Visas4uk - advice/experience, and a bit of a rant LOL

[EdwardB]

Hi, haven't really been active for about 4 years now - been living happily and comfortably in Macau. We decided it was time to visit UK and Europe and October this year fits nicely with a conference I need to attend in France.

Trepidatiously we approached the application process. Two friends have both had Visit Visas rejected. One is a wealthy Director of a company in Singapore who hasn't been to the UK for years and they were turned down for his brother's wedding (She Indonesian). The other is a Director of companies in several Asian countries and she has an MBA from Singapore. Rejected for his father's funeral!! Both on the grounds that the immigration people didn't believe they would leave the UK once they got in.

The common thread with us is that all three of us don't understand why they think we we would dream of swapping our lifestyle and most importantly the climate in Asia for the UK. LOL

Anyway so I start the process using the visa4uk system. It is labelled as Beta - but there is not an alternative application process. DOH - UK government please look uop the meaning of "Beta".

Here is how it flows

Nationality - Philippines
If not North Korean, Cuban or mainland Chinese - "You must apply online"
Register, start filing. File address. Drop down box for Country of residence - MACAU does not exist.

Back to website - Website down all day

Phone helpline - closes at 4p local time. And they want to charge £1.37 per minute!

File online help form - two days, and not as promised within one working day - get a response that is worst than Chinglish. Meaningless, ungrammatical gibberish.

Meanwhile website is back. Research Philippines National applying for UK "General Tourist" Visa. Result - "Apply through Hong Kong"

Ahem so you must apply online, not in person - so "ELEMENTARY" workaround must be file the application online but put country as Hong Kong in the form. All good - and £83 bill on credit card.

Next step requires an interview in Hong Kong. Thanks... that is a day off work and costs best part of £30 each for the ferry, plus taxis and buses.

Prepare the application. Took me nearly 8 hours compiling bank statements, her property investment contracts and me compiling a detailed Affidavit of Support including my Bank Statements.

So merrily to Hong Kong off we go.

Join a line at 08.00 and we get presented with a checklist of requirements. It is significantly different in layout from the one referenced online Doh- but no problem we are rather thorough by nature.

The appointment was basically a screening to ensure we had provided all possible evidence that

1. We have financial means - well, yes she does and I have.......
2. That we intend to leave after entry - you bet, not spending the winter in Blighty. LOL
3. That we don't intend to register a Marriage or Civil Partnership. There isn't really an answer to that. You can't prove such a negative - but I would be very happy to pay a bond to save this time consuming c--p - as long as the current system stays in place as well.

So we seemingly have managed to find a way up the ladder - circumventing all the snake incompetencies of the application process...

Oh no we haven't. The final Coup de Grace of sheer "Beta" incompetence is they need to keep Lyn's passport. SORRRRRRY how do we get back to Macau without a passport????

What were they thinking when they dragged us/ we worked away around applying in Hong Kong? How can they possibly expect to hold on to a passport? CRAZY

And the workaround -after 10 minutes of consultation was.... a "Callback". That is - By paying them - yes paying them not vice versa - she has the privilege for the sum of £41.80 - plus courier costs of course, of delivering the passport to them within the next 8 days.

She still, even then, needs to pay to get the passport returned to her so more courier costs. So in total the cost of applying for a General Tourist Visa to The UK from Macau is going to be in the region of £250. Naturally that is regardless of whether they grant the visa or not...

Rip Off Britain.

Would be interested in advice from others and also any similar stories -because somebody is going to get this in the neck and it will get blogged mercilessly.

[Terpe]

The process is explained in the UKVI guidance called Applying for a UK visa in Macau

Doesn't help you now I know but illustrates the importance of reviewing UKVI latest information.
Procedures, requirements and immigration rules change so often these days.

Good luck

As you know the key barrier is to overcome any immigration intention.

The ECO must be satisfied that the applicant has strong social, economic and family ties abroad that would compel them to leave the UK at the end of the temporary stay. This will always be more difficult to establish if there is an existing romantic relationship between the applicant and the British citizen/permanent resident/sponsor.

