Applicants for UK visas and citizenship will notice a temporary unavailability of appointments to enrol their biometrics. The shortage of face-to-face meetings is recorded around the country and is expected to impact applicants throughout this month (October 2024).
Simultaneously, UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services are changing the appointment of their commercial partner from Sopra Steria to TLScontact, which they said the public may know about.
In an announcement, they confirmed a backlog of appointments up until 15 October 2024, however, cancellations may be made via the Sopra Steria’s booking system, opening up an available space or in the event a customer opts for the VIP service to expedite their application. This is regardless of whether the customer has paid for priority or super priority visa application processing.
Customers that have been unable to secure an appointment before 15 October may face further delays submitting their biometrics, having a knock-on effect on their application being accepted in time with expectations. There is a correlation between the temporary reduction of usual face-to-face services during the changeover period.
New timetabled appointments should be more easily available from 21 October 2024 although UKVCAS issued a warning during the whole of October.
The temporary closure affects a small number of service point locations.
Applicants should also be aware that traveling internationally after an in-country application has been submitted will withdraw the application.
