TLScontact is pleased to announce the opening of 32 new UK Visa & Citizenship Application Service Points in the United Kingdom, dedicated to offering visa and citizenship application services on behalf of UK Visas & Immigration. Service points have opened across the UK this week, most offering self-service biometric kiosks, a new solution to reduce appointment times and improve customer experience.
These service point openings follow an important contract win for TLScontact last year, as part of the UK Visa & Citizenship Application Services (VCAS) tender. Complementing our existing overseas visa outsourcing contracts on behalf of many governments, this new contract will see us process visa renewal applications from applicants who are already in the UK, and who wish to extend or change their existing UK visas. We will also handle applications for permanent UK residency and British citizenship.
Service Point locations
Of the 32 new UKVCAS Service Points, four will act as ‘hubs’, managing the highest volumes: two in London, one in Birmingham and one in Manchester. They are complemented by smaller TLScontact centres in serviced offices at other cities across the UK, and service points situated at partner locations: PSI language testing facilities and local libraries.
For the full list of new Service Points and available services, visit our dedicated website: https://vcas.tlscontact.com/
New self-service biometric kiosks
Many applicants will come to us to carry out biometric enrolment only, as we anticipate that most submissions of supporting documents will be made online, through our in-house document scanning and management solution. Time saving and efficiency for applicants are our priority and our new self-service biometric kiosks, available at most locations, will allow us to reduce the duration of appointments. Applicants will be able to submit their biometrics in a few simple steps, without having to wait for a member of staff to carry out their biometric enrolment for them. In our service points, staff will still be able to assist applicants if required, and we will also offer document scanning and upload (Assisted Service) for customers who need more support.
We will not retain applicants’ passports and applicants will be contacted by UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) directly once their application has been processed.
Added Value Services, for more customer convenience
All UKVCAS Service Points will offer free, self-service appointments. Our Assisted Service will also be available for applicants who require assistance with scanning and uploading their supporting documents from our staff on the day of their appointment. In addition, we will offer Prime Time appointments, outside normal business hours, and our Apply Anywhere service, where our agents will go to a location of a customer’s choice to process their application.
Commenting on these centre openings, TLScontact CEO Gabriele Piva said:
“This new contract represents a significant milestone for our organisation, and I want to thank UK Visas & Immigration for their continued trust and partnership. Our teams have been working around the clock to ensure that every aspect of this expansion is seamlessly executed, from preparing all our new service points to launching dedicated websites, and from recruiting and training 250 new staff members, to developing our new, innovative self-service biometric kiosks. Their dedication has been extraordinary, and I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to every individual involved in making this possible. With everything in place, our staff are now fully prepared to welcome applicants, providing them with an exceptional experience that will guide and support them through their UK visa or citizenship application process.”