From 15 October 2024, UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) will no longer be provided by Sopra Steria UK. TLScontact will take over the running of UKVCAS.
Applicants can book their biometrics appointment with Sopra Steria UK by 14 October 2024 by logging in to your UKVCAS account via Sopra Steria website (www.ukvcas.co.uk).
We previously published an article on changes to commercial partners and this current article is a continuation on the same topic. For clarity, commercial partnersare commercial organizations to whom Home Office outsources the biometric appointments & documents collection from visa applicants and forwarding them to Home Office UKVI.
15 October 2024 biometric appointments have to be booked with TLScontact
From 15 October 2024 onwards Applicants can book an appointment with the new provider by going to https://www.gov.uk/sign-in-visa
Documents upload during the changes in providers
Any documents that Applicants upload on to the current UKVCAS website (www.ukvcas.co.uk) will be sent securely to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) at midnight on 14 October 2024. You will not need to upload the same documents again with the new provider.
If you would like to upload any further documents with Sopra Steria UK, you will need to do so before 14 October 2024. Or you can upload any further documents if you have booked your appointment with the new provider.
For more information on the changes to UKVCAS, read the Service Status on the website (www.ukvcas.co.uk).
Changes to commercial partners for overseas applications – TLScontact and VFS Global
According to Home Office updates, between September 2024 and January 2025, the commercial partner will change from TLScontact to VFS Global in some locations in:
- Africa
- Europe
- the Middle East
- central Asia
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
