Where you go to apply for a UK visa may be changing. There will be changes in the following countries between 17 March and 23 March 2014.

 

Australia

During March 2014, VFS Global will take over running the visa application service in Australia.

New UK visa application centres will open in:

·         Sydney

·         Melbourne

·         Brisbane

·         Perth

·         Canberra

 The British High Commission or British consulates will no longer provide a visa biometric enrolment service. Read full details about applying for a UK visa in Australia.

 Biometric appointments in Melbourne

The Melbourne appointment site is down. If you want to attend a biometric apointment in Melbourne, you will need to book an appointment in Sydney. Do not attend that appointment. You can attend VFS Global’s Melbourne office (address below) at the arranged time, and you will be seen by a staff member. UKVI apologises for the inconvenience. We are making every effort to fix this problem and we will update the website as soon as we have news.

Suite 3

Level 13

55 Swanston Street

Melbourne 3000

The Melbourne office opens on 21 March, and will operate Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 3pm.

South Africa

During March, Teleperformance Ltd will take over running visa application centres in South Africa. The centres are moving premises. Read ‘Changes to UK visa application centres in South Africa’ for more information.

India

The UK has opened two new visa application centres in Mumbai. Visa application centres in India will be moving to new locations throughout March 2014. Read ‘Changes to UK visa application centres in India in March’ for more information about these changes.

Bangladesh

Visa application centres in Bangladesh will also be moving to new locations throughout March 2014. Read ‘UK visa application centres relocating in Bangladesh’ for more information about these changes.

Hong Kong

From 21 March, the visa application centre will be located at the Leighton Centre in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Read ‘Relocation of the UK Visa Application Centre in Hong Kong’ for more information.

Italy

The visa application centre at Via Antonio Pacinotti closed on Wednesday 12 March. The new centre will open after 17 March run by Teleperformance Ltd. The centre will be located at:

Via Flaminia 135

00196 Rome

Italy. 

Finland

From 20 March 2014, Teleperformance Ltd will take over running the visa application centre in Helsinki.

From 1 April 2014 UK visa customers will be able to use the new international enquiry service to find information about the visa application process.

The service is provided by Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) working in partnership with UK Visas and Immigration to offer enquiry services to people applying for a visa.

The new international enquiry service will provide an improved service to visa customers in 20 languages with opening times reflecting the working hours and days in each country. Customers will also receive a quicker response and in some cases the cost of their call will be cheaper.

UK Visas and Immigration’s director general Sarah Rapson said:

“Providing excellent customer service to visa applicants is a key part of what we do.

“HGS will run a global enquiry service for all our visa customers from here in the UK, for the first time providing a top quality enquiry service that will assist those wanting to come to the UK.

“Our customer can expect a quick, accurate and professional service available to help them throughout their application.”

New visa, immigration and nationality application and service fees come into effect from 6 April 2014.

The government has introduced new fees for visas, immigration and nationality applications, and associated premium services.

The changes are equivalent to a 4% rise for most fees, including the short-term visitor visa and most work, study and settlement applications. Targeted increases have also been made to other specific categories.

These increases will allow us to continue to improve our customer service and ensure that those who benefit most from the immigration and visa service meet more of the costs.

Key changes:

• fees for most applications, including short-term visit, work, study and settlement, increase by 4%
• fees for all dependants are set at the same level as main applicants (25% discount for in-UK dependants applying with main applicants removed)
• nationality fees restructured, with discounts for child applications
• priority postal service fee rises to £300 and the in-person application fee to £400
• fee for direct airside transit visa decreases to £40
• sponsorship fees for Tier 2 large sponsor licenses and sponsor action plans decrease, and a number of other sponsorship fees are frozen
• Tier 2 shortage occupations fee of £428 is introduced for applicants both overseas and in the UK
• new 5 year Tier 2 general and ICT applications introduced
• 10 year long term visit visa frozen at £737
• new registered traveller fee introduced when the scheme is rolled-out

The Home Office will also set a single global fee for a number of optional premium services for applications made outside the UK, as well as expanding many of these services.

This includes:

• 3 to 5 day priority visa service for £100, or £300 for priority settlement applications
• super priority visa service, with turnaround in as little as 24 hours for £600
• new user pays visa application centres, where applicants can submit applications in more convenient locations for a fee of £59
• appointments outside office hours for a fee of £50 and an expanded passport pass-back service for £40

The Immigration Bill received Royal Assent today (14 May).

