COVID 19: UK Immigration Application Centres Re-open

UKVCAS service points provide several services for those who need to complete their UK visa application processes, including taking biometrics, uploading of supporting documents, translation and interpretation, and document checking.

Due to the coronavirus lockdown, the Home Office & the UKVI temporarily closed all UKVCAS centres in the UK. Nevertheless, in May 2020, the UKVI announced a “phased reopening” of its services points, which has been officially finalised from the start of June.

There are 57 UKVCAS offices across the UK which are reopening from 1^st June 2020.

• Birmingham (Core)
• Birmingham – Premium Lounge
• Chelmsford
• Exeter
• Leeds
• London – Croydon (Core)
• London – Premium Lounge (Mark Lane)
• London – ESP (Mark Lane)
• London – Victoria
• Manchester Fountain Street ESP
• Manchester – Premium Lounge
• Sheffield
• Southampton

An announcement on the UKVCAS website explains that premium, super-premium, and Vis services are not being offered at the current time. It also states:

“Following government guidelines and Public Health England advice on Coronavirus, UKVCAS, in conjunction with UKVI, will begin a controlled, phased reopening of Service Points from 1st June 2020. Our priority remains the safety of customers and staff and to ensure we deliver an effective service that meets public health guidelines. This means that initially, we can only offer our service at a reduced number of locations, and at a lower capacity than usual. We understand that this may affect your booking and it may not be possible for you to attend an appointment at one of the reopened sites. We appreciate your patience as we work with UKVI to resume the service safely”.

I had an appointment booked before the UKVCAS offices closed. What should I do?

UKVCAS confirmed that anyone who had an appointment booked before the centres were closed, will be contacted via email to explain how to proceed. If your closes service point is closed, you may be offered an appointment at another location.

Besides, UKVCAS also confirms that it will honour any existing payment, and no charge will be made for the new appointment.

We have offices located across the UK, including in London, Manchester, and Birmingham. You can also use the office finder to find the closest branch to you.

There are 57 UKVCAS offices across the UK which are reopening from 1st June 2020.

The UKVI centres are now reopening from 1st June [image: Civil Service World)