The Phased Re-Opening of UK Visa Application Centres

Note: The Home Office is expected to make additional updates to its information and advice released to date, therefore the information in this post is also subject to change. If you would like to discuss any aspect of UK visa applications and related policy in more detail, book your obligation-free consultation with Aristone Solicitors today.

In March 2020, the Home Office in the UK made the decision to temporarily close all UK visa application centres, while at the same time suspending immigration services on a global basis. UK visa application centres are scheduled to be reopened over a series of phases – the basics of which are outlined below:

Phase 1 & Phase 2

UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) commenced the first phase of the process on June 1, 2020, confirming that a series of domestic and overseas VACs would resume operations. Phase 2 commenced on June 22, 2020, where further VACs were reopened at home and abroad.

Phase 3 & Phase 4

An additional series of VACs based within the UK resumed operations as of June 29, 2020 as part of Phase 3. This was followed by the commencement of Phase 4 on July 13, 2020 which included the resumption of services in some Asian countries and the opening of eight new VACs in the UK.

Phase 4 will now continue to include the resumption of operations of VACs in the United States and Canada, along with more widespread VAC operations in East Asia, South Asia and the Middle East.

As it stands, no application centres (domestic or international) are offering Priority or Super Priority services for expedited application processing. In addition, no VACs have yet resumed VIP mobile appointments.

It is important to note that many application centres based outside the United Kingdom are currently only rebooking appointments for existing applicants.  New visa application appointments are only be accepted by some application centres, so it is important to check the latest advice and information in the locality from where your application will be submitted.

Head over to the TLS contact website or VFS Global website for more information.

USA and Canada

VFS Global PACs for UK visa applicants in the United States reopened as of July 13, 2020 with the exception of the PAC in Seattle. Appointments can be booked now via the VFS Global online portal.

Likewise, VFS Global confirmed the reopening of all VACs in Canada as of July 17, 2020 where appointments can now be made via the online portal.

Domestic and International Visa Application Centres

The Home Office has provided a detailed list of domestic and international visa application centres that have either opened or are scheduled to open again in the near future. The following information is accurate in accordance with the Home Office’s advice as of July 2020, though is subject to change at any time.

List of visa application centres in the UK and overseas

The following comprises a list of all in-country and overseas UK VACs that have re-opened or are due to re-open, arranged by region of the world.

Please continue to monitor this page and sign up to receive our email alerts to receive notifications of changes as and when they occur.

UK – Opening Dates

Aberdeen – 3 August
Bath – new VAC – 3 August
Bedford – Autumn 2020
Belfast – 22 June
Birmingham (Core) – 1 June
Birmingham (Premium Lounge) – 1 June
Birmingham – Bull Street – new VAC – 27 July
Bournemouth – 3 August
Bristol (Bradley Stoke) – Autumn 2020
Burnley – Autumn 2020
Cambridge – Autumn 2020
Canterbury – Autumn 2020
Cardiff (Core) – 27 July
Cardiff Bay (Temporary Core) – 22 June
Chelmsford – 1 June
Coventry – 3 August
Eastbourne – Autumn 2020
Edinburgh – 22 June
Exeter – 1 June
Glasgow (Core) – 22 June
Gloucester – 27 July
Guildford – new VAC – 1 July
Hemel Hempstead (Library) – 3 August
Hull – 20 July
Ipswich – 6 July
Leeds – 1 June
Liverpool – Autumn 2020
Llandudno – 3 August
London – Barbican – Autumn 2020
London – Belgrave Road – new VAC – 27 July
London – Croydon (Core) – 1 June
London – Croydon 2 – new VAC – 13 July
London – Edmonton Green – 20 July
London – Enfield – 20 July
London – Lansdowne Road – new VAC – 13 July
London – (Premium Lounge) – 1 June
London – Mark Lane (ESP) – 1 June
London – Shoe Lane – Autumn 2020
London – Stratford – 3 August
London – Victoria – 1 June
Luton – new VAC – 13 July
Manchester (Core) – 20 July
Manchester (Temporary Core) – 22 June
Manchester Fountain Street (ESP) – 1 June
Newcastle – 20 July
Newport – 3 August
Norwich – new VAC – 13 July
Norwich Library – Autumn 2020
Nottingham – new VAC – 1 July
Nottingham Library – Autumn 2020
Peterborough – 3 August
Preston – Autumn 2020
Reading – 3 August
Sheffield – 1 June
Southampton – 1 June
Stockport – Autumn 2020
Sunderland – new VAC – 13 July
Swindon – 20 July
Swinton (Yorkshire) – Autumn 2020
Taunton – 20 July
Wakefield – Autumn 2020
Wolverhampton – 3 August

