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01 Jul Re-opening of UK visa application centres in the US

Posted on July 1, 2020 in Investing in the UK by
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As lockdown restrictions are eased, many UK Visa application centres around the world have started a phased re-opening of the biometric centres. Re-opening dates very much depend on the local restrictions imposed on each city/country/state and it must be noted that the UK Government has no control over the re-opening dates. This is because the application centres have been outsourced by the UKVI to VFS Global and TLS Contact.

According to VFS Global the following centres are next to re-open:

  • 6 July 2020- India and Sri Lanka
  • 10 July 2020- Laos

Please note that you should check VFS directly to confirm that the closest centre to your city is set to re-open by visiting the following link:

https://www.vfsglobal.com/en/individuals/covid-19-customer-advisories.html

Alternatively, you may wish to check TLS contact by selecting the country of application:

https://uk.tlscontact.com/

VFS Centres in the US are operated by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (ISCIS) and Application Support Centres (ASCs).ASCs have been closed since March 2020. However, USCIs has indicated that there may be a phased re-opening as of 13 July 2020.  However, VFS is yet to confirm as to when centres in the US are likely to re-open. Although there were signs of progress in the US with a decrease in COVID-19 cases, figures are now showing an increase in cases, in particular in California, Texas, Florida and Arizona.

Once centres re-open, staff will be needed in order to process an overwhelming 3-months’ worth backlog of applications.

Once an application is submitted and the applicant attends their biometric appointment, their original passport (unless using the keep my passport when applying or premium service) will be sent to the UKVI’s Scanning Hub, based in New York city. This is where the vignette will be affixed to the applicant’s original passport. Hence, the key as to when centres across the US may re-open, may rest on how New York is dealing with COVID-19.

If you have any questions concerned UK immigration, please fee free to contact us on 02033843075 or email [email protected].

 

The content of this article is for general use and information only. Since each case should be prepared on its own merit and in light of the constant amendments to the Immigration Rules, it is important to note that the information provided must not be relied upon unless Migra & Co has either given written consent or has been officially engaged in relation to a specific immigration matter. As a result, Migra & Co will take no responsibility for any damage, cost or loss resulting from relying on the information contained in this article, blog and website.