Visa nationals who cannot return home due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to extend their visa.

The extension, announced today (24 March) by the Home Secretary Priti Patel, will apply to anyone whose leave expired after the 24 January and who cannot leave the country because of travel restrictions or self-isolation.

This will last until 31 May but will be kept under regular review in case further extensions are needed.

A dedicated COVID-19 immigration team has been set up within UKVI to make the process as straightforward as possible. Anyone in this situation just needs to contact this team, via this email address CIH@homeoffice.gov.uk, to let them know their visa has expired and they will be issued with an extension.

To help those who want to apply for visas to stay in the UK long-term, the Home Office is also temporarily expanding the in-country switching provisions.

This will mean people can apply to switch routes, such as from Tier 4 (student) to Tier 2 (General Worker), whilst remaining in the UK. UKVI will continue to process applications as quickly as possible, however some applications may take longer than usual due to COVID-19 related operational pressures.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

The UK continues to put the health and wellbeing of people first and nobody will be punished for circumstances outside of their control.

By extending people’s visas, we are giving people peace of mind and also ensuring that those in vital services can continue their work.

Many foreign nationals have found themselves unable to return home since the outbreak of COVID-19 due to flight cancellations and border restrictions.

The extension has been put in place to give these individuals peace of mind that they will not be penalised for overstaying their visa when the situation is out of their control due to COVID-19.

Those who contact the Home Office for these visa extensions will be expected to return to their home countries as soon as possible once flight and border restrictions are lifted. No immigration enforcement action will be undertaken during this time for those who email the Home Office as outlined above.

In light of the current advice on self-isolation and social distancing, the Home Office is also waiving a number of requirements on visa sponsors, such as allowing non-EU nationals here under work or study routes to undertake their work or study from home.

This is to ensure prisons are complying with social distancing rules and to protect staff and prisoners.

In recognition of the importance of continued contact with family and to ensure stability in our jails the Government has moved quickly to keep prisoners in touch with their family members by other means.

Secure phone handsets will be given to prisoners at 55 jails. This will enable the approved use of 900 locked SIM card handsets, allowing risk-assessed prisoners to speak to a small number of pre-authorised contacts. The phones will not have internet access.

Strict measures will ensure the phones are not misused with calls being time-limited and monitored closely. Additionally, handsets will include measures to prevent non-secure SIM cards being used. 

Prisons and Probation Minister Lucy Frazer QC MP said:

These are uniquely challenging times and the decision to end prison visits has not been taken lightly. We know these are important to many prisoners and that they will be concerned for the wellbeing of their family members.

It is therefore right and proportionate that we provide other, controlled ways for them to stay in touch so that they can maintain the close bonds that will ultimately reduce their chances of reoffending when they are released.

I also want to pay tribute to the thousands of staff working tirelessly to keep our prisons safe.

Visits were suspended after the Government took vital steps to limit travel and social interactions in order to limit the spread of the virus.

As well as helping prisoners connect with their families, the phones will give prisoners access to support services such as the Samaritans, therefore reducing their risk of self-harm.

A 2017 review by Lord Farmer found that close ties between prisoners and key family members can significantly reduce their risk of reoffending and creating more misery for victims.

Currently more than 50 prisons across England and Wales have in-cell telephony which allows prisoners to stay in touch with their family members in a controlled and safe manner. The new handsets will make sure this ability is balanced across all prisons, and promote stability in jails without existing in-cell phones.

Alongside the handsets, the Prison Service is also exploring the use of video calls at six pilot sites, to allow prisoners to be called by their families in a secure environment with strict safeguards.

The Ministry of Justice is working closely with Public Health England, the National Health Service and the Department of Health and Social Care to manage the challenges COVID-19 presents.

As with all Government policy at this time, the priority is to protect lives and HMPPS has put in place robust and flexible plans designed to keep all both staff and prisoners as safe as possible. These are reviewed continually.

Notes to editors

• The handsets are a temporary measure, intended only for use during the current period where contact with family and friends is limited as a result of the Government’s social distancing measures.
• Ministry of Justice research shows that strong family ties are linked to a 39% reduction in the likelihood of reoffending. Less reoffending means fewer victims in the future.

General advice for innovative businesses

With news of the continued spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) both domestically and internationally, we are aware that for innovative businesses like yours, this will have a potential impact on supply chains, business continuity and cashflow.

We recognise that the nature of these impacts will evolve and are likely to increase over the coming weeks, potentially months.

We are working to understand the impacts on companies as the situation evolves.

Innovate UK is still operational

Please be reassured that Innovate UK has business continuity measures in place and is continuing to operate.

If you have any concerns or potential challenges around your financial position, particularly cashflow issues, we recommend you speak with your investors and your bank.

Many banks have set up specific funds and support for affected businesses, some of which is underpinned by the government.

If you have an Innovate UK award

Contact your monitoring officer

If you are an Innovate UK award recipient, also contact your Innovate UK monitoring officer, who will keep us informed and allow us to assess if we can offer support too.

The earlier you speak with your monitoring officer, the easier it will be to understand your issues and find potential solutions.

Speak to your local EEN advisor

Specialist advisers from the Innovate UK Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) team, located regionally, are also there to help and support you.

We will continue to monitor the ongoing impact of coronavirus on the companies we support to ensure we can provide the best support whilst managing public money appropriately.

Contacting Official Receivers offices

Contacting the Long Term Asset and Distribution Team

Mail sent to the Official Receiver

Scheduled interviews with an Official Receiver

Reports to creditors

Income Payments Agreements and Orders

Official Receivers and their staff are working from home until further notice. If you need to contact us please email the office that is managing your case.

Contact details for Official Receiver offices

Mail sent to the Official Receiver

While our offices are closed we will not be able to process any physical mail sent to the Official Receiver.

We will aim to deal with emails promptly, but please bear with us as we expect the closure of offices to result in an increase in messages requiring a response. If you need to send us attachments to emails please ensure you take steps to minimise the file size, for example by zipping the documents.

Scheduled interviews with an Official Receiver

We’re not currently undertaking face to face interviews in our cases, so do not attend for any pre-arranged appointments. Please contact the Official Receiver dealing with your case and arrangements will be made for you to supply information electronically or over the telephone.

If you have been made bankrupt or are director of a company that is in liquidation and have not yet spoken to someone at the Insolvency Service it is important that you contact us without delay.

Reports to creditors

Reports to creditors will be issued in due course. If you are a creditor and urgently require a report to creditors please contact the Official Receiver dealing with the case and we will make provision to send this to you electronically.

Income Payments Agreements and Orders

If you are having difficulty making payments under an Income Payments Agreement or Order please contact the Official Receiver or LTADT team dealing with your case.