Privacy Policy
Updated April 2008
This page explains how visa4UK.fco.gov.uk, which is managed by The Home Office UK Border Agency, uses any information you give to us, and the ways in which we protect your privacy.
The Data Protection Act
Under the Data Protection Act, we have a legal duty to protect any information we collect from you and all information will be treated in confidence. The Home Office UK Border Agency is processing the personal data on these electronic application forms and related data for the purpose of promoting and protecting the interests of the United Kingdom and its citizens abroad. The data may be disclosed to other UK Government Departments, agencies, local authorities, foreign governments and other bodies for immigration purposes. Applicants submitting their visa application in the United States of America will have their biometric data checked against Department of Homeland Security records. For further information on this arrangement please refer to the visainfoservices website.
What information do we collect?
We collect all the personal information you complete on the electronic form(s). All the information is sent over a 128 bit secure encrypted connection.
Comments and questions
If you send an email or letter to The Home Office UK Border Agency asking for information, we may need to contact other government departments to find that information. If your question is technical, we may need to pass it to our technology suppliers. We do not pass on any of your personal information when dealing with your enquiry, unless you have given us permission to do so. Once we have replied to you, we keep a record of your messages for up to six months for reference and audit purposes, after which it is deleted.
Cookies
Cookies are pieces of data that are often created when you visit a web site and which are stored in the cookie directory of your computer. This site does not use cookies.
What happens when I link to another site?
visa4UK.fco.gov.uk contains links to other web sites, both those of government departments and of other organisations. This privacy policy applies only to our site, so you should always be aware when you are moving to another site and read the privacy statement of any site which collects personal information.
Changes to this privacy policy
If this privacy policy changes in any way, we will place an updated version on this page. Regularly reviewing this page ensures you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we will share it with other parties.