Visas: Applications

(asked on 23rd April 2019) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the effect is on an immigration application of the applicant being unable to book a mandatory appointment with the UK Visa and Citizenship Applications Service as a result of no available appointments within a reasonable distance.


Answered by
Caroline Nokes Portrait
Caroline Nokes
This question was answered on 29th April 2019

UK Visa and Citizenship Application Service Centres are run by Sopra Steria Ltd (SSL) on behalf of UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI). There are six core sites across the UK at which enrolment services must be offered and beyond that, SSL offer a range of enhanced services, expanding biometric enrolment services to 51 other locations in line with their assessment of customer demand. SSL aims to offer all customers an appointment at their chosen location within five working days.

New appointments are released by SSL on a daily basis and UKVI continue to work with SSL to increase the number of appointments available to its customers through opening new service points and increasing the number of appointments available at its existing service points experiencing high demand.

Where an applicant in the UK who at the time of making an application has leave to enter or remain and the application to extend or vary is not decided before the person’s existing leave expires, section 3C extends the person’s existing leave until the application is decided (or withdrawn). Therefore, any delay in obtaining an appointment date will not affect an in-time application if biometrics are enrolled.

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