This is the latest information from the UKVI as to concessions currently being offered.  We have previously blogged on the previous changes.  This current change came out on the 16 November 2020.

As the UK and the world face challenging months with Covid 19, the Home Office / UKVI has set up a Coronavirus Immigration Team (CIT) and released the following guidance.

Out of the UK

30 day visa to work, study or join family has expired

If you are out of the UK and you were granted a visa to travel to the UK but this has expired or will soon expire before you are able to travel you can request a replacement. This is free of charge.  This only applies to visa that were for family application, those to study or those to work.  This is only available until the end of 2020. 

What you need to do:

• contact the Coronavirus Immigration Help Centre
• arrange to return your passport to your VAC if it has re-opened

Contacting the Coronavirus Immigration Help Centre:

You will need to include your:

• name,
• nationality,
• date of birth and
• your GWF reference number
• with ‘REPLACEMENT 30 DAY VISA’ in the subject line.  

You will be contacted when the Visa Application Centres (VAC) reopen to arrange for a replacement visa to be endorsed in your passport. Your replacement visa will be valid for 90 days.

Alternatively, you can arrange to return your passport to your Visa Application Centres (VAC) if it has re-opened.

Please do not travel to the VAC with your passport until you have checked the commercial partner websites for the process in place for re-submitting your passport for your replacement visa, as this may vary depending on your location

Visa Application Centres (VAC)

Most UK Visa Application Centres (VACs) have resumed services where local restrictions allow.

Priority and Super Priority services are only available in some locations. If available, you’ll be able to purchase these services when booking your appointment.

Ongoing global restrictions mean some UKVI services will remain closed. Where services are resuming, existing customers will be contacted.

If your Visa Application Centre (VAC) is closed

You can apply for a visit visa from any UK VAC. You should apply for all other UK visas from the country you’re living in.

This concession has been extended to 31 March 2021.

If your VAC is closed due to coronavirus restrictions, you can apply online and select a VAC in another country worldwide (https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/apply-uk-visa) to submit your application and biometrics. You will need to make sure that you can travel to that country beforehand.

You will be able to make any type of UK visa application. You must select the country where you would like to submit your biometrics at the start of your application.

If you have already submitted your application through Access UK and now intend to submit your new application at a different VAC from the one selected in that application, you will need to make a new application and select the VAC where you will submit your application.

Unfortunately, you will need to pay the fee associated with your new application and request a refund for your earlier application (https://www.gov.uk/cancel-visa).

Passports

The Visa Application Centres will prioritise returning your passports if they are open.  If they are closed, then they will not be able to return your passport.

If your passport is in a Visa Application Centre, and a decision on your application has been made, the Visa Application Centre will contact you to arrange collection.

If your application has not been decided, they will not contact you to return your passport until a decision on your application has been made.

To see if the VAC is open for passport return in your country, check with:

TLS contact (https://uk.tlscontact.com) if you are in Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle East VFS global (https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk) for all other countries