What happens after applying online?
Your ILR application will NOT be processed unless you enrol your digital biometrics. So after you submit your application, you will be asked to book an appointment at one of the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Service Centers to submit the digital scans of your documents online and enrol your biometrics in person at one of their service centres.
The UKVCAS centres across the UK are operated by UKVI's partner TLScontact.
Note that TLScontact is a third-party operator and does NOT have any influence over your application's outcome as their job is ONLY to check your documents, collect your biometrics data and simply forward them to UKVI for processing and decision making.
Note that some applicants only under very specific routes will be able to upload their documents via the UK Immigration ID Check app, instead of going for an appointment. This will be possible if UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) is able to re-use your previously submitted Biometrics data.
Guide for using the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-the-u ... -check-app
Priority visa processing service
When applying online, you may choose to pay extra for a priority visa processing service if offered by UKVI under your visa route. A visa processing service (like super priority processing) has nothing to do with your biometrics appointment with UKVCAS. You can only choose such a service before paying and submitting your application and that determines how fast your application is processed AFTER you enrol your biometrics. No application is processed UNTIL the biometrics are enrolled.
You should check to see if you can apply using priority visa services or not here: https://www.gov.uk/faster-decision-visa-settlement
Note that the priority service option is only offered if there is capacity: Online Application - Why there is no Super Priority Service Option ?
Important to remember when applying for ILR
• It is NO LONGER required to send any physical documents to UKVI for processing as only digital scans are submitted. This means you keep your original documents while your immigration application is being processed.
• Please note that you should NOT travel outside the UK after submitting your application online or else your application will be considered automatically withdrawn (as per paragraph 34K of the UK immigration rules)
• All Biometrics Residence Permits(BRPs) will be phased out from 2025 and replaced with eVisa. BRPs are no longer issued (since 31 October 2024) and the replacement BRP service stopped receiving applications: Information on eVisas as all BPRs will be phased out from 1st Jan 2025
Please post ALL queries regarding the UKVCAS services e.g how to book, issues with booking, ideas to book, when to book, appointment confirmation queries, etc. in the General UK Immigration forum only.
Likewise, ALL queries regarding the eVisas must be posted in the General UK Immigration forum only.
Such queries are irrelevant to ILR but generic to all immigration categories where in-person applications are allowed and leave issued as BRP, hence "general".
All posts on these topics in any other forum will be deleted / locked.
