises.
In a similar vein, the CGIS called for the facilitation of official travels for Government functionaries noting that such an issue could be easily tackled with the introduction of Visa waiver for holders of Diplomatic and Official passports who were on official assignment.
According to him, the signing of the MoU on Migration Partnership does not only foster the relationship between the countries, but also opens a pathway for continued partnership for the protection of citizens of both countries and dealing with common threats in the area of Migration.
The NIS boss also seized the opportunity to applaud the United Kingdom for the successes recorded by the project, “Collaborating Against
Trafficking and Smuggling, CATS” executed by IOM and sponsored by the United Kingdom.
He stated that the program has assisted Nigeria in collaborating more effectively with the Republic of Niger to jointly tackle issues of Migrants Smuggling and Trafficking in Pserson adding that, “the project has provided us with a glossary of terminology which is assisting Border Officials in the Nigeria/ Republic of Niger Borderlines to effectively communicate with Migrants. In addition, the CATS project has also facilitated the drafting of an MoU on data sharing between Nigeria and Niger.
“CATS is a laudable project and I request that you extend it to the Nigeria/Benin and Nigeria/Cameroun Borders as reports have revealed that facilitators of Irregular Migration are switching to the NigeriaBenin-Niger and Nigeria-Cameroon -Gabon routes to perpetrate their crimes.”
Furthermore he expressed gratitude for the magnanimity in the provision of various classes of Visas through which Nigerians could travel to the United Kingdom.
“Permit me to express my profound gratitude to the delegation from the United Kingdom, the leader of the Nigeria Delegation on this Bilateral talk, Amb Akinremi Bolaji, and all stakeholders whose commitment and hardwork birthed the signing of the MoU between Nigeria and the United Kingdom on Migration Partnership in February 2022 in the United Kingdom. It is noteworthy that the countries had, since 2005, signed an Agreement on Immigration Returns,” he said.
In his words: “However, I will like to call on participants at this meeting to discuss issues like the costs of visa fees and the high rate of visa application rejections. On our side, I want to inform that the revised Nigeria Visa Policy, NVP 2020, is robust enough to make Nigeria an attractive investment destination for British citizens and all other Nationals.”
Adding that one of the high points of the new visa policy was the introduction of the Visa on Arrival regime, which is a business visa issued to high net worth investors upon their arrival in Nigeria.
