From tomorrow (Saturday 10 January), for a trial period, the SIA’s Contact Centre will be open for calls between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm. The trial will run until Saturday 28 March.

Speaking about the new move, acting chief executive Bernard Herdan said: “We continuously seek to improve the service we provide to our customers. The number of calls to our Contact Centre is continuing to rise, and we’re taking on additional staff there. The Saturday opening trial offers further flexibility for customers. We hope it will also reduce high call volumes on Mondays, allowing us to respond to queries more quickly.”

If the trial proves successful, Saturday opening may be introduced permanently.

Applicants can call the Contact Centre number on 0844 892 1025. Lines are open from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm from Monday to Friday, and from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm on Saturday during the trial period.