Europe and Central Asia – Opening Dates

Albania (Tirana) – 29 June
Armenia (Yerevan) – 29 June
Austria (Vienna) – 29 June
Azerbaijan (Baku) – 22 June
Belarus (Minsk) – 1 June
Belgium (Brussels) – 22 June
Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo) – 29 June
Bulgaria (Sofia) – 29 June
Croatia (Zagreb) – 27 July
Cyprus (Nicosia-South) – 29 June
Czech Republic (Prague) – 29 June
Denmark (Copenhagen) – 29 June
Estonia (Tallinn) – 3 August
Finland (Helsinki) – 3 August
France (Paris) – 22 June
Germany (Berlin) – 1 June
Germany (Dusseldorf) – 1 June
Germany (Munich) – 1 June
Georgia (Tbilisi) – 29 June
Greece (Athens) – 29 June
Hungary (Budapest) – 29 June
Iceland (Reykjavik) – 29 June
Ireland (Dublin) – 29 June
Italy (Rome) – 29 June
Kazakhstan (Almaty) – 29 June
Kazakhstan (Nur Sultan) – 29 June
Kosovo (Pristina) – 29 June
Latvia (Riga) – 3 August
Lithuania (Vilnius) – 3 August
Macedonia (Skopje) – 29 June
Malta (Valletta) – 27 July
Montenegro (Podgorica) – 29 June
Netherlands (Amsterdam) – 29 June
Norway (Oslo) – 29 June
Poland (Warsaw) – 29 June
Portugal (Lisbon) – 22 June
Romania (Bucharest) – 29 June
Russia (Ekaterinburg) – 29 June
Russia (Moscow) – 29 June
Russia (Novosibirsk) – 29 June
Russia (Rostov) – 29 June
Russia (St Petersburg) – 29 June
Serbia (Belgrade) – 22 June
Slovenia (Ljubljana) – 27 July
Spain (Barcelona) – 22 June
Spain (Madrid) – 22 June
Sweden (Stockholm) – 29 June
Switzerland (Geneva) – 22 June
Turkey (Adana) – 22 June
Turkey (Ankara) – 22 June
Turkey (Antalya) – 29 June
Turkey (Bursa) – 22 June
Turkey (Gaziantep) – 22 June
Turkey (Istanbul) – 22 June
Turkey (Izmir) – 22 June
Ukraine (Kiev) – 1 June

Canada – Opening Dates

Toronto – 17 July
Edmonton – 17 July
Ottawa – 17 July
Vancouver – 17 July
Halifax – 17 July
St. John’s – 17 July

USA – VFS PACs – Opening Dates

New York – 13 July
Atlanta – 13 July
Boston – 13 July
Chicago – 13 July
Houston – 13 July
Los Angeles – 13 July
Miami – 13 July
San Francisco – 13 July
Washington DC – 13 July

USA – USCIS ASCs – Opening Dates

Alabama
Birmingham – 27 July

Alaska
Anchorage – 27 July

Arizona
Phoenix – 20 July
Tucson – 27 July
Yuma – 27 July

Arkansas
Fort Smith – 27 July

California
Bakersfield – 27 July
Bellflower – 27 July
Buena Park – 27 July
El Monte – 20 July
Fresno – 27 July
Gardena – 27 July
Imperial – 27 July
La Brea – 27 July
Los Angeles – 20 July
Modesto – 27 July
Oxnard – 27 July
Pomona – 27 July
Riverside – 20 July
Sacramento – 20 July
Salinas – 27 July
Santa Rosa – 27 July
San Diego – 27 July
San Fernando – 20 July
San Francisco – 20 July
San Marcos – 27 July
Tustin – 20 July

