The Home Office have published additional guidance in respect of further immigration concessions which will be implemented during this pandemic. Due to global travel restrictions, the Home Office do recognise that some individuals will not be in a position to return to their country of origin and as a result a unique, unprecedented, unparalled approach has been adopted. We provide a summary below of the changes which are temporarily being implemented:
1) Foreign Nationals in the United Kingdom with their leave expiring between 24th January 2020 and 31st May 2020 will have their visa extended to 31st May 2020:
This is likely to apply to visitors who are grounded in the United Kingdom. In order to avoid being in breach of their visa by overtsaying, individuals in this situation are required to contact the Coronavirus Immigration Helpline by email on Email: CIH@homeoffice.gov.uk or via telephone on 0800 678 1767 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).
2) Applying for a long term visa in the UK:
If your leave is expiring i.e Tier 2 ( General) visa or a Spouse Visa, you are required to apply for an extension of your leave as normal.
Due to the disruption caused by the pandemic, individuals can extraordinarily apply to switch in country rather than leaving the United Kingdom. For example, a Tier 4 visa holder can apply to switch to a Tier 2 ( General) Visa by 31st May 2020.
It is important to note that whilst an application is pending and you are awaiting a decision, your leave will be extended under the same conditions to those you were initially granted which prevents you from becoming an overstayer. However, you must have valid leave to remain at the date of the extension/fresh application.
If you find yourself to be in this situation contact ourselves via email on info@redfernlegal.com or via telephone on 0203 6179273
The following updates were also published by the Home Office and the registered commercial partners:
Applicants applying from outside the United Kingdom should note that many visa centres are now closed or offering limited services. For further advice on this the applicant should contact if you have not received an email advising you of the changes:
• TLS contact if you’re in Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle East;
• VFS global for all other countries
At present, the UK cannot send visa vignettes across some borders and routes due to border restrictions.
English Testing Centres are also affected. Visit the International English Language Testing System (IELTS)’s website or contact your test centre for more information. We await further clarification in respect of how Appendix FM partners/parents will be impacted as a result.
We will be providing regular updates on the Coronavirus Immigration changes. Should you require our assistance or advice in respect of your visa please contact us via email at info@redfernlegal.com or via telephone 0203 6179273
You can also provide information of your query via our Contact Us page and we will get in touch with you within 24 hours: https://www.redfernlegal.com/contact-us/
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