Visa Applications Rejected

[topfield]

On Friday a friend of mine having checked the fees both on the official Embassy website and over the phone prepared her visa application and purchased the correct demand draft payable to the Embassy.

She went to submit the application at the VPS on Monday.

After a six hour wait ( yes there are huge queues at present due to the upcoming INCREASE in fees on 1 April ) was told that the application could not be accepted as (with no prior announcement or notification) all visa fees had been REDUCED by four percent that day the reason being that the Consul had altered the Embassy exchange rate from 75 to 72.

The settlement fee had gone down from Baht 19500 to 18720 .

Despite telling them that they could keep the extra money the staff refused outright to accept the application.

Despite a plea directly to the Indian head of the VPS whose name is Arun Noromma they would not budge claiming that this was Embassy policy and that all applications (even those sent by mail) which did not have the correct fee on the draft would be automatically rejected.

I informed Mr Arun that this was NOT Embassy policy as in the last twenty years dealing with the Embassy cashier, where a fee had altered due to exchange rate fluctuations, they would never reject an application outright but refund any excess amount when the fee went down OR accept payment for the extra amount where fees had gone up.

Like my friend there must be dozens of applicants in this predicament who will now have to buy a new draft and join the queue for a further six hour wait, The decrease in fees had not to my knowledge been made known to anyone as I was at VPS on Friday and read all the notices posted around the area none of which indicated an imminent drop in the price . Clearly if they knew they decided not to make it known possibly for fear of people holding back their applications to submit more cheaply on the Monday. The VPS also gained financially as those who had bought ther drafts from them, on what was the previous working day, were able to double the money they earned on their demand drafts which cost over twice as much as such drafts purchased at a normal Thai bank.

Was the applicant unlucky ot were the VPS acting incorrectly and just being bloody minded in rejecting applications where payment was in excess of the actual rate and people were prepared to forgo the exchange rate reduction ?

[the gent]

To obtain a definitive answer it may be that your friend should address UKvisas directly or perhaps an email to the Entry Clearance Manager in the Embassy. Ultimately, it is the decision of the visa section to refuse an application and not the outsource centre.

[atlastaname]

Seems absurd to me , all this fuss over paying for a visa. In the good old days you rolled up with cash , credit card , pretty much anything. Why they changed it to be ONLY drafts i have no idea. And why , if the draft is wrong , they cannot refund you the difference especially as , in the above case , its not the applicants fault at all. again i cannot understand. Anything to make getting a visa more difficult and stressful it seems

[scooty]

WHAT AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE.

Firstlly Mr . Topfield i would like to personlly thank you very much indeed for posting this valuble information.Last week i posted documents for my wife who is in Udon Thani. She is to apply for a settlement visa for UK.The documents could arrive any day now and i suspect tomorrow would be favourite if they do not get lost.I had told my wife to go out and buy the bankers draft for 19500 but thanks to you i now know that she needs to pay only 18720, if you had not had posted then she would have sent 19500 to VAC and we would have had our application turned down.

I can not believe what is going on, it is nothing short of a disgrace. you say that people are waiting for 6 hours only to be told that their applications would not be accepted. what about the poor people who had put in postal applications, its definitly not their fault that the price of the application just dropped overnight , so what will happen with their applications , will they have them returned to them in the post, if so then they will have to go and buy another bankers draft, and they will have to pay the courier fee again which will probablly cost them more than the money they will save with the cheaper fee. also buy the time they get everything sorted it may well be April and then the fee goes up to £500 anyway. WHAT A NIGHTMARE.

also how ridiculous is it to change the fee on March 19th when the fee changes at the start of April anyway? i just cant believe what is going on . someone needs to be held resposible and sacked for causing so many people so much grief.

i for one am personally sick and tired of the stupid british government. i used to be proud to be british but not any more thats for sure.

[topfield]

Spoke to both the Consul Mr. Karny and the Mr. Grant the Entry Clearance Manager.

Top marks for the Embassy as both were extremely informative and helpful.

