The Home Office has announced that UK Visa and Citizenship Application Centres will partly re-open in June 2020.
Applicants for leave to remain or British citizenship who have submitted their applications but were unable to book or attend a biometric appointment, will be contacted by their nearest centre and offered an appointment.
Under normal circumstances, the biometric appointment has to be attended within three weeks of submitting the application.
We do not expect that there will be pressure to attend a newly available appointment on anyone who is in high risk group or is feeling unwell, or is in self-isolation. However, there is no guidance as to how the appointments will be allocated and how far applicants will be expected to travel if their usual local centres remain closed.
The following service centres will open in the UK on 1 June:
- Birmingham
- Birmingham Premium Lounge
- Chelmsford
- Croydon
- Exeter
- Leeds
- London Mark Lane Premium Lounge
- London Victoria
- Manchester Fountain Street Enhanced Service Point
- Manchester Premium Lounge
- Sheffield
- Southampton
English Language Test centres
All language test centres in the UK are still closed.
Outside the UK, IELTS centres are resuming their services in some countries.
Visa application centres outside the UK
VFS has been announced that some visa application centres will reopen in June. In Australia, visa processing will resume from 1 June but on a limited basis and priority service will not be available yet.
It is best to check the government website for the country of interest as there is no centralised hub spot for all overseas UK visa centres.
Applicants who submitted their online applications and are waiting for their biometric appointment will be contacted as soon as their nearest centre re-opens.
If you need help with your application or need legal advice, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