[EdwardB]

Thank you - very helpful indeed

The web page you sent does not link from the application process or a basic web search The staff at the visa application centre were unable to provide it as an option either.

"We can return your passport to you immediately so that you can travel back to Macau the same day but you must provide an original, signed letter of authority to someone who is able to submit your passport to the visa application centre in Hong Kong, in person, within 2 working days of your application being submitted. The letter should authorise that person to submit your passport to us and to collect it again once the visa decision has been made. The nominated person must submit your passport to the visa application centre within 2 working days. On receipt of your passport, your application will be sent to Manila for processing."

We were charged 540 HK$ for a Call Back service providing within 10 days. The fact that the option was not offered adds further ammunition. Indeed it would have cost us nothing to send over within 2 days had we known as one of Lyn's property managers is over their tomorrow.

Also they were not able to advise this process in the e-mail they sent - which was so badly written it defies belief that the UK government can sink so low.

So again a total fail by visas4Uk - it really gets worst the more we learn

I totally concur;

This will always be more difficult to establish if there is an existing romantic relationship between the applicant and the British citizen/permanent resident/sponsor

It is arbitrary and is frankly the main reason why we haven't bothered previously - and will probably give up now. Given your August weather confidence in being able to survive in October is diminishing fast....

PS I will be filing FOI requests on several parts of the process to ascertain exactly who is earning and where out of this process. Could be some very interesting stories in the answers.

[EdwardB]

The process is explained in the UKVI guidance called Applying for a UK visa in Macau

Doesn't help you now I know but illustrates the importance of reviewing UKVI latest information.
Procedures, requirements and immigration rules change so often these days.

Good luck

The information was still useful. We had only applied on Friday so I was able to return the letter of authority and the passport on Monday morning. That is well within the two working days stipulated in the link you sent.

The first formal complaint elicited a deliberately misleading response. So I replied very firmly and reserved my costs. The next response defies belief - note for readers the website link to gov.uk that outlines the letter of authority procedures is still "up";

"Thanks again.
I have escalated your feedback to the UKVI for their advice. I apologize that the LOA process is no longer available since 1 Apr 2014 when UKVI introduced the Passport Passback service."

It is still there on gov.uk!!!! And the alternative "passback" effectively surcharges Macau residents at least £100

Now getting pretty riled I researched the contractor employed - VFS. Oh dear, do they have a bad reputation or what. The Home Office has had a formal reprimand for their conduct from the ICO. Some of their conduct in Thailand if truly reported is criminal!

I note VFS are also the contractor in Manila. I'd be interested in hearing any experiences of dealing with them.

OH and VFS have now got an invoice from me of just over £1,300 comprising reimbursements, travel costs, one day off work and 6 hours filing of complaints. The rates charged are all at exactly the same time and item rates as they charge applicants - viz effectively £1.37 per minute. Future costs reserved too - should be fun.

[EdwardB]

Just had a call from UK Embassy in Manila offering deep apologies and conceding every flaw exposed, and also thanking me for presenting it as a flow chart with screenshots.

That said I made it very clear that my experience, plus what I have read about VFS, means that in the interests of justice for all I wish to pursue them until I'm satisfied that significant changes in the way they conduct themselves are implemented. Accordingly still interested in hearing any stories where VFS have been unreasonable.

[grahamw48]

Good stuff Edward.

I like your style.

[EdwardB]

Good stuff Edward.

I like your style.

Given where this is going I would want to keep a fairly low profile in order to allow the Home Office to sort the acknowledged visa4uk mess out. I will want to be assured that if a contractor is involved here they carry the costs and not the UK taxpayer.

BUT- very keen on hearing

1. Does VFS in Manila provide a checklist for signing at application appointments? If so can anyone get me a copy
2. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has had a General Visitor Visa rejection.

If the form amounts to being the same as the one used by VFS in Hong Kong I may be able to offer some hope to those who were rejected and not refunded......