This archive report was first published on 17 July 2019.
Published on July 17, 2019, a study by the All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG) for Africa has exposed the UK visa system's shortcomings, particularly in its treatment of African applicants.
The study found that the current system is inaccessible, under-resourced, and perceived as discriminatory against Africans. In fact, Africans are more than twice as likely to be denied a UK visa as applicants from other parts of the world.
According to the report, the use of a centralized application system that requires many African applicants to travel long distances to apply for a visa is a significant barrier. The research team also noted the presence of weak quality control, lack of oversight, and perceived procedural unfairness against Africans.
Furthermore, the study identified financial discrimination in decision-making as another barrier, with many applications being rejected due to insufficient funds, even when all costs have been guaranteed by a sponsoring third party.
Ms. Chinyelu Susan Onwurah, a member of the British Labor Party and the MP for Newcastle, noted that the broken visa system is doing severe damage to UK-Africa relations and the British economy and society.
The team recommended a review of UK visa issuance rules to ease access for African applicants and salvage British business, academia, arts, and culture, which have been hard hit by the 'bias'.
