What if my visa vignette has expired and I am yet to travel to the UK to collect my full visa?

07 Feb 2024, 35 mins ago

If you are a non-EU national applying from outside of the UK, your passport will usually be endorsed with a visa vignette (sticker) to allow you to enter the UK.

Visa vignettes are usually issued with a 30-day validity or a 90-day validity and people are often unable to relocate to the UK within the restricted time limit to activate their visas and collect the full visas (if applicable). This blog will look at what your options are if you are in this situation.

Transfer of Conditions from Outside of the UK

If your visa vignette has now expired and you are yet to arrive in the UK, you must apply to replace it first. The process of replacing an expired vignette requires submitting an online application and paying the fee of £154, and then attending a biometric enrolment appointment to register your biometrics.

The online application can be found on the gov.uk website, and it usually takes approximately 3 weeks for a decision to be made; however, a same-day service is offered for a decision to be made within 1-2 working days for an additional fee. This service was particularly important during the pandemic, when we saw multiple travel restrictions in the UK and the rest of the world, which meant that migrants were being issued with visa vignettes that would expire before being able to travel to the UK.

Transfer of Conditions from Inside the UK

The Transfer of Conditions application can also be used by individuals whose passports have been invalidated, or have expired, since the issuing of their visa vignettes, and who are therefore looking to transfer their conditions to a Biometric Residence Permit (“BRP”). This service is commonly used by individuals where their full visa duration is contained in the vignette (i.e. if you are issued with a short-term visa for a period of less than 6 months then you will not be issued with a BRP following entry into the UK). As they will have travelled to the UK already, they will require a Transfer of Conditions, rather than returning to the UK Visa Application Centre, and the UKVI’s usual practice is to issue a BRP in place of the vignette.

How Gherson can assist

Gherson’s Immigration Team are highly experienced in advising on UK visa matters. If you have any questions arising from this blog, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice, send us an e-mail, or, alternatively, follow us on XFacebookInstagram, or LinkedIn 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 do not 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.

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