UK 'Hostile Environment'

[gerryBScot]

The unfolding story about the shocking treatment of UK Commonwealth citizens, the so called 'Windrush' scandal, and the references to the 'hostile environment' that has been the policy of the UK passport office and the immigration service in recent years, makes for depressing reading.

 

In China we are in the business of applying for my Filipino wife to get the bog standard UK visitor visa. This online application process seems to be equally hostile and I am sure it is equally so for those applying from Thailand too. Apologies if this topic has already been flogged to death here. At just under £100 for the bog standard no-bells-and whistles visa it is frightening that it is only after the form has been completed and paid for that there is a categorical message to the effect that information cannot be changed, meaning mistakes cannot be rectified; the first and final message advises that the solution to such a situation is to submit a new application. Plus the volume of information that is required - my wife's complete travel history for the last ten years. That amounts to 20 different entries in my wife's case including two one day entries into Hong Kong which does not stamp entry/departure dates into passports anymore. It doesn't seem to be anything other than making applicants jump through hoops in the hope that they will make errors; I find it surprising that details of specific entry and  departure dates are not asked for but just the month of entry and a length of stay in either days, weeks, months or years - you can only select one measure and cannot, for instance , express the length of the visit in days and weeks. So looks like it is a process designed to frustrate applicants and which by its nature facilitates mistakes.

 

One plus is you can pay with Alipay - except I couldn't because I do not have a Chinese mainland resident ID card!

 

Them there Tories are nasty people - glad I live far away from that 'hostile environment' these days. 

[theoldgit]

As this is a Thailand based forum I'm not sure that sure that your experience of your Filipino wife's application from China is of much relevance to this forum, though as you say much of what you say has already been flogged to death.

 

I will close this thread but nevertheless wish you well.