Colorado
Denver – 20 July
Grand Junction – 27 July

Connecticut
Hartford – 27 July

Delaware
Dover – 27 July

Florida
Central Miami (formerly Hialeah) – 20 July
Ft. Lauderdale – 20 July
Fort Myers – 27 July
Jacksonville – 20 July
Kendall – 20 July
Tampa – 20 July
West Palm Beach – 20 July

Guam
Guam – 27 July

Hawaii
Honolulu – 27 July

Idaho
Boise – 27 July
Idaho Falls – 27 July

Illinois
Chicago – South – 27 July
Naperville – 20 July
Norridge – 20 July
Waukegan – 27 July

Indiana
Indianapolis – 20 July
Michigan City – 27 July

Iowa
Des Moines – 27 July

Kansas
Wichita – 27 July

Kentucky
Louisville – 27 July

Louisiana
New Orleans – 20 July

Maine
Portland – 27 July

Maryland
Baltimore – 20 July
Salisbury – 27 July
Wheaton – 20 July

Massachusetts
Lawrence – 27 July

Michigan
Detroit – 20 July
Grand Rapids – 27 July

Minnesota
Duluth (1 week per month) – 11 August
St. Paul – 20 July

Mississippi
Jackson – 27 July

Missouri
Kansas City – 27 July
St. Louis – 27 July

Montana
Helena – 27 July

Nebraska
Omaha – 27 July

Nevada
Las Vegas – 20 July
Nevada – 27 July

New Hampshire
Manchester – 27 July

New Jersey
Hackensack – 20 July

New Mexico
Albuquerque – 27 July

New York
Albany – 27 July
Bronx – 20 July
Buffalo – 27 July
Happauge – 20 July
Jamaica/Queens – 20 July
Long Island – 20 July
Manhattan – 20 July
Port Chester – 20 July
Syracuse – 27 July

North Dakota
Fargo – 27 July

North Carolina
Charlotte – 20 July
Raleigh – 20 July

Northern Mariana Islands
Saipan – 25 August

Ohio
Cincinnati – 27 July
Cleveland – 27 July
Columbus – 20 July

Oklahoma
Oklahoma City – 27 July

Oregon
Portland – 20 July

Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh – 27 July
York – 27 July

Puerto Rico
San Juan – 27 July

Rhode Island
Providence – 27 July

South Carolina
Charleston – 27 July
Greer – 27 July

South Dakota
Rapid City – 27 July
Sioux Falls – 27 July

Tennessee
Memphis – 27 July
Nashville – 20 July

Texas
Austin – 20 July
Dallas South – 27 July
El Paso – 27 July
Fort Worth – 20 July
Harlingen – 27 July
Houston Northwest – 20 July
Houston Southeast – 20 July
Laredo – 27 July
Lubbock – 27 July
McAllen – 27 July
San Antonio – 27 July

U.S. Virgin Islands
St. Croix (1 week per month) – 25 August
St. Thomas – 27 July

Utah
Salt Lake City – 20 July

Vermont
St. Albans – 27 July

Virginia
Norfolk – 27 July

Washington
Spokane – 27 July
Yakima – 27 July

West Virginia
Charleston – 27 July

Wisconsin
Milwaukee – 27 July

Wyoming
Casper (1 week per month) – 18 August

Africa – Opening Dates
Angola (Luanda) – 29 June
Botswana (Gaborone) – 29 June
Cameroon (Yaoundé) – 13 July
Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa) – 27 July
Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) – 29 June
Gambia (Banjul) – 22 June
Kenya (Mombasa) – 29 June
Kenya (Nairobi) – 29 June
Madagascar (Antananarivo)* – 29 June
Malawi (Lilongwe) – 29 June
Mauritius (Port Louis) – 27 July
Mozambique (Maputo) – 29 June
Namibia (Windhoek) – 29 June
Nigeria (Abuja) – 27 July
Nigeria (Ikeja) – 27 July
Nigeria (Victoria Island) – 27 July
Rwanda (Kigali) – 29 June
Senegal (Dakar) – 13 July
Sierra Leone (Freetown) – 13 July
South Africa (Cape Town) – 13 July
South Africa (Durban) – 13 July
South Africa (Johannesburg) – 13 July
South Africa (Port Elizabeth) – 13 July
Tanzania (Dar es Salaam) – 29 June
Uganda (Kampala) – 29 June
Zambia (Lusaka) – 29 June
Zimbabwe (Harare) – 29 June

