As the UK and the world face challenging months with Covid 19, the Home Office / UKVI has released further updates as of the 22 May 2020.

The dates have been extended to the 31 July 2020.

In the UK

If you are in the UK and cannot leave because of Covid – 19, this is due to travel restrictions or isolation then you can have your visa extended until the 31 July 2020. If you have had the visa extended previously to the 31 May 2020 then it will be extended automatically again. The guidance does state that you are expected to leave to your home country as soon as it is ‘safe and possible to do so’.

If you need to apply for an extension you will need to request an extension by

Again if you are looking to apply for a UK visa but would have applied from your home country you are still able to switch in the UK until 31 July 2020. The requirements for this remain the same as previously published. You will need to meet all the requirements for the visa you are going to apply for and pay the fees. The application will need to be made online. Until a decision is made your current visa conditions will remain in place.

Application and visa Appointment Centres

UK Visa and Citizenship Application Centres (UKVCAS) and Service and Support Centres (SSCs), Currently these are closed. No new appointments can be made or attended. Those of you who have exiting appointments these were cancelled and new appointments have been re-arranged. You will need to log in with your details on the Sopra website to check when the new appointment will be. Many of the appointments have been re-arranged for June 2020. But please do check as this is a changing situation on a daily / weekly basis.

Outside the UK Update

The situation remains the same for Visa centres and test centres, they remain closed. If you have a 30-day visa allowing you to travel which has expired you can make a request to the Coronavirus Immigration Team (CIT) with your details and place “REPLACEMENT 30 DAY VISA’ in the subject line for a new visa to be re-issued once the Centres open.

Stay safe