What replaced the walk-in service

The Walk-In Service No Longer Exists

Settlement applications used to be made in person at Home Office premium service centres, where you could sometimes be seen without booking. That is not how it works now.

Applications are made online, and biometric information is given at an appointment booked through UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services. GOV.UK states: “You can only attend a service point if you have an appointment.” It also states: “You will not get a decision on your application at your appointment.”

Appointments are booked at vcas.tlscontact.com, the service GOV.UK links to. The Sopra Steria premium centres that older guides describe are gone. If you read anywhere that you can walk in and leave with settlement granted, that is out of date.

Two Different Things Called “Fast”

The confusion behind the phrase “premium walk-in” is that two separate things can be paid for, and they speed up different parts of the process.

• A faster appointment. GOV.UK says you can pay extra for out of hours or weekend appointments, and for next day or same day appointments if your application is urgent. This buys you an earlier slot to give your fingerprints and photo. It does not change how long the decision takes.
• A faster decision. This is the priority or super priority service, chosen and paid for when you apply, not at the appointment.

What the Faster Decision Services Cost

The settlement application fee is £3,226 for you and for each person included in your application. On top of that:

• Standard: no extra fee. GOV.UK says you will be told whether your settlement application has been successful within 6 months.
• Priority: £500 in addition to the application fee, for a decision usually within 5 working days. For citizenship and family visa applications, priority means 30 working days instead.
• Super priority: £1,000 in addition to the application fee, for a decision by the end of the next working day, or within 2 working days if your appointment falls on a weekend or bank holiday. Super priority is not available for citizenship applications.

You choose the service when you apply, on the GOV.UK faster decision pages. See our priority and super priority guide and our settlement cost breakdown.

When the Clock Starts

GOV.UK sets the start of the faster decision period as either:

• the day of your appointment, if you prove your identity in person; or
• the working day after you finish uploading your documents, if you prove your identity using the ID Check app.

So the wait for an appointment sits before the clock starts, which is why appointment availability matters as much as the service level you pay for.

What Happens at the Appointment

The appointment is short and administrative. GOV.UK describes it as giving your biometric information, meaning your fingerprints and a photo, and having supporting documents scanned if you have not already uploaded them.

Supporting documents can be submitted either by uploading them into the UKVCAS online service or by having them scanned at the appointment. EU Settlement Scheme applicants must upload documents online and cannot have them scanned at an appointment.

Nobody assesses your application in front of you, and no caseworker reviews your evidence on the day. See our settlement documents checklist for what to gather.

Proving Your Status

Biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024. Immigration status is now an eVisa held in a UKVI account, proved with a share code that lasts 90 days, so there is no card to wait for after a decision. Our eVisa guide covers setting up the account.

If Your Application Is Refused

A refusal arrives in the decision, not at the appointment. The published options are the same whichever service you paid for:

• Administrative review: where the decision carries a right to one, you can ask for an administrative review.
• Section 3C leave: if you applied while your previous permission was still valid, it continues under section 3C while a review or appeal runs.
• A fresh application: see our settlement refusal guide.

Preparing for the Appointment

• Upload your documents before the appointment if you can. It is the method GOV.UK lists first, and it is the only method for EU Settlement Scheme applications.
• Book the appointment as soon as you have applied. On the priority and super priority services the appointment date is what starts the clock.
• Check what the booking service charges for the slot you want. Out-of-hours, weekend, next day and same day appointments cost extra.
• For help with the application itself, only a person regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority or a solicitor can advise you. See our guide to getting help.

You may also find our UK visa fees guide, settlement processing times and Home Office contact guide useful.

Questions and answers