📱 Step 1: Check Your Email
You will receive:
An email with instructions
A notification in the Borderless platform
This will confirm whether you need to:
Use the UKVI app, or
Book a biometric appointment
🖥 Step 2: Using the UKVI App (Most Common)
If you are eligible to use the UKVI app:
Download the UK Immigration: ID Check app.
Log in using your UKVI account details.
Scan your passport.
Scan your face using the app instructions.
Complete any remaining steps in the app.
Once finished:
Return to Borderless.
Click Confirm ID Check Completed.
⚠️ Do NOT continue past the ID check stage and fill in the visa form a or enter any sponsor/CoS number. Doing this may delay or cancel your application. Our immigration team will fill in these details for you.
❗Common Issues with ID Checks and How to Fix Them
Passport Not Scanning 📸
Remove phone case.
Ensure good lighting.
Hold passport flat.
Try a different device if available.
Face Scan Fails ❌
Remove glasses.
Stand in neutral lighting.
Hold phone steady.
Cannot Log In 🔐
Reset your UKVI password.
Ensure you are using the same email linked to your visa application.
BRP chip will not scan 💳
Try a different device. iPhones generally scan more reliably than Android phones.
Hold the BRP flat against the back of the phone, lined up with the NFC reader (top half of most phones).
Remove any phone case, especially metallic or wallet-style cases.
If the chip still will not read after several attempts, report this to your case worker. You may need to use your passport instead or book a biometric appointment.
Home Office says you missed your biometrics appointment but you attended 📅
Locate proof of attendance: the original booking confirmation, the entry-stamp slip from the appointment centre, and any photos or receipts from the visit.
Email this evidence to your Borderless case worker straight away. We will write to the Home Office on your behalf to dispute the missed-appointment record.
Do not book a new appointment until your case worker confirms it is needed.
⚙️ When a Biometric Appointment Is Required
If you cannot use the UKVI app:
A biometric appointment must be booked.
Appointments may be at least 3 weeks away.
Some centres charge additional fees.
Your immigration team will guide you through booking if needed.
✅ After Your ID Check
Once you have submitted your ID check through the UKVI app and clicked Confirm ID Check Completed in Borderless, the next step is to add Borderless as your authorised helper on your UKVI account. A member of our team will call you to walk you through this.
If you have not received a call within two working days of completing the ID check, contact support.
You do not need to fill in any further sections of the UKVI visa form yourself. Our immigration team submits the application on your behalf.
Government guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-the-uk-visas-and-immigration-online-service