timipre wrote: ↑Thu Nov 15, 2018 3:19 pm
I am new here and was looking for information on the new system.
I accompanied my husband to the new Birmingham Sopra Steria centre on Tuesday 13th November. He was welcomed as the first customer as we arrived early, waited a few minutes and were allowed in about 8:15 am for his 8.30 appointment. He was customer One and was given a Number One slip which I still have. He applied under the super priority service category.
The centre had some difficulty with their machines at first, which was significant for him because he has some visual impairment and could not use the self-service kiosk and so he had to have his image captured by staff.
This was resolved when some staff from the home office who were there intervened. We left after completing the application process at about 10 am, after a staff has scanned his international passport and mine, taken his bio metrics and checked the documents he had uploaded with his application, on their computer (we paid for this service). Then they asked if there was anything he wanted to add before they clicked 'send'. He said no, and they sent the documents electronically to the Home office.
Staff were very kind as were members of the Home Office who were there. Any one who was there between 8.30am and about 10 am when we left the place should remember my husband. It took about an hour and thirty minutes to capture his image as machines temporarily failed, but not the staff, they made up for these machine issues by their kindness, apologies and persistence.
We left after he joked with them that he deserved a service award as their 'longest serving customer.'
There was no email acknowledging the documents sent on Tuesday 13th November by Sopra Steria had reached the Home Office. The only email received from the Home office was the acknowledgement email sent after his application form was filled and submitted online.
We are now waiting to hear from the Home Office two days after.
Hi timepre,
I was also there and I do remember seeing you both.
My appointment was 8.30am and token number 3.
I have also not received any confirmation/correspondence or update from either UKVI or Sopra Steria.
Phoned UKVI- this seems like an outsourced call centre service and they are not able to help or provide any information.
Sopra - unable to confirm whether it is send successfully, according to them by 2200 hours the day there is a cut off and everything uploaded on your account can be accessed by UKVI.
I had completed my online application the previous day - 12th November and received a confirmation from UKVI soon around 11am on the 13th which was few minutes after completing the biometrics and scanning at Sopra and I thought this is a confirmation. However, based on reading other posts Winshee18, it seems like a confirmation of application made online not the biometrics/scan received or completed.
This waiting is killing!!
It is a mess!! I hope the UKVI actions on this asap. This will be really bad for someone who booked their appointment on the last few days before their visa expired!
