Immigrationboards.com

Had to post here, as other forums were locked.

Regarding visa expiring during COVID-19 pandemic, whether planning to return to your country or applying for a new visa, this is the official information on the UK's government website as of 22-May:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus ... ts#history

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If you’re in the UK and your leave expires between 24 January 2020 and 31 July 2020
Your visa will be extended to 31 July 2020 if you cannot leave the UK because of travel restrictions or self-isolation related to coronavirus (COVID-19).

You must request an extension by updating your records with the Coronavirus Immigration Team (CIT) if your visa is expiring and you cannot leave the UK at present but are not planning to stay in the UK in the long term.

If you have already had your visa extended to 31 May 2020 you visa will be extended automatically to 31 July 2020.

You will be expected to return to your home country as soon as it is safe and possible to do so.

If you’re applying to stay in the UK long-term
You can apply from the UK to switch to a long-term UK visa until 31 July 2020 if your leave expires between 24 January 2020 and 31 July 2020. This includes applications where you would usually need to apply for a visa from your home country.

You’ll need to meet the requirements of the route you are applying for and pay the UK application fee.

This includes those whose leave has already been extended to 31 July 2020.

You can apply online. The terms of your leave will remain the same until your application is decided.

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According to this, if I'm planning to stay in the UK and apply for ILR, I don't need to do anything.
I've just called the CIH Centre and they said completely different things.
They say is better to send an application for an extension of my current Tier 2 visa to 31st July, then later on apply for ILR by 31st July.
I told them word by word what the UK government website said, but they insisted it is better to request the extension, even though the website says otherwise.

Any thoughts, inside, advise is welcome because UKVCAS remain close, LitUK centres remain closed, and all of this is freaking confusing.

If you are eligible for ILR, apply for ILR before visa expiry.

Dear Zimba,

Thanks for the advice.
That's definitely my intention, but my concern is whether Super Priority service would be available once UKVCAS re-opens.
They have just announced how they plan to re-open, but they'll prioritize customers who already had appointments before pandemic started, then they'll announce what to do with new customers, but it is unclear if Super Priority will be available again.

I called the CIH centre and they simply said: "Of course, if the option is offered to you, you'll be able to", but it didn't sound reassuring at all. My impression is that this wasn't clear to them as more than giving facts, they just tried to sound reassuring.

Daided wrote: ↑

Wed May 27, 2020 8:52 am

Dear Zimba,

Thanks for the advice.
That's definitely my intention, but my concern is whether Super Priority service would be available once UKVCAS re-opens.
They have just announced how they plan to re-open, but they'll prioritize customers who already had appointments before pandemic started, then they'll announce what to do with new customers, but it is unclear if Super Priority will be available again.

I called the CIH centre and they simply said: "Of course, if the option is offered to you, you'll be able to", but it didn't sound reassuring at all. My impression is that this wasn't clear to them as more than giving facts, they just tried to sound reassuring.

Super priority is a service provided by UKVI and they may not provide it anytime soon. This has nothing to do with UKVCAS appointments as everyone must attend their biometrics regardless of the service they have chosen. Apply using the standard service