Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the merits of allowing Tier 4 applications from international students to be processed without biometrics for students in countries where visa centres remain closed.

Students, like other visa applicants, are required to attend a visa application centre (VAC) to provide documents and enrol their biometrics, this is a minimum mandated security requirement for all visa national travellers to the UK.

Biometrics play a significant role in delivering security and facilitation in the border and immigration system. They enable quick and robust identity assurance and suitability checks on foreign nationals subject to immigration control.

As restrictions continue to be lifted by governments, overseas VACs are reopening, enabling students to apply for the required visa to study in the UK.? As centres reopen, details of these will be published on our commercial partner websites. As of 29th June, 113 visa application centres have reopened.

UKVI operations and the Education sector are working closely to ensure student applications are not impacted by earlier closures as a result of Covid-19.