The Consul said that as far as his section , the consular section is concerned, this problem would not have arisen as a refund of excess fees would have been made.

He also accepted responsibility for the change in the Embassy exchange rate about which the VPS were notified on Friday afternoon (yet the did not post on their notice board until Monday). He made it clear he was nor responsible for the VPS in any way and one should speak to the Visa Section about them.

The Entry Clearance Manager was not only prepared to discuss the issue but was aware and concerned about the matter. He had done everything possible on his side but pointed out that the VPS had their own rules. He mentioned the fact that they deal with hundreds of thousands of applications on the Indian Subcontinent so rules must be standardized throughout their ‘empire”. A change in the fees in India resulting in fee adjustment could result in horrendous complications for them hence the exact fee rule.

He nevertheless agreed to discuss the matter with the VPS at their next regular meeting.

Comments ?

[samran]

Aussie embassy was the same.

Refused a bank cheque for by daughters citizenship application as it was 100 baht too much (price was adjusted in the two days between me checking and rocking up to apply). Due to exchange rates changing over the pervious month.

However, they were reasonanly nice about it and they broke/ignored official policy of not accepting cash (as was stated on the application), and well, accepted my cash.

Toppy, on another note. This topic must be a bit much for you. Exchange rates AND issues with the British embassy all combined into ONE topic. It musn't get any better than this.

[topdjdel]

WHAT A DISGRACE!!!! and thats being polite.

It amazes me even now,that these people change the rules/fees etc fail to notify anybody(publicly) and wonder why they get abused.

Its hard enough trying to obtain a for visa to any country but this sort of behaviour surely is not allowed and action must be taken i feel.

If anybodies affected from the UK by these changes can I suggest you contact your MP and demand he contact the foreign secretary about this.

I appreciate it will not sort or indeed fix them the problem but at least it will give them some grief (MP's,to them let know of the circumstances you are facing unnecessarily) and make them earn there money and it will give some piece of mind for the UK citizens affected by this cock up.

I'm sure as MP's for a constituary(whatever its called)they must act.(or at least be seen to).

Im not 100% sure but 1,000000% sure this sort of business cannot operate like this when at the end of the day its peoples lives and happiness at stake.

Apoligies for my rants,this behaviour by officials makes me mad having experianced it before.

delboy

[GU22]

As no one else, including an acquaintance of mine who submitted an application at the VAC on Monday, has made any mention of applications being refused or even of a 6 hour wait, and given the past 'inconsistencies' by the OP, I recommend taking this story with a very large pinch of salt. Until or unless it has been confirmed by a reputable source.

[topfield]

As no one else, including an acquaintance of mine who submitted an application at the VAC on Monday, has made any mention of applications being refused or even of a 6 hour wait, and given the past 'inconsistencies' by the OP, I recommend taking this story with a very large pinch of salt. Until or unless it has been confirmed by a reputable source.

Edited March 21, 2007 by topfield

[GU22]

I do not dispute that the fees will be increasing in April.

I do not dispute that the embassy have changed the exchange rate they use.

As you say, these are facts.

The rest of your posts in this thread are as credible as all your previous posts on this forum.

[topfield]

GU 22 : You have been warned many times that flaming is a breach of the rules in this forum but it seems you do not consider yourself bound by the rules. Your hostile rude and impolite comments to each and every posting the writer makes, show you are a very sad and sorry person indeed .

Why not check with Mr Karny the Consul ( who by the way you wrote in a recent posting does not exist )

or with Mr Grant the Entry Clearance Manager or with Mr Arun. Manager in charge at VPS. all of whom have been contacted and are aware of the problem .

The facts are indisputable. The fee increase was reported on Friday afternoon to the VPS by Mr Grant and were in operation at the VPS on Monday morning . All applications with the incorrect fee were rejected .

As a final point, in view of the fact that this gentleman GU22 is constantly holding himself out as a person experienced and qualified in giving visa advice, TV readers should be aware that :

"It is illegal for anyone to offer immigration advice in the UK unless registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner(OISC) or otherwise suitably qualified, i.e. a qualified lawyer, or exempt."

