Following our last alert, there are two welcome updates:
- Police registration scheme scrapped
Earlier this month the Home Office suspended the police registration scheme.
For many years people of certain nationalities with a visa valid for more than 6 months have been required to register with the police within 7 days of arrival in the UK. Their police registration certificate also needed to be updated if they changed their passport, visa or residential address.
The scheme has been suspended and the guidance withdrawn. It will be formally abolished this Autumn once the relevant legislative amendments are made. In a note to stakeholders, the Home Office confirmed that:
- Applicants who received a visa indicating they need to register with the police do not need to do so;
- Anyone who has already registered with the police does not need to do anything further. For those living in Greater London, the Met Police has confirmed that anyone with an existing police registration certificate is not required to keep it; and
- If someone has been issued with a visa to enter the UK and has not yet travelled, they may be issued with a replacement visa indicating they do not need to register with the police or be notified they are not required to register.
The removal of the police registration scheme is good news for those who will have found the process cumbersome, time consuming and onerous.
2. Visa processing times – return of work visa priority services outside the UK
Our recent alerts highlighted the suspension of priority services for visa applications submitted from outside the UK and the ongoing severe delays in processing times. The Home Office indicated resources were being reallocated to those fleeing Ukraine.
In positive developments for work visa applications submitted outside the UK:
- Work and student visas - last week the Home Office reintroduced priority services for work and student applications. This means applications submitted after 12 August 2022 should again be processed within around 5 working days with the priority service or around one working day with the super priority service;
- Skilled Worker and Senior or Specialist Worker (previously known as ICT) applications benefit from this change, but High Potential Individual and Innovator/Start-up applications currently do not; and
- Standard work visa applications (without the priority service) are currently taking around 4 weeks to process, sometimes longer.
On other visa applications submitted outside the UK:
- Visit visas. A reduced number of priority services are available on an appointment basis for visit visa applications. Standard visit visa applications are on average taking 7 weeks; and
- Family visas. Priority services for family visa applications (including those applying as the partner of a British citizen) are still suspended. The standard service processing time remains at 24 weeks (compared to the usual 12 weeks).
As previously, priority services remain in place for visa applications submitted in the UK although delays are being experienced.
If you have any queries in relation to the above changes or any other immigration matter, please contact a member of the immigration team
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