Original Documents to Submit

[Ady]

That is crazy, and grossly unfair. So, are they expecting us to now - book wedding receptions, weddings, and flights within 3 months of applying and then still have the power to refuse so all the planning is for nothing? Do they not realise how much it costs for some people to travel from other islands to Manila, lost wages, arranging time off work and school?

For example, in our case we booked a wedding reception that cost a few hundred in a deposit. I have spent another couple of hundred on posting the documents there. Then, £1100 for the two applications, £200 for the two flights to Manila for my gf and daughter to make the submission. Then, they can refuse the application because the flight is too far in advance?

Do they want to see evidence of flights having been booked? I will say that Shei intends to travel in March in my cover letter, and leave it as ambiguous as that, and tell Shei to tell them she intends to fly around about 3 months from the date that she goes to the VFS.

How many more hoops must we jump through? And still they hold the power to say "NO".

[Fountainhead]

You don't need to have flights booked Ady. I think the reason they ask the intended date of travel on the application form is so they know when to date the visa from.

I wonder if they brought this in because when the embassy moved it created delays and a backlog and an increased work load and this is their way of trying to catch up and control the amount of applications they receive.

The problem is they don't seem to have publicised it at all. I spent hours reading this site, UK government sites and the VFS site before we submitted to get as much info and advice as possible and not once did I read anything about how far in advance you could submit.

I wonder what would happen if an applicant was very firm with them and insisted they accepted the application? Would they really have the right to refuse to accept it or have they just been told to try to deter people from applying more than 3 months in advance but would still accept the application if pressed. Of course, faced with an "official" telling them they must only apply 3 months in advance most people would accept it "because they must know the rules", that was certainly the case with my fiancee.

All it's really doing is punishing people who cant travel to the UK as soon as the visa is issued. If you need a couple of months after you hear the result of your application to organise moving from the Philippines to the UK and to sort out any issues you may have there then in reality you will only be getting a 4 month visa.

[IainBusby]

That is crazy, and grossly unfair. So, are they expecting us to now - book wedding receptions, weddings, and flights within 3 months of applying and then still have the power to refuse so all the planning is for nothing? Do they not realise how much it costs for some people to travel from other islands to Manila, lost wages, arranging time off work and school?

For example, in our case we booked a wedding reception that cost a few hundred in a deposit. I have spent another couple of hundred on posting the documents there. Then, £1100 for the two applications, £200 for the two flights to Manila for my gf and daughter to make the submission. Then, they can refuse the application because the flight is too far in advance?

Do they want to see evidence of flights having been booked? I will say that Shei intends to travel in March in my cover letter, and leave it as ambiguous as that, and tell Shei to tell them she intends to fly around about 3 months from the date that she goes to the VFS.

How many more hoops must we jump through? And still they hold the power to say "NO".

As I said in my earlier post, I think it's best to say "when I have been granted a visa" or " as soon as possible after I have been granted a visa" thats about as ambiguous as it gets. We all know the rules about how long you have before you travel to the UK to be still inside the 27 months allowed for applying for ILR and 6 months for FLR and I think it's best for people to be aware of those rules when they make their own plans, then tell the people at the application centre and the British embassy nothing about them so they don't try to interfere and disuade them from making their application.

If you ask me I think they're trying to knock down the queue of applications before Christmas so that they can have an extra long break.
Iain.

[Mjaes]

The VISA application form requires you to put the exact date when you want to travel to the UK. Did I understand the trail correctly that if I will send the application first week of May, my date of travel to the UK should be 3mos after that?