It should be known that this person GU 22 has no qualifications whatsoever , limited experience (as admitted in several postings) and therefore all his advice should be doubled checked by a qualified person before being acted upon.

I thank TV readers for their kind attention.

[GU22]

If you wish to report my posts, there's a button in the bottom right corner for you to click.

Yes, I have made erroneus posts in the past, and have always accepted corrections that come from a credible person.

I have never claimed that I am "a person experienced and qualified in giving visa advice" as I have always admitted that I am an amatuer, as are most who post advice here (all except Scouse?). What are your qualifications, topfield?

The OISC have confirmed that advice offerred on internet forums such as this is not covered by the legislation. Check with them if you don't believe me.

[topfield]

If you wish to report my posts, there's a button in the bottom right corner for you to click.

Yes, I have made erroneus posts in the past, and have always accepted corrections that come from a credible person.

I have never claimed that I am "a person experienced and qualified in giving visa advice" as I have always admitted that I am an amatuer, as are most who post advice here (all except Scouse?). What are your qualifications, topfield?

The OISC have confirmed that advice offerred on internet forums such as this is not covered by the legislation. Check with them if you don't believe me.

Thank you for your honest and truthful reply, the first one ever which did not contain offensive or insulting language in relation to my postings which mainly relate to experiences of myself and others in twenty years of dealing with the Embassy and visa matters in general. Unlike yourself I do not use this forum to offer specific advice to TV members.. Please either continue in this polite non hostile manner or just ignore my postings but whatever you decide, kindly no more flaming please .

Thank you

Edited March 21, 2007 by topfield

[scooty]

Just to mention, my documents did arrive in Udon Thani at my wifes house today. So it took 1 week using royal mail to arrive from England. Also i did look on the VAC website and to their credit they did update the website with the new visa fees BUT the VAC website says that courier fees from "upcountry locations" (if Udon isnt up country then i dont know where is) including the service charge is 1075 bhat but my wife phoned up the courier company in Udon and they told her that the fee had gone up to 1335 bhat which is the fee that VAC website gives for courier fees from "island locations in Thailand". so either the courier company is lying to my wife or the fees have gone up but the VAC website has not printed the new fees . anyway i hope that this may help someone and that they dont send the old fee to the courier company and end up not having their applications forewarded to Bangkok because they paid the wrong fee.

ill let you all know how the application is going when i hear some news.

[GU22]

Thank you for your honest and truthful reply,

I always endeavour to post honestly and truthfully. Why don't you try it sometime?

I asked you what qualifications you have to give immigration advice. Despite your claiming in previous posts to be a lawyer acting for clients in immigration matters you answer that question by saying

which mainly relate to experiences of myself and others in twenty years of dealing with the Embassy and visa matters in general

So, which is the lie? Are you qualified or not?

Unlike yourself I do not use this forum to offer specific advice to TV members..

No, you just make posts to give the impression that you are a person of importance!

Please either continue in this polite non hostile manner or just ignore my postings

The day you stop posting <deleted> will be the day I stop saying that you are posting <deleted>.

kindly no more flaming please .

You are the only one to have accused me of flaming you. No one else seems to agree with you.

If you object to any of my (or anyone else's) posts there is the report post button.

[the gent]

Les,

Stop being such a hypocrite and please refrain from cluttering up threads with your personal spats.

If you take such exceptions to posters then the appropriate etiquette would be a personal message and not your continual open forum slanging matches.

Your behaviour is becoming quite shrewish.

Get a grip.

[atlastaname]

Les,

Stop being such a hypocrite and please refrain from cluttering up threads with your personal spats.

If you take such exceptions to posters then the appropriate etiquette would be a personal message and not your continual open forum slanging matches.

Your behaviour is becoming quite shrewish.

Get a grip.

It's handbags at dawn then

BTW i missed something ... who is LES??

