UK Visa agency fees escalation, spouse visa

[ilgitano]

Hi all,

 

We submitted our UK spouse visa application a few weeks back. I've used an agency in Chiang Mai to do everything, since I just didn't have time to do it myself, and to be sure I got everything right. They quoted me a fixed fee of 35000 THB, which seems fairly typical, and application center fees to be paid on top of that. The application center wants fees paid in USD.

 

Now the application fees initially quoted were 2875 USD, about 94000 THB at the time. I was told I could pay that as THB at 104000, about a 10% forex markup. Since I'm in the UK, and didn't have that much money in my wifes hands, I requested and got their USD account, and transferred 2875 USD directly to that.

 

The agency representative then came back and said that the exchange rate 'had been fluctuated' and 2875 USD is only 94000 THB, so I must pay another 10000 THB, taking it up to the 104000 quoted.

 

The final fees taken on the day by the visa application center were 2808 USD, 67 USD less than initially quoted, 2200 THB less.

 

So now the final visa costs through the agent has escalated by 10000 THB (and 2200 THB for the difference actually paid, which I'm sure is not going to be returned)

 

Is this normal procedure? The agency is a high profile one, and expensive, chosen to avoid exactly this kind of thing. They're always busy.

 

So my 'fixed fee' quote 'has been fluctuated' by about 33%.

 

The actual 35000 fee has not been paid yet, and I'm sure they'll be requiring it before they release her passport to her. Do I have any recourse here? Perhaps this is just a misunderstanding?

 

Edited September 17, 2017 by theoldgit
Address of agency removed to comply with forum rules.

[7by7]

As UKVI charge applicants in Thailand in USD than the actual visa fee paid can fluctuate according to fluctuations in the USD/Sterling exchange rate used by UKVI; but once it's paid, it's paid and UKVI will not come back to an applicant to ask for more.

 

 But I'm not sure who paid your wife's fee. The fee is usually paid by the applicant, or their sponsor, as part of the online application process; as is the NHS surcharge. Are you saying that you transferred the money to the visa agent and that they completed the application form for your wife and then paid her fees?

 

I think you need a long talk with the agency to find out why they want more money from you!

[ilgitano]

2 minutes ago, 7by7 said:

As UKVI charge applicants in Thailand in USD than the actual visa fee paid can fluctuate according to fluctuations in the USD/Sterling exchange rate used by UKVI; but once it's paid, it's paid and UKVI will not come back to an applicant to ask for more.

 

 But I'm not sure who paid your wife's fee. The fee is usually paid by the applicant, or their sponsor, as part of the online application process; as is the NHS surcharge. Are you saying that you transferred the money to the visa agent and that they completed the application form for your wife and then paid her fees?

 

I think you need a long talk with the agency to find out why they want more money from you!

Yes, they paid the fees. I was assuming they would send me links to pay myself, but that is not what happened. The quote I accepted was a fixed fee for all services, with the actual (USD) fees to be paid by myself. I accept a reasonable markup to cover fluctuation (it did vary the other way by 67 USD) but would expect that to be deducted from the final fees.

 

Another problem is that they are very slow to respond to emails. The few calls I have attempted have never reached the right person.

[7by7]

Unfortunately, not all visa agents in Thailand come up to the high standard regulation requires in the UK. Even well known ones have been known to rip people off. I know of only one agent in Thailand who is also registered, and therefore regulated in the UK; the forum sponsors Thai Visa Express.

 

Though I cannot comment on the agent you used as I have no knowledge of them.

 

The important question is; are you 100% sure that your wife's application has definitely been submitted to UKVI?

 

If it has, then you have plenty of time to argue the toss with the agent over what you may or may not owe them.

 

Unless they used the same tactic as a certain Pattaya agency and convinced your wife ask for her passport to be returned to them once the decision has been made, and then hold onto it until they get their money!

[ilgitano]

1 hour ago, 7by7 said:

Unfortunately, not all visa agents in Thailand come up to the high standard regulation requires in the UK. Even well known ones have been known to rip people off. I know of only one agent in Thailand who is also registered, and therefore regulated in the UK; the forum sponsors Thai Visa Express.

 

Though I cannot comment on the agent you used as I have no knowledge of them.

 

The important question is; are you 100% sure that your wife's application has definitely been submitted to UKVI?

 

If it has, then you have plenty of time to argue the toss with the agent over what you may or may not owe them.

