UK biometrics appointments

When using a taxi, remember that other people were in that car before you, and if they coughed or sneezed, their droplets landed on surfaces in there.  So, even though you're not in a Tube being coughed on directly, be careful not to touch too many surfaces, and sanitize your hands until you're able to wash them properly with soap and water.  Do not touch your face with unclean hands!

Aw thank you , I appreciate the advice. I've got everything ready to protect myself as much as possible, i'm even gonna wear my contact lenses so that I don't keep adjusting the glasses on my face . I've got the hand sanitizer ready, even though I've still annoyed that I had to pay a bit extra for it due to panic buyers 

Hi everyone, just to let you know that we received an email very early this morning stating that due to coronavirus they will no longer be allowing other persons to attend the appointment, ONLY the applicant.

We have had to get a ride from a family member so I dont have to wait outside alone.

Just a heads up on this ever changing situation.

Hi everyone, just to let you know that we received an email very early this morning stating that due to coronavirus they will no longer be allowing other persons to attend the appointment, ONLY the applicant.

We have had to get a ride from a family member so I dont have to wait outside alone.

Just a heads up on this ever changing situation.

Thanks for the update.
Be safe.

Hi everyone, just to let you know that we received an email very early this morning stating that due to coronavirus they will no longer be allowing other persons to attend the appointment, ONLY the applicant.

We have had to get a ride from a family member so I dont have to wait outside alone.

Just a heads up on this ever changing situation.

That's good to know. Good luck with the appointment today. Hope they've got that fingerprint scanner wiped, bleached and shiny clean for you!

So firstly I just want to say thank you for all the advice and well wishes from yesterday - I'm happy to say that we got hubby's approval email 1 hour and 30 mins after his appointment, YAY 

Also we just wanted to share the experience from today at the Birmingham Sopra Steria office near Birmingham airport. Some key details:

• Paid £800 for the super priority 24 hour decision.
  
• Booked an Express Appointment - this means they aim to complete everything at your biometrics within 30 minutes.
  
• Our original appointment was booked for the 31st March but we chose to re-arrange due to the anxiety around COVID-19. In order to re-arrange you have to cancel your existing appointment (if you paid for that appointment it will be refunded in 5 -10 working days). Only once you have cancelled your appointment can you book a new appointment.
  
• We did not pay for document check or scanning
  

Even though we did receive the email very early this morning stating that only the applicant could attend the appointment due to COVID-19, it did appear that alot of people had not seen the email in time and had their partners with them. We didn't chance it so I stayed in the car.

He went in and was just asked if he had an appointment and what time it was, as he was an hour early he was just told to take a seat and wait. The waiting room was very busy this morning at 08:30. Every half an hour they called out for people who had appointments for that time so that they could queue for the QR code to be scanned and passport check. Upon scanning the QR code they realised we had super priority so they escorted him to a separate waitIng room to be processed. They apologised that they were running a few minutes behind because they were understaffed. Within 5 minutes they called him up to the desk, scanned the QR code again, checked his passport (they did query why he had no stamps in his passport but he explained that we had renewed it and he provided them with his old one which they said was fine), they checked we had uploaded all the necessary documents then finally did his biometrics. We were expecting this part to be self service but they did his fingerprints, signature and photo with the person at the desk. Finally she said that he should receive a decision from the Home Office within 24 hours but due to the COVID-19 it could be Monday or Tuesday. - All in all from the waiting room to leaving it took less than 15 minutes.

Location-wise we parked at Birmingham International train station and it was a brisk 5 minute walk to Sopra Steria. We thought there would be parking on the Sopra Steria site but we spoke to one of site security guards and he said that the car park was for staff only, if other people use it they clamp! - definitely something to be aware of.

I hope this helps someone and hope all goes well for everyone going into their future appointments 

Congratulations! 

Great news-- congrats! I'm glad it went well for you.

And thanks for the write up. It's made me think in London they'll very likely be short staffed for my appointment so I'll be prepared that it might take awhile.

Has anyone been able to find any appointments in the South of England for the free BRP service?  I can't find any free ones anywhere in the next few weeks.  Is this all COVID-19?

Has anyone been able to find any appointments in the South of England for the free BRP service?  I can't find any free ones anywhere in the next few weeks.  Is this all COVID-19?

It's always been very hard to find a free appointment. In all honestly, I'd pay up and get the first available as we've already had one member have their appointment cancelled.

Just got an email cancelling my appointment on Wednesday.

"We have reallocated you a new appointment in approximately 6 weeks from your current booking date. Your new appointment date and time will be available to view via your UKVI account within the next 24 to 48 hrs."

 

Just got an email cancelling my appointment on Wednesday.

"We have reallocated you a new appointment in approximately 6 weeks from your current booking date. Your new appointment date and time will be available to view via your UKVI account within the next 24 to 48 hrs."