[malcolminthemiddle]

GU22, your unsubstantiated recommendations in post # 8 were unnecessary, unwelcome and disruptive to what had been an informative topic. For that your warning level is publicly raised by 3 points.

[atlastaname]

Careful GU, you're treading close to the line

[the gent]

Les,

Stop being such a hypocrite and please refrain from cluttering up threads with your personal spats.

If you take such exceptions to posters then the appropriate etiquette would be a personal message and not your continual open forum slanging matches.

Your behaviour is becoming quite shrewish.

Get a grip.

It's handbags at dawn then

BTW i missed something ... who is LES??

I would refer you to post 25 of the thread started by MikeyB " settlement refusal " which was closed for the usual reason. I think it has dropped down to page 2 of this forum.

[BIGJIMMY]

I love this site, whilst sitting here in the middle of The Gulf of Mexico in my little cabin it always brings a smile to my face.

If you are submitting the application in person then why not just buy a bankers draft at the VAC?

Perhaps im missing something here!!

Love and kisses to all.

Jimmy

[logpoacher]

I think BigJimmy has hit the nail on the head here! You didn't buy the draft from VFS, so they didn't make any money.

This is the first year that my wife has applied for a tourist visa at VFS as opposed as directly to the embassy. She went in there with the usual set of documents, and then phoned me to say all sorts of additional stuff was needed, but not to worry, VFS would generously allow me to fax it to their office at only 35 baht per sheet! That is presumably a profit of approximately 34.5 baht for them. They also charged 2 baht for photocopying her ID card, which was never previously required - after all, she has her passport with her which can only be obtained by having an ID card.

She then queued up again and was told that the documentation was still insufficient. At this point I gave up, made copies at home of everything they wanted and went down there myself. Obviously having realised that no more money was to be extracted from us, they finally accepted the application, on condition that my wife signed a form saying that they had advised her that the documentation she was submitting was inadequate and had insisted on submitting the application against thier advice and that she wouldn't get her money back if the visa was not granted.

So, a perfectly normal routine event (we go to the UK every year for a month) has now been transformed into an extremely stressful experience, we the worry that we may have wasted money on air tickets and so on. An improvement I thought was that you can monitor your application on their web-site. We then checked the web-site for a couple of days, until the application status changed to "your passport has returned from the embassy" - but they don't tell you if you have been given a visa or not, just that you can come and collect your passport. They won't tell you even if you ring up. Happily, she was granted the visa just as usual, so I don't think anything has changed at the embassy.

For information for anyone interested, here are lists of the documents that the embassy required us to submit in previous years and that VFS required this year:

Embassy:

Passport, application form, cash, two photos (obv!)

Copy of passport

Proof of employment, currently my wife has gone back to university so this actually comprises a copy of her last set of exam results and a copy of her registration form for the next term, but usually this would be a letter from her employer

Letter from me stating that I will be responsible for her expenses and giving details of where we will be staying

Copy of my bank statements to substantiate the above

Copy of picture page of my passport and of the page showing my latest year's visa extension

Copy of return air ticket

VFS:

All of the above plus:

Copy of every used page of my passport

Add to the application form details of how much I intend to spend on my wife's expenses during our stay

Copy of ID card

Copy of her house registration paper, note that this is her mother's house, not her address in Bangkok because she's never bothered to change it, so it adds no proof to any of the information in her application

Proof that we live together! Four previous visa applications with the same sponsor from the same address and no other applications ever are not sufficient. When asked what form this should take, the VFS clerk would only say "as much as possible" - this was at the stage when he thuoght I was going to fax it to them at 35 baht per sheet. When my wife pressed him, he suggested utility bills and photographs, although what sort of photograph proves that you live together, I hate to think. I submitted one utility bill from four years ago and one from today in my name and the same in her name.

[Godders]

No one else seems to agree with you.

I agree with him. You are just the sort of loud mouthed yob helpful websites of this kind can do without.

[the scouser]

It's unclear at whom the previous comment is aimed, but this thread is descending into the abyss as so many have done before.

Closed.

Scouse.