If you’re planning a trip to the UK and need a visa, you should know about some big changes at the places where you apply for these visas.
Starting from September 2024 to January 2025, the UK will be working with new companies to help with visa applications in places like Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
This is to make the visa process easier and faster.
But, if you’re applying for a visa now, these changes might affect you. So, it’s important to stay alert and informed.
What’s Changing
On October 15th, 2024, a company called Sopra Steria, which handles UK Visa applications, will change to TLScontact. So, if you have an appointment after this date, it will be at a TLScontact office.
At first, there might not be a lot of appointment slots, but don’t worry, you don’t need to do anything right now.
Just like before, these changes won’t affect the decision or processing speed of your application.
Switching Companies
In some places, the current company, TLScontact, will change to VFS Global. This means you could start your visa process with TLScontact and finish with VFS Global.
These changes will affect regions like Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
Things You Should Do
If your application is affected by this change, you’ll get important emails from TLScontact and VFS Global. Here’s what to do:
1. Check Your Emails: Watch for messages from TLScontact and VFS Global. These emails will tell you what to do next. Also, check your spam folder just in case.
2. Make Sure Emails Are Real: Always check if the emails come from addresses that end with “@tlscontact.com” or “@vfsglobal.com” to make sure they’re real.
3. Follow Directions: Do what’s asked in the emails to keep your application moving forward.
Appointment Info
If you’ve already set an appointment with TLScontact, plan to go as scheduled. But if you need to change it, you might have to pay an extra fee again, called a Mandatory User Pay (MUP). You can ask to get the first fee back from TLScontact.
For questions about TLScontact services, visit their website. Choose your country and visa center, then go to their help page.
Some places, like Belgium, are already using VFS Global now. More places will switch soon, and updates will come as new places open.
To stay updated, check your emails regularly. Make sure emails are real before you do anything with them.
This shift is just about changing the service providers. The way you apply for a visa will stay the same.