Covid FAQs

UK visa application centres have reopened in certain countries, with most now accessible. However, if your local application centre is closed due to COVID-19 until 31 March 2021, you can apply for a UK visa in a different country.

Flights and trains are limited, but you can travel to the UK if you already have a visa or do not need one.

If you have been issued a 90-day visa and you can not travel to the UK before it expires, you will need to apply online for a replacement – please note you may need to pay a fee for this. 

Your biometrics (such as fingerprints and digital photo) will need to be resubmitted at an appointment, and a new 90-day visa will be issued.

NHS workers, and their families, can have an automatic extension of their visa, free of charge and for 12 months. As reported by The Home Office, this will apply to doctors, nurses and paramedics and will not be limited to those on a Tier 2 visa.

UKVI has recommended anyone eligible to get in touch with their HR departments or apply online, with automatic approval being the case for most applications.

For a visa visit, you can apply in any UK Visa Application Centre (VAC).

For any other form of UK visa, you should apply from your home country unless the visa centre has been closed. In this case, you may apply from another country provided you have the correct permissions to travel there for an appointment.

If your country's Visa Application Centre (VAC) is closed, you may need to wait until it reopens to apply for a British passport. If you urgently need to travel back to the UK, you can apply for an emergency travel document.

There have been temporary adjustments to make this process easier to complete for employers.

As of 30 March 2020, checks can be carried over video calls, and applicants can send their documents via email or mobile apps. Employers will also be required to carry out these checks retrospectively after this date.

These measures will no longer be valid after the COVID-10 measures have ended.

Before Travel:

• You must take a COVID-19 test three days before travelling.
• Book a travel test package (which costs £210) to receive two COVID-19 tests, to take on days two and eight of quarantine.
• Complete a passenger locator form (which details where you will stay, self-isolate and your booking reference number).

After you arrive in the UK, you must travel directly to where you are staying and self-isolate for ten days.

An example of this is if you're stuck in the UK due to COVID and need to switch from a visit visa to a skilled worker visa. If your current visa is about to expire, you can request an exceptional assurance from the home office, giving you an extension until 30 June 2021.

The Home Office's latest guidance is that it is impossible to switch your visa category unless you meet the rules or unless it is for exceptional assurance.

The Worker and Temporary Worker sponsor guidance is that all employers do not need to report when employed sponsored workers are working from their homes home if related to the coronavirus pandemic. However, an employer must report or withdraw sponsorship if an employee is absent from work non-payed for four weeks.

The Worker and Temporary Worker sponsor guidance states that, if directly related to the pandemic, you do not need to withdraw your sponsorship from employees absent from work without pay for four weeks or more,

Any worker absences that are related to coronavirus do not need to be reported to the Home Office.