As mentioned in our blog of 13 April 2021 (Update: Overseas Visitors’ Records Office (OVRO) Online Portal), from 7 April 2021 individuals who reside within the Metropolitan Police area (namely Greater London and the City of London area) and who are required to register with the police will be able to use OVRO’s new online portal to book appointments.
Tips for using Overseas Visitors’ Records Office portal
Some users have been experiencing technical issues with this new online portal, so OVRO has provided us with the following tips for using the portal until their software is fixed:
- VAF Reference – Not accepting a 6 digit VAF reference: Please enter a zero ‘0’ at the start of the VAF number to make up the required number of digits.
- BRP Reference – Not accepting a 6 digit number after the 2-3 letter prefix: Please enter a zero ‘0’ at the start of the number sequence to make up the required number of digits.
- Entry Clearance Vignette and BRP expiry dates – Not accepting an expiry date: Please enter the current date for now, as OVRO staff will be validating the information when you attend your appointment in any event, and will amend this date at that stage.
- Tutor Contact (for students only): This is a new data field for the OVRO and falls in line with the data fields used by over 20 other, non-London police forces. When students are asked for their ‘Tutor Contact’, you should enter the name of the tutor, if known. Where students do not have a named tutor, you may enter a generic email for the school/college/university or student support services.
- Arrival Date: You should enter the date stamped on your most recent Entry Clearance vignette, even if you have left and re-entered the UK after this date, for example, to go on holiday.
- Change of Address: If you already have a police registration certificate and only need to update your address, you are advised to create an OVRO account and book an appointment for the meantime. The OVRO is currently working on an enhancement for the online system to deal with changes of address in a more straightforward way. Once this enhancement is operational, you should receive an update from the OVRO directing you on how to report your change of address.
You should always check carefully to ensure that your details are entered correctly into the OVRO system. This will help to save time when attending your appointment in person.
For more information, please do not hesitate to contact us. Or, alternatively, follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date.
The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please don’t hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.
©Gherson 2021