Five Star International confirmed on 18 July that UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) has selected VFS Global as its sole worldwide commercial partner for Visa Application Centres (VACs), replacing TLScontact when existing contracts expire between late-2026 and 2027. The change follows a competitive procurement launched last year aimed at improving appointment availability, biometric security and customer-satisfaction scores, which have plummeted amid post-pandemic demand. VFS Global already runs VACs for multiple governments and handled over 20 million applications in 2025. Under the new agreement, it will manage document intake, biometric enrolment and courier return services across 142 cities, introducing extended opening hours in business hubs such as New York, Dubai and Shanghai. UKVI says digital self-upload of supporting documents will become mandatory for most routes, allowing physical centres to focus on biometrics and interviews. For corporate mobility teams, the transition carries both opportunities and risks. VFS’s ‘Visa At Your Doorstep’ premium—where officers visit offices or employee homes to collect fingerprints—will be offered on UK routes for the first time, potentially slashing downtime for senior executives. However, the hand-over period could bring booking bottlenecks in markets where TLS shuts down before VFS is fully operational. Employers should monitor local VAC notices and, where possible, accelerate filing for autumn relocations. UKVI has pledged that standard processing timelines will remain unchanged and that existing paid appointments booked with TLS will be honoured. Applicant data held by TLS will be destroyed or transferred in line with GDPR, supervised by the Information Commissioner’s Office. Meanwhile, travel-risk insurers warn that any early teething problems could delay essential business travel, advising companies to build contingency days into project schedules through Q1 2027. The outsourcing shake-up underscores a wider UKVI shift towards a “digital-by-default” application journey, with eVisas scheduled to replace physical BRP cards completely by the end of 2027. Mobility teams that adapt fastest to paperless workflows and remote-biometric options will secure a competitive edge in the fight for global talent.
Source: Five Star International