 

Unless they used the same tactic as a certain Pattaya agency and convinced your wife ask for her passport to be returned to them once the decision has been made, and then hold onto it until they get their money!

The passport goes back to their offices, for 'convenience'. I'm sure the application has been submitted as my wife received email receipts for the fee payments from the Visa Application Center, and she was physically present for the submission, I think for biometrics. (And a further fee of round 2000 THB paid there for scanning and maybe biometrics)

 

 

Edited September 17, 2017 by theoldgit
Agents name removed.

[theoldgit]

Please don't name and shame the agent you're complaining about, I'd previously removed the location and now the full agents details.

[theoldgit]

VFS would have posted the passport directly to your wife, that would have been far more convenient.

[ilgitano]

10 minutes ago, theoldgit said:

Please don't name and shame the agent you're complaining about, I'd previously removed the location and now the full agents details.

Ahh, sorry about that. Didn't see your previous edit, thought I'd missed it out.

[ilgitano]

Ok, I've started an email dialog, asking what the final amount will be and putting down what I understand it to be.

 

Their email reply basically said that they'll tell me what to pay when they have the passport in hand, with of course the vignette ticking down, tickets bought and paid for etc. Not liking the look of this so far. Fastest email response I've had from them.

 

So, can I get the passport return address changed away from the visa agency and deliver direct to my wife? If it's possible, how much?

 

I have the actual application reference numbers and all, but probably won't be able to do it online as the agency will have the account passwords.

------

Follows is roughly what I copied the agency:

1875 USD deposited to their USD account, to pay VAC fees

1808 USD actual VAC fees paid, difference 67 USD in out credit, about 2200 THB

 

10000 paid to cover currency fluctuations

  2200 actual USD fluctuation at time of payment, in our credit

 

35000 Fixed fee quote

---------

22800 Due on the day we pick up the passport.

 

Edited September 18, 2017 by ilgitano
grammar

[7by7]

Ok, the following is what you would have paid had you and your wife prepared and submitted the application yourselves.

 

Visa fee £1464, charged in USD (using the rate charged by your agency); 1808 USD

NHS surcharge £600, charged in USD (using the exchange rate as above);  741 USD (Unlike the visa application fee, this is refunded if the application is refused.)

Total: 2549 USD. At todays exchange rate of 33.09 baht to the dollar, that's 84,347 baht.

 

In addition, there is a surcharge of £55 for using the Chiang Mai VAC rather than travelling to Bangkok. Using today's Sterling/Baht rate of 44.88 baht to the pound, that's 2468 baht.

 

Total so far in baht: 86,815 baht.

 

In addition, there is an optional settlement scanning service. All documents submitted in support of a settlement application have to be sent to Sheffield where settlement applications are processed. Applicants can opt to either send their physical documents, or have them scanned by VFS and the scans sent instead. The cost of this service is 2000 baht.

 

So, if used, that brings the total payable to UKVI and VFS to 88,815 baht.

 

There are other user pay services as well, see here, but if an agent is handling the application I see no need for any of them.

 

All of the above must have already been paid; either when the online form was submitted or when your wife attended her appointment at the UKVAC.

[ilgitano]

1 hour ago, 7by7 said:

Ok, the following is what you would have paid had you and your wife prepared and submitted the application yourselves.

 

Visa fee £1464, charged in USD (using the rate charged by your agency); 1808 USD

NHS surcharge £600, charged in USD (using the exchange rate as above);  741 USD (Unlike the visa application fee, this is refunded if the application is refused.)

Total: 2549 USD. At todays exchange rate of 33.09 baht to the dollar, that's 84,347 baht.

 

In addition, there is a surcharge of £55 for using the Chiang Mai VAC rather than travelling to Bangkok. Using today's Sterling/Baht rate of 44.88 baht to the pound, that's 2468 baht.

 

Total so far in baht: 86,815 baht.

 

In addition, there is an optional settlement scanning service. All documents submitted in support of a settlement application have to be sent to Sheffield where settlement applications are processed. Applicants can opt to either send their physical documents, or have them scanned by VFS and the scans sent instead. The cost of this service is 2000 baht.

 

So, if used, that brings the total payable to UKVI and VFS to 88,815 baht.

 

There are other user pay services as well, see here, but if an agent is handling the application I see no need for any of them.

 

All of the above must have already been paid; either when the online form was submitted or when your wife attended her appointment at the UKVAC.

