Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2023 to Question 3995 on VFS Global, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the administration of the UK visa appointment system by VFS Global.

The NGOV contract, the commercial vehicle that manages the terms of service delivered by VFS, has a KPI regime to manage supplier performance. CSL5 is the KPI that measures appointment availability. This KPI is published publicly, by the Cabinet Office, on a quarterly basis.

VFS review their appointment capacity on a daily basis and open additional slots where demand is high in order to remain within service standard. The CSL5 KPI is also monitored by UKVI who conduct weekly audits on appointment availability to ensure compliance and provide feedback to VFS Global where additional capacity is required. A review of this KPI also forms part of the monthly performance calls held between UKVI and VFS Global.