The Immigration Bill received Royal Assent today (14 May) making way for a series of reforms which will ensure our immigration system is fairer to British citizens and legitimate migrants and tougher on those with no right to be here.

The Immigration Act 2014 contains 77 clauses and makes fundamental changes to how our immigration system functions.

It will limit the factors which draw illegal migrants to the UK, make it easier to remove those with no right to be here and ensure the Courts have regard to Parliament’s view of what the public interest requires when considering Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights in immigration cases.

Immigration Act

Immigration and Security Minister James Brokenshire said:

The Immigration Act is a landmark piece of legislation which will build on our existing reforms to ensure that our immigration system works in the national interest.

We are already planning its implementation and will ensure these measures are introduced quickly and effectively.

The Immigration Act will significantly enhance the way Border Force, Immigration Enforcement and UK Visas & Immigration undertake their work to secure the border, enforce the immigration rules and continue to attract the brightest and the best.

Highlights of the Immigration Act

·         Cutting the number of immigration decisions that can be appealed from 17 to 4, while allowing us to return certain harmful individuals before their appeals are heard if there is no risk of serious irreversible harm

·         Ensuring that the courts have regard to Parliament’s view of what the public interest requires when considering European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) Article 8 claims in immigration cases – making clear the right to a family life is not to be regarded as absolute and unqualified

·         Clamping down on people who try to gain an immigration advantage by entering into a sham marriage or civil partnership

·         Requiring private landlords to check the immigration status of tenants, preventing those with no right to live in the UK from accessing private rented housing

·         Introducing a new requirement from temporary migrants with time-limited immigration status by requiring them to make a financial contribution to the National Health Service

The Immigration Act will also include powers to prevent repeat bail applications when a removal is imminent, revoke driving licences held by immigration offenders and allow the Home Secretary to deprive a naturalised individual of their British citizenship if their actions have been seriously prejudicial to the interests of the United Kingdom and the Home Secretary has reasonable grounds for believing the person is able to become a national of another country.

The Immigration Act has been a collaborative effort, involving the Home Office, 12 other government departments, the devolved administrations and the Crown dependencies.

It also continues the Home Office’s work to reduce net migration by focusing on eliminating immigration abuse, including removing from the UK those with no right to be here and preventing others from entering.

From 28 October 2013, there will be two parts to the Knowledge of Language and Life in the UK

(KoLL) requirement, both of which must be met by all applicants for settlement and naturalisation

unless the individual is exempt.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/knowledge-of-language-and-life-in-the-uk-for-settlement-and-naturalisation-statement-of-intent

Monday 10 June 2013, a number of minor changes to the Immigration Rules have been published which will come into force on 1 July 2013.

They include:

• changes to the documents required for approved English language tests;
• clarification that ‘regulated financial institutions’ means those regulated to provide personal savings accounts or student loans;
• more legal courses are now exempt from the time limit on study for Tier 4 student visas; and
• a resident labour market test is not needed for applications for a religious worker (Tier 5) extension.

For full details of all changes please see the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules (HC244) or http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/2013/june/13-rules-july

Change to family visitor appeals

The Home Office is removing the full right of appeal for applicants refused leave to enter the UK as a family visitor.

On 25 April 2013 Royal Assent was given to a clause in the Crime and Courts Bill, published on 10 May 2012, which will allow the change to be pushed through.

The change is expected to come into force on or soon after 25 June. The new appeal arrangements will apply to anybody who applies to enter the UK to visit a family member on or after the implementation date.

By removing the right of appeal, we are bringing the family visitor visa in line with all other visitor visa categories. Applicants who are refused can re-apply addressing the reasons for refusal instead of appealing. This will be quicker and cost less than an appeal. In 2011-12 95% of applications were decided within 15 days, whereas the appeal system can take up to 8 months to deliver a result.

New application forms – 6 April 2013

UK Border Agency have published new versions of the following application forms for use on or after 6 April 2013:

• FLR (BUS) – further leave to remain (overseas business representative or retired person of independent means)
• FLR(M) – further leave to remain (marriage)
• FLR(O) – further leave to remain (other)
• FLR(P) – further leave to remain (child under 18 of relative with leave as refugee or under humanitarian protection)
• FLRTier1 (HSMP) – further leave to remain (Highly Skilled Migrant Programme)
• SET(BUS) – settlement (overseas business representative or retired person of independent means)
• SET(DV) – settlement (victims of domestic violence)
• SET(F) – settlement (children of British citizens or people settled in the UK)
• SET(M) – settlement (marriage)
• SET(O) – settlement (other)