Some tips when applying for UK visas
GMA News Online is doing a series of feature stories about visas to the United Kingdom, home to 220,000 Filipinos, based on the 2011 Stock Estimate of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas.
Thinking of going to the United Kingdom?
If you do not have a visa yet, here are three tips: Be on top of your visa application, research all the preparations you have to make , and never, ever submit forged documents unless you want to be banned from the UK for a decade.
This was what an executive of the British Embassy Manila in Taguig City said during an exclusive interview with GMA News Online on Tuesday.
Ed Mackie, Regional Manager of the UK Border Agency (UKBA), said, “The use of fraudulent or forged documents, there’s absolutely zero tolerance from us on this."
The UKBA is part of the British Embassy and handles issues related to migration into the country, including visa applications.
"If we find people submitting documents that are forged or fraudulent or they haven’t disclosed full facts to us, we will not only refuse their application, they then risk a ban of 10 years from the UK if they make a subsequent application,” Mackie said.
“I think the second thing for an applicant as I’ve said is just making sure they’re well-prepared and they’ve actually read up on the UK’s immigration rules and how the system works,” he added.
Do your research
Mackie said the most effective way for a person to get a visa is to do research and know all the steps in the application process.
He urged Filipinos not to “leave things just purely to agents” because ultimately, it will be the applicant who will sign the form that will determine if he/she will get a visa.
“Some agents are good, some agents may not be so good but it’s the applicant’s responsibility, it’s the applicant who signs what’s on the form, not the agent so really I’d encourage all applicants to do a bit of research,” Mackie said.
He cited how some Filipinos have become victims of predators who take unsuspecting peoples’ money with the promise of helping them go to the UK.
“There is guidance now certainly on the Filipino embassy website about how to deal with this but applicants should be very, very careful about when they hand over money to third-parties and make sure they are fully in control of the process as much as possible and doing as much research as possible as well,” Mackie said.
Advice for first time applicants
For first-time applicants, Mackie advised them to “go to the UK Border Agency website and read about the category they think they should apply in and read about what the rules are and think about ‘Do I meet the requirements of these rules?’”
“And if they do, they will be issued a visa, and what you tend to find is the more well-prepared an applicant is, the likelihood is they’re going to give us the correct supporting documentation,” he continued.
The UKBA, on its website, outlines the steps on how Filipinos can apply for UK visas:
(1) Complete and submit a visa application form online.
(2) Pay the visa application fee also online, in US dollars, either through a Visa card or MasterCard, or debit or pre-paid cards with Visa or MasterCard logos. The UKBA notes that no other payment method will be accepted.
(3) Print and sign the completed form. After completing the online application, one will receive one’s application number or “GWF reference” through email, which must be taken note of.
(4) Visit UK visa application centers in Manila or Cebu to submit the application and complete the process. One who will go to the Cebu Center is required to pay a P3,900 additional service fee, which is payable in cash at the center upon submission of the application.
For more information, visit the UKBA website
Source:-
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story...g-for-uk-visas
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