Immigration update – October 2024
29 October 2024
Upcoming changes to commercial partner visa application services
The Home Office outsource biometric enrolments appointments to third party partner companies. Following a procurement exercise, between September 2024 and January 2025, the commercial partner will change from TLScontact to VFS Global in some locations as follows.
From 22 October, VFS Global will operate visa application centres in these locations:
- Algeria
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Ivory Coast
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Seychelles
- South Africa
- Tunisia
From 5 November, VFS Global will operate visa application centres in these locations:
- Cyprus (North)
- France
- Iraq
- Israel
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Lebanon
- the Occupied Palestinian Territories
- Tajikistan
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
Those with affected applications will receive emails from TLSContact and VFS Global accordingly.
Other parts of the world are not affected at present.
Lost or stolen Biometric Residence Cards no longer being replaced
Individuals who misplace their Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) or lose it will no longer need to apply for a new one and will instead be directed to set up their online electric visa (eVisa) account instead using their passport or travel document. This change will save both time and money to those affected as they will no longer have to pay for a new BRP card or attend a biometric appointment, as the Home Office begin to move to a fully digitalised immigration system.
The eVisa is quick and easy to set up, with a dedicated Home Office support team at hand for any difficulties or issues encountered.
Upcoming changes to No Time Limit visa applications
It has been announced that by the end of 2024, those applying for a No Time Limit visa will no longer need to provide an extensive list of documents to prove their residence in the United Kingdom (UK). Instead, applicants will need to simply tick a box to confirm that they have not been outside of the UK for a period of two years or more and will then be prompted to provide their document(s) demonstrating:
- their Indefinite Leave to Remain status
- their current passport or travel document
- their most recent entry stamp into the UK.
In some cases, the Home Office may request further documents or information so that they are satisfied that the applicant has not lost their Indefinite Leave to Remain.
Further information as to exact date these changes will take place will be announced in due course.
UKVI provides confirmation regarding supplementary employment
The Home Office has provided confirmation following recent ambiguity that those with Skilled Worker visas, regardless of their grant date, are permitted to carry out extra work if it is:
- in an occupation listed in Tables 1, 2 or 3 of Appendix Skilled Occupations
- no more than 20 hours a week
- outside the working hours covered by their Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).
This change took place on 4 April 2024 and is a welcomed change as previously supplementary employment had to be within a shortage occupation role or in the same profession as the job stated on the CoS.
Those who wish to undertake supplementary employment are advised to request a letter from their current sponsoring organisation which confirms they are still carrying out that role.
Biometric Residence Permits will shortly no longer be being issued
The Home Office has confirmed that Biometric Residence Permits (BRP) will no longer be issued from 31 October 2024. From this date anyone with a successful visa application will strictly be issued with an online electronic visa (eVisa) only. This is to prepare everyone in readiness for the upcoming fully digitalised immigration system from 1 January 2025.
Those with existing valid BRP cards are urged to set up their eVisa account if not already done. This is free to set up and may take up to a few days to be linked and once set up will allow the individual to view and prove their visa status. Until 1 January 2025 all BRP holders are still advised to travel with their BRP card, irrespective of having set up an eVisa account.
Changes to Skilled Worker visa application forms
A new question has been added to the application forms for Skilled Worker visa applications being set up for those applying from inside the United Kingdom.
The question asks: Did you provide your fingerprints for your most recent visa application?
When answering ‘no’ – i.e. because you used the UKVI ID App for your most recent application, you are automatically prompted to attend an in person biometric appointment.
This has widely been noted as a backwards step in light of the forthcoming changes from 1 January 2025 when the fully digitalised immigration system takes effect and has been queried with the Home Office accordingly – further updates are to follow, however for now it is advised to answer the question as ‘yes’ so that applicants are able to continue to use the UKVI ID App without needing to attend a biometric appointment.
The content of this article is for general information only. It is not, and should not be taken as, legal advice. If you require any further information in relation to this article please contact the author in the first instance. Law covered as at October 2024.