some general questions from a ukvcas agent

Hello all! I work at a UKVCAS Centre and the majority of people who come in for appointments have lots of questions that we don't know the answer to as we're not Home Office and don't get provided with lots of information. So if this post is allowed I'd like to ask some of the common questions we get asked, so that when people have their appointments we can let them know if they ask.

Can people work whilst in the process of applying and if their BRP expires whilst waiting for their next visa? Do they need a letter or receipt from Home Office to show that they're in the process of applying? Most people say their employer won't accept a valid visa in an old passport anymore, is that allowed? They typically say that they're being hassled by their employees for proof of their application and right to work if their visa expires, what can they use for this?

Do people receive confirmation from Home Office that their application has been submitted back to them?

Can applicants travel after submitting their application? If their BRP is still and will still be valid will there be any problems? If it expires whilst they're out of the country can they still come back?

For citizenship, what documents are acceptable for proof of living in the UK? We get lots of applicants who will just use driving license or BRP/residence permit or passport. Is that okay?

Also for citizenship most people assume that they will get given a British passport automatically, is this still true? One applicant told me that it depends on what council you're with but after looking it up I couldn't find any information there.

Some people are still receiving a letter after making their application saying that they need to enroll biometrics at a post office, we've been told that no post office does that anymore and that they will need to make a ukvcas appointment the same way everyone else does, has anyone managed to do that? They typically don't have a UAN but instead have a case number, so all we can give them is the website and phone number but we've never had someone come back having managed to make an appointment.

I hope these are all okay to ask, thanks for any info you can give me.

While it is always important for those involved in the industry to learn more about the processes involved, for your own protection given your position, I would suggest not providing answers to most of these questions. It is very possible any information you provide would be misinterpreted as coming from an official UKVI or Home Office source. There are laws relating to the provision of legal advice in immigration situations and who is allowed to give such advice. As you are involved in the process in an official and personally recognisable capacity, you may be better off directing people to official government sources or professional advisers rather than answering most of these questions yourself.

geoeng wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 23, 2019 11:13 am

While it is always important for those involved in the industry to learn more about the processes involved, for your own protection given your position, I would suggest not providing answers to most of these questions. It is very possible any information you provide would be misinterpreted as coming from an official UKVI or Home Office source. There are laws relating to the provision of legal advice in immigration situations and who is allowed to give such advice. As you are involved in the process in an official and personally recognisable capacity, you may be better off directing people to official government sources or professional advisers rather than answering most of these questions yourself.

I agree with the above 100%

1000000000% what has been posted already. In addition, the procedures and processes are almost continually changing, so info given today is liable to change, and unless you personally stay up to date with the changes, you will quickly be giving people erroneous and incorrect information in an informal situation that people take to be official and you personally could find yourself in some trouble.