I know that must be frustrating but it's for the best, and remember, this will make no difference at all in the grand scheme of things, your ILR will still be at the same time. 

Thanks. I'm not too bothered about it, if I'm honest. The application was the worst part and that was done a month ago. Whatever happens next is out of my hands!

So firstly I just want to say thank you for all the advice and well wishes from yesterday - I'm happy to say that we got hubby's approval email 1 hour and 30 mins after his appointment, YAY 

Also we just wanted to share the experience from today at the Birmingham Sopra Steria office near Birmingham airport. Some key details:

• Paid £800 for the super priority 24 hour decision.
  
• Booked an Express Appointment - this means they aim to complete everything at your biometrics within 30 minutes.
  
• Our original appointment was booked for the 31st March but we chose to re-arrange due to the anxiety around COVID-19. In order to re-arrange you have to cancel your existing appointment (if you paid for that appointment it will be refunded in 5 -10 working days). Only once you have cancelled your appointment can you book a new appointment.
  
• We did not pay for document check or scanning
  

Did you upload the documents yourself then? Any guidance on this? I read somewhere that it has to be in greyscale and within a certain file size?
Is there a file naming convention at all? Does the option to self scan come after you pay for the fees and IHS surcharge?

Also finally did you have all the original documents to hand just in case? Sorry for the barrage of questions but I'm close to submitting too so wanted to check the practicalities before making a decision on the scanning part (i.e. getting Sopra Steria to do it or us).

There are MB limits but I couldn't figure them out. I had files under 5MB that it wouldn't allow (passports). Those I split and converted to greyscale. I hope it's okay to upload color copies because most of mine are.

Hi Tazzymundo,

No apologies neccessary at all, I had the same questions too

Did you upload the documents yourself then?
Yes, I just don't trust people with my documents 

Any guidance on this? I read somewhere that it has to be in greyscale and within a certain file size?
So the guidelines do advise you to upload your documents in black & white as it helps to ensure that you don't go over the maximum file size which is 6MB. I wanted to scan my documents in colour, because I felt like I had gone to all this trouble to get original docs BUT I did have the full Adobe suite (Adobe Acrobat Pro DC) which was the key to resizing my colour files. If you want to download it they do a 14 day free trial but if you don't want to go to trouble then greyscale is completely fine.
I used my scanner at home  to scan the document in a PDF form > opened it in my Adobe creative suite > clicked the file tab>click 'Reduce File Size'>Save .All of my files were well below 6MB

Is there a file naming convention at all?
These are the name conventions I used on all my documents and I've included the folder names I uploaded them onto the Sopra Steria website:

Upload Section Finances:
Naming convention for bank statements: Bank-Statement1-August-2019
Naming convention for payslips: Sponsors-Payslip1-August-2019
Naming convention for Employer Letter: Letter-From-Sponsors-Employer

Upload Section Other:
Employment-Contract-For-Sponsor
Marriage-Certificate
Previous-Passport-For-Application

Upload Section - Proof of  Identity & Travel History (Mandatory Documents)
Biometric-Residence-Permit-For-Applicant
Passport-Issued-By-UK-For-Sponsor

Upload Section - Proof of Application
Consent-Verification-Check-Declaration
IHS-Payment-Confirmation (you will be prompted to pay for this prior to completing the application on line)
Passport-Issued-By-USA-For-Applicant
Spouse-Declaration

Upload Section - Residence in UK
Naming convention for letters: Correspondence1-DWP-Applicant-September-2017 and Correspondence1-Halifax-Sponsor-September-2017
We live with my parents in the family home so this may be different depending on what you are providing:
Deeds-From-Land-Registry-Confirming-Property-Ownership
Letter-From-Property-Owners
Passports-For-Property-Owners

Does the option to self scan come after you pay for the fees and IHS surcharge?
After you have paid for your IHS fee you will then be prompted to complete and pay for your application which will give you 2 choices, either the normal non-priority fee or the super priority fee which is £800 more. After the visa is has been paid for and everything is complete the screen will display a list of mandatory items that you need to ensure you have completed, one of those is to go to the Sopra Steria website. I believe when you first access the site they send you an access code, once you have that code you can get in and book your appointment and upload your documents prior to your appointment. There is no additional fee to self scan, but there is if you want them to scan and check your documents. It will depend on the type of appointment you book, here is the link: https://www.ukvcas.co.uk/additional-services

Also finally did you have all the original documents to hand just in case? Sorry for the barrage of questions but I'm close to submitting too so wanted to check the practicalities before making a decision on the scanning part (i.e. getting Sopra Steria to do it or us).
Yes bring all of the documents that you are including in your application and passports, BRP etc. We took everything with us because I'm overly cautious 

I hope this helps