Any updates re: Sopra Steria appointments?

Update: So after option out of the IDV app/re using biometrics we just got an email inviting to book an appointment at a service centre...
long behold, first appointments available are first week of September for LONDON SERVICE POINTS. None of the appointments are free and are between £110 and £135. This is ludicrous!


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How do they determine whether they can re-use the existing biometrics (photo/fingerprint) and those that have received that email, does that mean you can upload stuff via this app they've introduced?

Where can I find more information about this app?

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If the applicant is eligible to re use biometrics then they should have or will receive an email advising on using the new IDV app. We received it last week however decided to go down the appointment route.
We applied on 12th June and only got the email for opting into the app last week therefore I would hang tight :-)


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If the applicant is eligible to re use biometrics then they should have or will receive an email advising on using the new IDV app. We received it last week however decided to go down the appointment route.
We applied on 12th June and only got the email for opting into the app last week therefore I would hang tight :-)


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I feel like I'm 90% there with my application and should be in a position over the next few days to submit the application and then scan all the documents via the Sopra website.

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I feel like I'm 90% there with my application and should be in a position over the next few days to submit the application and then scan all the documents via the Sopra website.

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So if you still have not submitted your application, be advised that there is approximately a 2-3 month backlog for you to either

a) receive an email inviting you to use the app for reusing biometrics or
b) being invited to book an appointment at a service centre.

We applied on 12th June and received emails after about 2 months.
As you will be applying over the next few days, you will probably hear back in a October and then add on about 3 weeks for new BRP to be dispatched so your probably looking at having it all done and new BRP with applicant in November. 


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Has anyone actually gotten the IDV App yet? I received the email July 31 giving the option to opt out and go to biometrics, of course I don't want to go in person, so I am still waiting. Applied for FLR(M) in May.

So if you still have not submitted your application, be advised that there is approximately a 2-3 month backlog for you to either

a) receive an email inviting you to use the app for reusing biometrics or
b) being invited to book an appointment at a service centre.

We applied on 12th June and received emails after about 2 months.
As you will be applying over the next few days, you will probably hear back in a October and then add on about 3 weeks for new BRP to be dispatched so your probably looking at having it all done and new BRP with applicant in November. 


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I just want to submit it on time and get those documents scanned - then they can take as long as they like, there are no plans here to be travelling anywhere. I know there's a big backlog so it'll take time. I can wait. The priority is to get it submitted in time before the 24th August when the BRP expires.

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Update: So after option out of the IDV app/re using biometrics we just got an email inviting to book an appointment at a service centre...
long behold, first appointments available are first week of September for LONDON SERVICE POINTS. None of the appointments are free and are between £110 and £135. This is ludicrous!


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So the earliest we managed to find an appointment in London was during the latter end of the first week of September.

No free appointments were available in any London location so we had no choice but to go for a paid appointment £110 and then added document scanning service for £49.99 so in total this was £159.99 (inclusive of £26.66 VAT)


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I just want to submit it on time and get those documents scanned - then they can take as long as they like, there are no plans here to be travelling anywhere. I know there's a big backlog so it'll take time. I can wait. The priority is to get it submitted in time before the 24th August when the BRP expires.

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Also note if you decide to go with uploading your documents yourself then you need to follow the specific guidelines on filenames, file extensions and sizes as per the guides available on the sopra steria site (e.g files need to be of a certain size and for example contain dashes - in filenames and not dots) you will also need to download some free pdf shrink software which will significantly reduce file sizes as the sopra steria site also specifies very specific guidelines on file sizes to be able to upload on the site, for example when you have to scan each and every page of your passport and your wifes passport each file name and PDF should be for each passport. So one file with all the pages against one PDF for yours and the same for your wifes. Most scanning software will scan page per page and then create a single PDF out of each page.


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Update: So after option out of the IDV app/re using biometrics we just got an email inviting to book an appointment at a service centre...
long behold, first appointments available are first week of September for LONDON SERVICE POINTS. None of the appointments are free and are between £110 and £135. This is ludicrous!


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Free appointments have always been notoriously hard to find. Even before Covid, the waiting time for a free appointment was at least 4-6 weeks, so people would often choose to pay for a £110 appointment in order to get their biometrics done quicker.

If the earliest £110 appointments (which are usually same-day, next-day or out of hours appointments) have a wait of around 2 weeks, the free appointments will have an even longer wait than they did before Covid.


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Also note if you decide to go with uploading your documents yourself then you need to follow the specific guidelines on filenames, file extensions and sizes as per the guides available on the sopra steria site (e.g files need to be of a certain size and for example contain dashes - in filenames and not dots) you will also need to download some free pdf shrink software which will significantly reduce file sizes as the sopra steria site also specifies very specific guidelines on file sizes to be able to upload on the site, for example when you have to scan each and every page of your passport and your wifes passport each file name and PDF should be for each passport. So one file with all the pages against one PDF for yours and the same for your wifes. Most scanning software will scan page per page and then create a single PDF out of each page.


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Thank you - I'll take a look at the link you've posted in this thread about the guidelines for uploading documents.

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Not much to add really just wanted to bump this up to the top and see if anyone had heard anything new about the app etc...

thanks

The app is "up" on the app stores. It's called UKVCAS IDV - but it's not yet working. Others have tried to log in and can't access it yet. But you can download it. I think you still have to wait for an email giving you the go-ahead to log in but not sure.... There's another thread that's tracking the app a little more closely.

Geez I’m glad I went back to the Sopra Steria site to see if anything was different. I had uploaded all my documents almost two months ago and FORGOT TO CLICK SUBMIT! I feel like a right idiot and am glad I caught it.

That was easy to miss once you move to the upload documents page. Hopefully this doesn’t affect anything 😩 since I haven’t attended an appointment yet.

Geez I’m glad I went back to the Sopra Steria site to see if anything was different. I had uploaded all my documents almost two months ago and FORGOT TO CLICK SUBMIT! I feel like a right idiot and am glad I caught it.

That was easy to miss once you move to the upload documents page. Hopefully this doesn’t affect anything since I haven’t attended an appointment yet.

It shouldn’t affect anything, since the documents just have to be submitted by the day of your appointment .


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