The UK government issued 30-day visa vignettes for those applying for long-term visas (longer than 6 months). The applicant must travel during the validity of this initial visa, and then collect their Biometric Residence Permit from a designated place, after arriving in the UK. The COVID-19 travel restrictions and lockdown has left many visa-holders unable to travel to the UK. This has caused their 30-day vignettes to expire and being unable to collect their BRPs within the required timescales. In this article we look at what steps you can take to travel to the UK, when you are able to do so
The standard policy to renew a 30-day UK visa vignette has always been to request a replacement visa. However, this service normally requires a formal application and attracts a fee of £154, following which a new visa vignette is issued.
However, under the latest Coronavirus (COVID-19) immigration guidance, this service is now being offered free of charge. The request must be made by contacting the Coronavirus Immigration Team, providing the necessary details.
The Team will then contact the applicants, when the Visa Application Centres (VACs) open, to arrange a replacement visa vignette to be endorsed on their passport.
Visa holders will also not be penalised for failing to collect their Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) within the required timescales.
We understand that this interim policy will remain in place until the end of 2020.