• The Antananarivo VAC will be closing again on 9 July 2020 until further notice due to a local rise in Covid-19 cases

East Asia and Pacific – Opening Dates

Australia (Brisbane) – 1 June
Australia (Canberra) – 1 June
Australia (Melbourne)** – 1 June
Australia (Perth) – 1 June
Australia (Sydney) – 1 June
Brunei (Bandar Seri Begawan) – 22 June
Cambodia (Phnom Penh) – 22 June
China (Beijing) – 1 June
China (Changsha) – 22 June
China (Chengdu) – 22 June
China (Chongqing) – 1 June
China (Fuzhou) – 22 June
China (Guangzhou) – 1 June
China (Jinan) – 22 June
China (Kunming) – 22 June
China (Hangzhou) – 22 June
China (Nanjing) – 22 June
China (Shanghai) – 1 June
China (Shenyang) – 22 June
China (Shenzhen) – 22 June
China (Wuhan) – 22 June
China (Xi’an) – 22 June
China SAR (Hong Kong) – 1 June
Fiji (Suva) – 1 June
Indonesia (Bali) – 6 July
Indonesia (Jakarta) – 6 July
Indonesia (Surabaya) – 6 July
Japan (Osaka) – 22 June
Japan (Tokyo) – 22 June
Laos (Vientiane) – 10 July
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) – 1 June
Myanmar (Yangon) – 6 July
New Zealand (Auckland) – 22 June
Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby) – 9 July
Singapore – 29 June
South Korea (Seoul) – 22 June
Thailand (Bangkok) – 1 June
Thailand (Chiang Mai) – 22 June
Taiwan (Taipei) – 1 June
Vietnam (Danang) – 22 June
Vietnam (Hanoi) – 22 June
Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City) – 22 June

• The Melbourne VAC will be closing again on 9 July 2020 until further notice due to a local rise in Covid-19 cases

Middle East and North Africa – Opening Dates

Algeria (Algiers) – 13 July
Algeria (Oran) – 13 July
Bahrain (Manama) – 28 June
Egypt (Alexandra) – 22 June
Egypt (Cairo) – 22 June
Iraq (Baghdad) – 13 July
Iraq (Basra) – 13 July
Iraq (Erbil) – 13 July
Israel (Tel Aviv) – 29 June
Jordan (Amman) – 22 June
Kuwait (Kuwait City) – 28 June
Lebanon (Beirut) – 29 June
Morocco (Rabat) – 29 June
Occupied Palestinian Territory (Jerusalem) – 29 June
Qatar (Doha) – 5 July
Saudi Arabia (Al Khobar) – 28 June
Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) – 28 June
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) – 28 June
Tunisia (Tunis) – 22 June
United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi) – 28 June
United Arab Emirates (Dubai) – 28 June

South Asia – Opening Dates

Bangladesh (Dhaka) – 13 July
Bangladesh (Sylhet) – 13 July
India (Ahmedabad) – 6 July
India (Bengaluru – Global Tech Park) – 6 July
India (Chandigarh) – 6 July
India (Chennai) – 6 July
India (Jalandhar) – 6 July
India (Kochi/Cochin) – 6 July
India (Hyderabad) – 6 July
India (Kolkata) – 6 July
India (Mumbai South) – 6 July
India (New Delhi – Shivaji Metro Stadium) – 6 July
India (Pune) – 6 July
Pakistan (Islamabad) – 27 July
Pakistan (Karachi) – 27 July
Pakistan (Lahore) – 27 July
Sri Lanka (Colombo) – 6 July

The Home Office is making changes on a daily basis. It is therefore important to ensure that decisions made are based on up-to-date guidance. Please do not hesitate to contact the Aristone Solicitors Team with any queries or concerns you may have.