Legislation
Coronavirus Latest – UK Visa Centres Now Closed
As of 29/03/2020 Sopra Steria has closed all its UK visa centres for an unspecified period of time to combat the spread of Covid-19.
What does this mean for me?
If you have already submitted your application and cannot attend an appointment. You will have to wait until the centres re-open and the booking system goes back up in order to book your appointment. Unfortunately your application will not be considered until you have provided your biometrics, so you may face a longer wait than anticipated for a decision to be made.
If you have not yet submitted your application for an extension or change of category and your visa is running out, you should still submit your application as normal. Failure to do so may result in you being classed as an overstayer if your visa expires and you have not successfully secured an extension. The same applies to those hoping to switch visa category in country who have not applied for the extension to 31/05/2020. You will not be able to book your appointment, but you will be able to submit and pay any relevant fees as normal, you should also still register with UKVCAS by clicking the ‘book my biometric appointment’ button after submitting your application.
If you already booked your appointment but it was cancelled, your appointment will automatically be rebooked for a date approximately 6 weeks ahead. You do not need to do anything, if it is rebooked to a time or location which is not convenient for you, you will be able to cancel and rebook once the booking system is open again.
UKVCAS will be making the Home Office aware of all applications and has issued assurances that no application will be negatively affected by Covid-19. This suggests that the normal rules around booking an appointment within 45 days of submission are likely to be extended, however the terms of the extension have yet to be announced.
If you are in the process of making an application, have a visa which is due to expire, or are concerned about the impact of Covid-19, please get in touch at [email protected] or on 01403 801 801 for a consultation.