₦airaland Forum

The head of two of the Home Office sections at the centre of the Windrush scandal has told staff he will be stepping down next year.

Mark Thomson, the director general of HM Passport Office (HMPO) and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), will be replaced in March and then take on a number of advisory roles and non-executive directorships.

Both departments will have key roles issuing passports and visas post-Brexit, particularly if the UK leaves without a deal.


His departure is a fourth blow to the government’s Brexit planning. It comes after Sir Jon Thompson quit as the head of HMRC, Karen Wheeler, who was in charge of Brexit border delivery at HMRC, retired, and Tom Shinner left his job in charge of no-deal planning at the Department for Exiting the European Union for a role in the private sector.

Thomson’s sections of the Home Office have been under pressure since they were criticised by a home affairs select committee report last year.

UKVI in particular was criticised for demanding a standard of proof from applicants which could not be met.

Thomson became the head of the passport office in 2015, shortly after it was stripped of its executive agency status and instead made a division within the Home Office. He was made head of UKVI the following year.

When he was initially appointed, his salary of £164,000 was criticised for being paid 60% more than his predecessor. He had previously worked for the Royal Mail for nearly 30 years.


Thomson, in a leaked email sent to staff, disclosed that his job is now being advertised.

“The sharp eyed amongst you may notice that my job has been advertised today. I wanted to let you all know that after five years in the Home Office I have decided the time has come for me to move on and leave my position as director general of UKVI and HMPO,” he wrote.

He said that he planned to take up “a small portfolio of advisory roles and non-executive roles”.

It has also recently emerged that Home Office profits on UK visas had surged by millions of pounds a week since visa operations were outsourced.

An investigation by Finance Uncovered and the Independent revealed that the UK government made £1.6bn from visa applicants in the five years since it outsourced the bulk of its overseas visa services to the Dubai-based firm VFS – a ninefold increase on the five years before.

The company, which has its headquarters in the United Arab Emirates but is owned through holding companies in Jersey, the Cayman Islands and Luxembourg, has been accused of “gross maladministration” and “aggressive” selling of optional services since taking the contract in 2014.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Mark Thomson has made the decision to leave his post in March 2020 for personal reasons. His departure will be phased to ensure minimal disruption to both HM Passport Office and UK Visas and Immigration.”

https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/22/home-office-passport-and-visa-chief-mark-thomson-set-to-resign

I would comment when I park

Is this not legitimate scam

One man from Russia came with his MMM and scam us, instead of Nigerian Government to fish him out, rather they’re calling us gullibles for falling for such scam.

Why didn’t US government call their citizens gullibles for falling victims of Nigerian scammers??

Why didn’t Nigerian Government declared the Russian guy wanted just as US declared Nigerian scammers wanted??

Go to US embassy in Lagos, only morning section, you’ll see over 500 applicants applying for US visa, out of the 500, US will only grant 4 or 5 persons visa request. Then, what happened to the visa fee of other 495 applicants(morning section only)?? What’s the essence of collecting visa fee when you don’t grant visa?
Our government will never say anything about this!!!

Davash222:
Is this not legitimate scam

One man from Russia came with his MMM and scam us, instead of Nigerian Government to fish him out, rather they’re calling us gullibles for falling for such scam.

Why didn’t US government call their citizens gullibles for falling victims of Nigerian scammers??

Why didn’t Nigerian Government declared the Russian guy wanted just as US declared Nigerian scammers wanted??

Go to US embassy in Lagos, only morning section, you’ll see over 500 applicants applying for US visa, out of the 500, US will only grant 4 or 5 persons visa request. Then, what happened to the visa fee of other 495 applicants(morning section only)?? What’s the essence of collecting visa fee when you don’t grant visa?
Our government will never say anything about this!!!

Do you pay and resit an examination, if you failed ? Or you would demand a refund, because you failed ?....

Lexusgs430:
Do you pay and resit an examination, if you failed ? Or you would demand a refund, because you failed ?....

Oh, thank you so much for this On Point Response.

Beautyaddy:
Oh, thank you so much for this On Point Response.

People seem to forget that a logistical process is involved in all applications ............... They have not forced us to apply for visas, we are willingly giving them our application fees........

Lexusgs430:
People seem to forget that a logistical process is involved in all applications ............... They have not forced us to apply for visas, we are willingly giving them our application fee .........

Other countries such as Kenya you only pay visa fee when your visa is approved, so why Nigeria own different and Fed Government aren't saying anything about it.

MPESA:
Other countries such as Kenya you only pay visa fee when your visa is approved, so why Nigeria own different and Fed Government aren't saying anything about it.

Does Nigerian embassy around the world do the same?

MPESA:
Other countries such as Kenya you only pay visa fee when your visa is approved, so why Nigeria own different and Fed Government aren't saying anything about it.

Do Americans visiting Nigeria, pay a visa fee?........ And in the likely case that their application is rejected, do they expect a refund?.....

justwise:
Does Nigerian embassy around the world do the same?

I now understand the reason behind it because I was so surprise and mad when I realized it.
THANKS

Lexusgs430:
Do[b] Americans visiting Nigeria, pay a visa fee?.[/b]....... And in the likely case that their application is rejected, do they expect a refund?.....

don't they?

miqos02:
don't they?

They never get refunded........

MPESA:
Other countries such as Kenya you only pay visa fee when your visa is approved, so why Nigeria own different and Fed Government aren't saying anything about it.

Are you now happy with the increment in US visas? You pay 59K to apply and when visa gets approved, you pay the remaining 40K balance......

If visa is not approved, you don't pay the 40K balance.....

Lexusgs430:
Are you now happy with the increment in US visas? You pay 59K to apply and when visa gets approved, you pay the remaining 40K balance......

If visa is not approved, you don't pay the 40K balance.....

Sir why na , but they for reduce the already existing 59 to 20k if not approved then with approved visa to pay extra 39 totalling to the sum of 59k.... BTW @justwise stated it all boil down to our federal Government inability to reduce ours for other countries citizens AND now USA Consulate stating the same , of which they have draw the attention of Nigeria Government since 2018 about 18 months ago .

P.s
This is sane country that care for it's citizen well-being.

MPESA:
Sir why na , but they for reduce the already existing 59 to 20k if not approved then with approved visa to pay extra 39 totalling to the sum of 59k.... BTW @justwise stated it all boil down to our federal Government inability to reduce ours for other countries citizens AND now USA Consulate stating the same , of which they have draw the attention of Nigeria Government since 2018 about 18 months ago .

P.s
This is sane country that care for it's citizen well-being.

The increment is simply..... Do me, I Do you..... God no vess........

Lexusgs430:
The increment is simply..... Do me, I Do you..... God no vess........

You nailed it.