London was never part of the plan but I done did it

Somewhere in my head, I have a list of places, I would like to see, the list changes from time to time. At this time, I have Cancun Mexico, Chefchaouen Morocco, Santa Maria, Cape Verde on my list. At no time have I really considered London, England but then like I said previously, the list changes from time to time. London got on the list in September 2019, I got my uk visa in October 2019 and eventually visited in March 2020.

London was fun. A little below my expectation but it was the closest I have felt to home in the almost 9 months I have been away. I enjoyed meeting friends and family while in London. I had nostalgic feelings overhearing phone conversation in Igbo and listening to train announcements being made with Yoruba accent.

I had planned to visit Manchester but did not eventually get around to visiting. I will be sharing the uk visa application process but first, answers to a few questions that are frequently asked questions about London, England and United Kingdom.

Is London Safe?

I am not sure why this is one of the top searched  questions about London but I was in London for a week and I never felt unsafe. I am open minded and my benchmark for safety is probably low but as long as I did not feel any form of harassment or risk, I guess its pretty ok to use the word safe.  I took public transportation for most of my stay in London and I really did a bit of moving around. I also did quite a bit of late nights and I would totally say there is nothing to be worried about.

Is London a city or a country

London would be more appropriately described as a city rather than a country. England is the country and there are several other cities in England such as Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and a host of others. London is however the major city and also one of the major cities in the world. It manages to blend being a major financial hub and a major tourist attraction center.

Is London Separate from England

Nope, it is not, London is in England just like Lagos is in Nigeria

UK Visa

A visa is required for Nigerians to visit London or any other city in England. Application for is filled out online.

UK Visa Requirements

1. Passport Photograph with size specification
2. Current passport with blank pages (Passport must be valid for duration of stay)
3. Previous travel passports, which show previous travel.
4. Financial documents showing that you have sufficient funds available.
5. Proof of earnings such as a letter from employer confirming employment details (start date of employment, salary, role, company contact details on company headed paper and leave of absence)
6. If self-employed, business registration documents confirming the business owner’s name and the date the business started trading.
7. Full time students, a letter from your education provider, on headed paper, confirming your enrollment and leave of absence
8. Where a third party (who is either in the UK or who will be legally in the UK at the time of your visit) is providing financial support to you e.g. a business, a friend or a relative, documents to show they have sufficient resources to support you.
9. Confirmation of legal residence, if you are not a national of the country in which you are applying or your right to reside there is not included in your passport.

UK Visa Application in Nigeria

TLScontact is the Commercial Partner of UK Visas and Immigration, part of the UK government. They provide services to customers applying for UK visas in Nigeria. The UK Visa application centers are in Lagos (Victoria Island and Ikeja) and Victoria Island. The steps are as follows

• Register;
• Complete your visa application forms;
• Pay the visa fee;
• Book your appointment
• Retrive your passport

Checkout TLS’s website here for more information for your UK visa application.

How much is UK visa fee

UK visa depends on the class of visa and the visa duration that is being applied for. I applied for the standard visitor visa which allows you to stay for not more than 6 months. The purpose of this visa is for tourism and short stays. It took about 2 weeks to get my passport back. The UK has priority, super priority and premium visa service which in my opinion was ridiculously expensive. These visa options allows shorter processing time and would only recommend for urgent visits or unless of course, youve got money to throw arround.

Questions? Hit me up in the comment section.