Biometrics: Families
(asked on 28th August 2020) - View Source
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provisions are being made for families of three or more to register their biometrics where (a) the closest UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services centres are no longer able to accommodate them due restrictions due to the covid-19 outbreak and (b) travelling a longer distance to an alternative centre is not viable.
Following initial closures as a result of global Covid-19 restrictions, UK Visa and Citizenship Application Service (UKVCAS) service points in the UK began to reopen from the 1 June in locations where it is safe to do so and in accordance with public health guidance in each country.
The additional measures UKVCAS have put in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of customers and staff mean we are not currently able to offer the same number of locations or volume of appointments across all service points as they did before COVID-19. UKVI have been working closely with Sopra Steria Limited, who run the UKVCAS network on our behalf to tackle the significant demand for appointments in order to accelerate the application process.
In response to the impact of COVID-19 on UKVI services, we have also introduced a biometric reuse process which allows UKVI to reuse previously submitted biometrics in order to assess visa and citizenship applications which means eligible customers won’t have to visit a UKVCAS service point to enrol new biometrics. Provided all family members qualify, they will be eligible for biometric reuse and eligible customers are being contacted directly.
If anyone needs to attend a physical UKVCAS appointment but is unable to travel because of coronavirus or related restrictions, they should contact UKVI through the Coronavirus Immigration Hotline (CIH) which can be reached via email or on the phone, on 0800 678 1767. Further details can be found here: