thank you arthurlittle for your compliment (reviewing, reading and understanding the life in the uk book and taking the exam as well is no joke..whew!) and thank you joebloggs and aphrodite78 for your replies..last night i read loads of forums and many applicants also shared their sentiments, disappointments etc..etc..with regards to booking an appoinment for premium service..In fact, they already raised this concern to UKBA authorities and they (applicants) signed a petition which states as follow:
"The UK Border Agency claims to allow visa applicants to make an appointment either online or by the phone. However, appointments are not available for days yet there is no guidance on when further slots will be available. Despite this, UKBA claims on its website that appointments "are made available throughout the day", causing considerable distress to applicants trying to secure an in-person appointment, as we try throughout the day to get an appointment. Postal applications are a non-starter for most of us due to the average 4 *months* processing time, meaning we and our UK partners cannot travel as we will not have our passports. The telephone booking system, an expensive 0870 number, is equally difficult and we are told by a recorded message to apply online! We are forced to resort to expensive lawyers (£1,200 upwards), as they have slots secured with UKBA. This disgraceful: we do not and are not allowed to claim benefits and we pay taxes and national insurance. There is no justification for treating legitimate visa applicants married to UK nationals in this way. If there are no slots available, be transparent and say so and spare us the time, distress and money."
