Is your Immigration Status Affected Because of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak?
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UK Government has issued a guidance which is currently focuses on Chinese Nationals and people who are residents of China.
Is your Current Leave to Remain Visa Expiring?
Is your current leave to remain Visa expiring? and are you are unable to travel to your country due to the restrictions as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak?
As there are exceptional circumstances beyond your control the Home Office have granted an automatic extension to your visa until 31 March 2020.
Chinese Nationals- Is your visa has expired or will expire soon?
If you are a Chinese National and have complied with the conditions of your visa then your visa will automatically be extended until 31 March 2020.
Are you currently on a long term (2, 5 or 10 years) Visitor’s visa and your leave is about to expire?
You are required to do nothing as you will obtain an automatic extension even though you have exceeded the maximum period of 180 days has from 24 January 2020 until 30 March 2020. The UKVI will automatically insert the new expiry date of 31 March 2020.
Does your extension visa expire before 31 March 2020?
You should continue to apply for further leave to remain if your visa expires before 31 March 2020.
Are you currently on Tier 2 Intra-Company Transfer visa in the United Kingdom?
Due to the coronavirus the UK Visa Application Centres in China are currently closed. However, you are able to switch to a Tier 2 (General) Visa within the United Kingdom if your visa expires between 24 January 2020 until 30 March 2020. The same requirements must be met.
Dedicated Helpline
Are you a Chinese National and fall under one of the following?
- Are you a Non-Chinese, non-EEA national and are normally resident in China?
- Are you a Chinese National resident in the U.K under the British Irish Visa Scheme (BIVS)?
If your visa expires between 24 January 2020 until 30 March 2020 then please contact the coronavirus immigration helpline as follows:-
Telephone: 0800 678 1767 (open from 9am-5pm Monday-Friday)
Email: CIH@homeoffice.gov.uk
If you require our assistance in contacting the Home Office helpline on your behalf we would kindly request if you contact us.
The Home Office will continue to monitor the situation and confirm when the Visa Application Centre will re-open. Further information will be able on the VFS website as follows: https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/cn/en/news/china-visa-application-centres-closure. The same applies for booking an English Test by an approved test centre as they have currently been restricted across China and tests scheduled have been cancelled for March 2020. Please click on the following link for further updates https://www.ielts.org/news/2020/covid19-information-for-our-global-test-taker-community or contact the test centre by email.
If you urgently need to travel to the United Kingdom and are unable to apply for a British Passport then you can apply for an emergency travel document.
