The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: Visa

  • UK Universities Withdraw Admission Offers to Nigerian Students

    Some United Kingdom universities have withdrawn the admissions of Nigerian students due to an ongoing visa crackdown by the British government impacting international applicants.

    The universities revoked admissions given mostly to Nigerian and Pakistani applicants in the first half of 2026, driven by tightening rules from the Home Office regarding visas for international students.

    According to a Financial Times report on Saturday, a study showed that 10.5 per cent of study visa applications to the UK ended up being withdrawn, up from 2.3 per cent in the same period last year and 0.4 per cent in 2023.

    “Universities are revoking offers en masse made to international applicants from countries including Nigeria and Pakistan as they fear the UK government’s visa crackdown will result in a ban on their recruiting international students,” the report stated.

    The Financial Times noted that the institutions clarified they revoked admissions in reaction to a doubling in the number of study visas refused by the Home Office during the first six months of 2026.

    The report stated that 22.7 per cent of study visa applications from Nigeria were withdrawn in the first half of this year, compared to 4.5 per cent in the first half of 2025.

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    “While visa applications can be withdrawn for other reasons, universities said the main driver had been an increase in their revoking offers,” it added.

    The British publication further stated that the surge in Home Office study visa rejections has been driven by a higher increase in refusals from applicants suspected by the UK government of using the route to make asylum claims.

    Data from visa processing application firm Enroly indicates that nearly half of universities have refusal rates above the five per cent threshold, which could lead to a ban on recruiting international students.

    Speaking on the repercussions of the visa revocations, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sunderland, Sir David Bell, said, “This has involved pulling back from international markets where a tougher approach is being taken to visa applications”.

    Vanessa Wilson, chief executive of University Alliance, a group of 20 professional and technical universities, warned, “This is going to result in restructures, which inevitably result in job losses, course closures, campus closures”. Punch

  • Alleged unfair practices: FCCPC seals France, Belgium, Italy visa centres

    Alleged unfair practices: FCCPC seals France, Belgium, Italy visa centres

    The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has raided the Abuja office of Contact Tele-performance Company (TLC), a visa support outfit, and sealed the premises following alleged consumer rights violations as well as assault on security officers by agents of the centre.

    The Director of Surveillance and Investigations, Mrs. Boladale Adeyinka, who led the enforcement team to the business premises, explained that the commission was left with no option but to seal the business premises as a result of these infractions.

    She also alleged that FCCPC enforcement agents were assaulted by persons acting on the company’s behalf.

    Adeyinka further explained that the investigation into TLS—a private company offering visa support services to Nigerians—began in March 2025, following complaints from consumers over the non-provision of services they had paid for.

    On March 25, the FCCPC served TLS a letter in line with its normal complaint resolution process. Instead of addressing the complaint, their officers assaulted FCCPC operatives carrying out their lawful duty of enforcing consumer rights.

    She further noted that the situation took a turn for the worse when TLS officials not only refused to collect a letter of summons to appear before the Commission, but also assaulted police officers who were providing lawful security for FCCPC operations.

    The FCCPC officer further said, “In line with Section 18(1)(f) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Tunji Bello directed the sealing of the premises.”

    She emphasized that the Commission had reasonable grounds to believe that certain services rendered by TLS were “inimical to consumer welfare,” and as such, its operations were suspended pending further investigation.

    According to her, senior officers of TLS, including the country manager and centre manager, have been summoned to appear before the Commission on or before 2:00 pm on Friday, June 20, 2025, to explain their conduct and defend the company’s actions.

    Adeyinka cautioned the management of the company against refusing to honour the latest summons, noting that dire consequences await those who choose to do so.

    She said, “Section 33(3) of the FCCPC Act stipulates that failure to comply with a summons, without sufficient cause, is an offense punishable by up to three years imprisonment, a fine of up to ₦20m, or both.”

    “Section 33(4) goes further to state that any person who willfully obstructs or interrupts proceedings of the Commission is liable to the same penalties. TLS’s actions clearly fall under these violations.”

    She reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to protecting consumers within the confines of the Act establishing it.

    In response to a question about the nature of the original complaint, Adeyinka explained that it involved “non-provision of paid visa processing services” by TLS, a core issue affecting many Nigerians who rely on such centres for travel documentation.

    The FCCPC urged affected consumers to come forward with evidence of service failure as investigations continue.

    She said the sealing of TLS’s office serves as a stern warning to service providers across the country that the Commission will not hesitate to act decisively in defence of consumer rights. Vanguard