On 1 February 2026 the UK Visas & Immigration directorate quietly refreshed its official list of approved tuberculosis (TB) testing clinics in Nigeria and neighbouring Benin—an essential step for anyone applying to stay in Britain for longer than six months.(gov.uk)
The guidance, first published in 2014, now reflects clinic relocations in Lagos and Kano, adds a new panel physician in Abuja and clarifies booking procedures following recent payment-fraud incidents. Applicants must obtain a chest-X-ray certificate dated no more than six months before the visa decision; failing to use an approved clinic leads to automatic refusal.
![Home Office Updates Nigeria TB-Testing Panel for UK Visa Applicants]()
Those who would rather outsource the administrative heavy lifting can turn to VisaHQ for help. The company’s UK office (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) continuously monitors Home Office updates, assists West African applicants in locking in appointments at recognised clinics and pre-checks medical and sponsorship paperwork—helping employers and travellers avoid the automatic refusals that come from simple oversights.
For employers sponsoring Skilled Worker and Global Business Mobility transfers from West Africa, the update matters. HR teams should circulate the new clinic addresses and advise candidates to schedule tests early, as appointment backlogs have averaged three weeks in Lagos. The Home Office also reminds applicants that children aged 11 and under now need a medical examination form even if an X-ray is unnecessary—closing a loophole that previously caused airport delays when families travelled together.
The change dovetails with January’s tighter English-language rules and the forthcoming digitisation of entry documents. Immigration advisers say administrative errors, not eligibility, are now the main reason Nigerian applications are refused; up-to-date clinic information helps mitigate that risk.
The guidance, first published in 2014, now reflects clinic relocations in Lagos and Kano, adds a new panel physician in Abuja and clarifies booking procedures following recent payment-fraud incidents. Applicants must obtain a chest-X-ray certificate dated no more than six months before the visa decision; failing to use an approved clinic leads to automatic refusal.
Those who would rather outsource the administrative heavy lifting can turn to VisaHQ for help. The company’s UK office (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) continuously monitors Home Office updates, assists West African applicants in locking in appointments at recognised clinics and pre-checks medical and sponsorship paperwork—helping employers and travellers avoid the automatic refusals that come from simple oversights.
For employers sponsoring Skilled Worker and Global Business Mobility transfers from West Africa, the update matters. HR teams should circulate the new clinic addresses and advise candidates to schedule tests early, as appointment backlogs have averaged three weeks in Lagos. The Home Office also reminds applicants that children aged 11 and under now need a medical examination form even if an X-ray is unnecessary—closing a loophole that previously caused airport delays when families travelled together.
The change dovetails with January’s tighter English-language rules and the forthcoming digitisation of entry documents. Immigration advisers say administrative errors, not eligibility, are now the main reason Nigerian applications are refused; up-to-date clinic information helps mitigate that risk.
