Update: Reopening of Visa Application Centres

Please note: this article was produced during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic and as such some of the information may no longer be relevant or up-to-date. Please reach out to us for advice on the current process for applying for a visa. 

On Friday the 19th of June, UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) announced the next steps that will be undertaken as part of the phased reopening of visa application centres.

From Monday the 22nd of June onwards, UKVCAS will be releasing more appointments, adding new service points and opening the booking system to additional customers in phases based on registration dates.

The Booking System

The booking system will be reopened in date order beginning with those who registered with UKVCAS prior to the 27th of March but did not have an appointment. This represents forward momentum within the phased reopening process, as previously only those with outstanding appointments were able to attend a visa application centre.

UKVCAS is working from the earliest to the most recent registrations as this is deemed the fairest approach to take. UKVCAS customers who registered prior to the 27th of March ought to receive an email on either the 21st or 22nd of June that details how to arrange an appointment.

Service Points

UKVCAS has stated that all service points are clean and safe with social distancing measures built in. Due to the government’s COVID-19 guidelines, application and citizenship services will initially only be offered at a reduced number of locations and at a lower capacity than usual.

The following visa application centres were opened on the 22nd of June:

• Belfast
• Cardiff Bay (Temporary Core)
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow (Core)
• Manchester (Temporary Core)

The following application centres are scheduled to open on the stated dates:

• Aberdeen- w/c 20 July
• Bournemouth- w/c 20 July
• Canterbury- w/c 20 July
• Cardiff (Core)- w/c 6 July
• Coventry- w/c 3 August
• Gloucester-  w/c 27 July
• Hemel Hempstead- w/c 6 July
• Hull- w/c 6 July
• Ipswich- w/c 6 July
• Llandudno- w/c 20 July
• London – Edmonton Green- w/c 6 July
• London – Enfield- w/c 6 July
• London – Stratford- w/c 3 August
• Manchester (Core)- w/c 6 July
• Newcastle- w/c 27 July
• Newport- w/c 20 July
• Peterborough- w/c 6 July
• Reading- w/c 20 July
• Swindon- w/c 20 July
• Taunton    – w/c 6 July
• Wolverhampton- w/c 3 August

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