Prices actually increased (again) in april, and VAC in thailand takes payment in USD. I have copies of those receipts from visa4uk.fco.gov.uk. My wife was there during submission, and had cash in hand to pay any additional charges, from memory 2000 THB scanning charge. Got a receipt for that. I have no knowledge of the £55, though I have seen it on websites. I can only assure you that my wife would have been required to pay it, not the agent.

Application cost was $1992 USD, IHS surcharge $816 USD. No receipt for £55 or equivalent, but my wife may have that.

 

Total paid $2808, shown on receipts from visa4uk.fco.gov.uk. Closer to 94000 THB in total than the 84000 you calculate. The agent hasn't inflated those.

 

$2875 was paid in USD to their USD account, $2808 was used. That leaves $67, about 2200 THB, and they wanted another 10000 THB because the currency 'has been fluctuated', so at this point I figure I'm 12200 THB in credit. I'm looking for an assurance from them that that is the case, to be credited to the 35000 final fees.

 

Yes, 35000 THB is going to add over a third to the total cost, which I've agreed to. 47000 (50% markup) was not agreed.

 

Is it possible to change the passport delivery address? Any fees for that?

 

 

Edited September 18, 2017 by ilgitano

[ilgitano]

Total fees in addition 2000 + 24 (photocopying) + 85 = 2109 THB, don't see any additional (£55) fee invoiced or quoted.

 

There is a $80 additional User Pay fee quoted, which I missed out. I don't have a receipt for it. So instead of them owing me $67, I owe them $13. mea culpa, about 450 THB, to come off the 10000 THB, still giving 9550 THB though.

 

It looks like the GBP to USD conversions at the VAC have a 5% markup.

Edited September 18, 2017 by ilgitano

[7by7]

17 hours ago, ilgitano said:

Prices actually increased (again) in april, and VAC in thailand takes payment in USD

Yes, the prices did increase in April; as they do each year. The price I quoted, £1464, is the current fee.

 

The actual fee paid in USD does vary, depending as it does on the exchange rate used at the time of application. Today it is 1962 USD.

 

16 hours ago, ilgitano said:

It looks like the GBP to USD conversions at the VAC have a 5% markup

Around that figure; yes. But that exchange rate is not determined by VFS, who run the visa application centre, it is determined by the Home Office and does fluctuate, see the recent topic UK Home Office policy on exchange rates, and is the same in all countries where fees have to be paid in USD.

 

The VAC do not take payment of application fees, nor the NHS surcharge. These are paid directly to UKVI as part of the online application process.

 

17 hours ago, ilgitano said:

Application cost was $1992 USD, IHS surcharge $816 USD. No receipt for £55 or equivalent, but my wife may have that.

 

Total paid $2808, shown on receipts from visa4uk.fco.gov.uk. Closer to 94000 THB in total than the 84000 you calculate. The agent hasn't inflated those

Apologies, and I did wonder at the low USD fee when you said

 

On ‎18‎/‎09‎/‎2017 at 9:31 AM, ilgitano said:

1875 USD deposited to their USD account, to pay VAC fees

1808 USD actual VAC fees paid, difference 67 USD in out credit, about 2200 THB

but used that figure!

 

16 hours ago, ilgitano said:

Total fees in addition 2000 + 24 (photocopying) + 85 = 2109 THB, don't see any additional (£55) fee invoiced or quoted.

 

There is a $80 additional User Pay fee quoted, which I missed out

Maybe, but at the exchange rate used for the visa fee, that would be about 7USD. I don't know, but would have thought that as the £55 is payable to VFS that it would, like all the other user pay fees for their services, be charged in baht, around 2468 baht as I said above.

 

I am amazed that your wife had to use the photocopying service at the VAC; surely the agent has a photocopier in their office and so could have made any necessary copies?

 

To be honest, this does all look unnecessarily complicated; were I you I would ask the agent for a detailed account of all monies spent by them on your behalf and all monies already paid by you to them before agreeing with them on who owes how much to whom. No reasonable agent would have a problem with that.

 

17 hours ago, ilgitano said:

Is it possible to change the passport delivery address?

Not that I'm aware of; certainly contacting the visa office at the embassy is virtually impossible; contact details are not given. But the passport will be returned to VFS in Chiang Mai by the embassy for them to forward, so you might try contacting them. They, too,  do not give contact details on their website, but if convenient maybe your wife could call in?