Home Office is changing the way in which (customers who applied from outside UK) could notify the Home Office of an issue or problem with a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). This includes those who:

• have been unable to collect their permit within 10 working days of arriving in the United Kingdom;
• need someone to either collect their BRP on their behalf or accompany them to collect their BRP – because they are have a serious illness or disability, or they are under 18 and cannot collect their permit at the same time as their parent or legal guardian collects their own permit;
• have lost their permit or it has been stolen; or
• identify a mistake on their permit.

The following in-boxes, previously used for reporting an issue with a BRP, will close on 30 January 2016.

• BRPCollection@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
• RACollection@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
• 3PCollection@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
• BRPError@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
• BRPLost@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

E-mails received on or after 30 January will be advised to use the on-line service to report issues or problems.

Registered Traveller is a new service launched by Border Force to give faster and more convenient entry to the UK for frequent travellers travelling in eligible immigration categories from the US, Australia, Japan, Canada and New Zealand.

Registered Traveller is currently available at
• Heathrow, Gatwick and the rail terminals at Paris, Brussels and Lille
• Stansted, London City, Manchester and Birmingham to be added in the coming months.

Registered Traveller members benefit from:
• the choice at passport control of using the ePassport gates (where available and if they have a biometric passport), the UK/EU queue or Fast Track (if they hold a ticket) at Heathrow, Registered Traveller Lanes at Gatwick and EU/UK queue at Paris, Brussels and Lille.
• not having to complete landing cards or undergo an interview on arrival.

For applications go to: https://www.gov.uk/registered-traveller

From March, 2015 any non-EEA national applying from overseas for permission to stay in the UK for more than six months will be required to apply for a BRP and then to collect it within ten days of their first arrival in the UK. This change will be delivered over a 4 month period between March and July 2015, subject to parliamentary approval.

The basic visa application process will remain largely unchanged but the applicant will be required to provide their intended date of travel, a UK address and post code. The UK post code submitted as part of the application process will be used to identify the branch of the Post Office to which the Biometric Residence Permit will be sent for collection by the applicant. Help will be provided as part of the application process to guide the applicant in selecting the most appropriate Post Office collection branch.

Successful applicants will receive a letter informing them of the decision, which will also include notification that they must collect their BRP from the designated Post Office branch within 10 days of arrival in the UK. The passport or travel document will also be endorsed with a 30 day short validity (travel) vignette – which will be valid for thirty days from the expected date of travel provided by the applicant – to enable them to travel to the UK and to collect their BRP.

There is no additional fee for the applicant. The visa application fee remains the same.

Any applicant who does not travel to the UK within the 30-day period of their vignette must apply to the Entry Clearance Officer for a replacement short-term visa to enable them to travel to the UK.

We are often asked the question about the time permitted outside the UK for the purpose of calculating continuous period requirement for ILR applications.

Home Office guidance stipulates: “When applying for ILR it is necessary for the applicant to have spent no more than 180 whole days (i.e. not including the day of departure from the UK or arrival back in the UK) in any 12 month period during the 5 year qualifying period. Although particularly large absences can be split across two 12 month periods, no single absence can be greater than 180 days.”

However the thing to keep in mind is that “absences must be connected to the applicant’s sponsored or permitted employment, or the permitted economic activity being carried out in the UK, for example, business trips or short secondments. This also includes, any paid annual leave which must be assessed on a case by case basis and must be in line with the UK statutory annual leave entitlement.”

We are at times asked if its ok to be outside the UK for 6 months at a stretch on account of maternity leave and our advice is that it’s better to avoid it as stated above: “Absences must be for a reason consistent with the original purpose of entry to the UK or for a serious or compelling compassionate reason. ” In the past we came across one case where the ILR was refused as the case officer was of the view that very good maternity services are available in UK and it does not make a compelling reason; however we must add that upon appeal the lady was granted the ILR.

UK Visa Works specialises in helping clients to get their ILR applications approved, please contact us for further details.