The Home Office has provided further information about changes to the commercial partners operating some of its visa application centres in the UK and overseas.
Visa application centres are managed by private companies, or ‘commercial partners’, on behalf of UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), the Home Office department responsible for administering the country’s visa system and immigration services.
The Home Office has stated the changes in commercial partners are not expected to affect processing times or application decisions. However, some applicants may begin their UK visa application process with one supplier and complete it with another.
The following is what we know to date about the changes and how they affect applications.
Visa Applications Made Outside the UK
For visa applications made outside the UK, the commercial partner in parts of Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia will change from TLScontact to VFS Global between September 2024 and January 2025.
For any applications affected by the changes, the applicant will receive communications from both TLScontact and VFS Global with instructions on any necessary steps to be taken to continue the application.
Applicants are advised to check junk and spam folders to ensure no emails are missed, and to read all correspondence from TLScontact and VFS Global, as these are likely to include important information about the application.
To reduce the risk of fraud, the Home Office has advised that legitimate emails will come from a sender address ending with either: @tlscontact.com or @vfsglobal.com.
Locations Transitioning to VFS Global
From 22 October 2024, VFS Global will manage visa application centres in the following locations:
| Algeria | Mauritius |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Morocco |
| Gabon | Seychelles |
| Gambia | South Africa |
| Ivory Coast | Sudan |
| Kenya | Tunisia |
| Madagascar |
From 5 November 2024, VFS Global will take over the following:
| Cyprus (North) | France |
| Iraq | Israel |
| Jordan | Kazakhstan |
| Kyrgyzstan | Lebanon |
| the Occupied Palestinian Territories | Tajikistan |
| Turkey | Ukraine |
| Uzbekistan |
The following will come under VFS Global management from 19 November:
| Angola | Botswana |
| Cameroon | Egypt |
| Ethiopia | Malawi |
| Mozambique | Namibia |
| Nigeria | Rwanda |
| Senegal | Sierra Leone |
| Tanzania | Turkmenistan |
| Uganda | Zambia |
| Zimbabwe |
From 4 December, VFS Global will operate visa application centres in these locations:
| Country | Country |
|---|---|
| Albania | Austria |
| Azerbaijan | Belarus |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bulgaria |
| Croatia | Cyprus (South) |
| Czech Republic | Denmark |
| Estonia | Germany |
| Ireland | Italy |
| Netherlands | Russia |
| Serbia | Spain |
| Switzerland |
From 14 January, VFS Global will operate the visa application centres in these locations:
| Country | Country |
|---|---|
| Armenia | Finland |
| Georgia | Greece |
| Hungary | Iceland |
| Kosovo | Latvia |
| Lithuania | Malta |
| Moldova | Montenegro |
| North Macedonia | Norway |
| Poland | Portugal |
| Romania | Slovenia |
| Sweden |
If you have an appointment with TLScontact, you should attend your appointment as scheduled, and check your email for the confirmed location details.
If you reschedule your appointment, you might need to pay the Mandatory User Pay (MUP) fee again. If this occurs, request a refund of your MUP fee from TLScontact.
Visa Applications Made in the UK
The UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services commercial partner transferred from Sopra Steria to TLScontact on 15 October 2024.
Appointments scheduled for or after 15 October will now take place at TLScontact service points, which may result in limited appointment availability for a short period during the transition.
The Home Office has advised applicants do not need to take any action in response to the changes. It has also assured there will be no impact on application decisions, processing times or appointment availability.
Need Assistance?
While processing times should remain unchanged, minor disruptions during the transition may still occur, so forward planning is advisable.
Employers are encouraged to take proactive steps to inform affected employees and job candidates about the upcoming changes and the potential impact on them to minimise any disruption in Right to Work status, recruitment or onboarding.
If you are concerned, speak to your contact at DavidsonMorris for advice.
Further details about the timing and locations of these changes are expected to be provided by the Home Office. Visa applicants should closely monitor their emails during this transition period for updates from both TLScontact and VFS Global. Registering for email notifications on the Home Office website is also recommended to stay informed.
Author
Founder and Managing Director Anne Morris is a fully qualified solicitor and trusted adviser to large corporates through to SMEs, providing strategic immigration and global mobility advice to support employers with UK operations to meet their workforce needs through corporate immigration.
She is a recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers as a legal expert and delivers Board-level advice on business migration and compliance risk management as well as overseeing the firm’s development of new client propositions and delivery of cost and time efficient processing of applications.
Anne is an active public speaker, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals
