My wife applied for a visitor visa to Australia via the VFS service. I called both to find out the result and they would not tell me nor my wife. Apparently, she has to collect it and open the envelope herself to get the result!!!!!!!!

I am astonished at this rule, and she has little time off work and lives a days travel from bkk. It also delays the plans we had in booking flights etc. I need to know the result to book the flights soon.

Is there any way around this? Has anyone else dealt with such idiocy before? Solutions? Or bite the bullet?

Probably should be moved for a better chance of response?

Moved to this forum.

Simple privacy thing, VFS is not allowed to open personal mail from the embassy to applicant. Also understandable if embassy is not giving your details out based on phone call without any proof of identity. Certainly i would not want them to give out my details to anyone calling in and asking under my name...

You can get VFS to send it back via EMS but i guess you need to tell them beforehand or then get the money to cover the costs over to them somehow.

Mojoe some good points. However the VFS will not courier the envelope, we enquired when we applied.

thank you for your response.

G

My wife applied for a visitor visa to Australia via the VFS service. I called both to find out the result and they would not tell me nor my wife. Apparently, she has to collect it and open the envelope herself to get the result!!!!!!!!...Has anyone else dealt with such idiocy before?

I believe it is about confidentiality and privacy. Any woman can call the embassy, pretend to be your wife, ask for the results and then make fun of it among her friends and colleagues. Any man can pretend to be you and do the same. If that happened, I wager you would be talking about idiocy again.

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Maestro

They used to send by courier before.

According to their web page they still do in some locations.

"Courier Services

If you are unable to attend in person at the Australian Visa Application Centre in Bangkok, VFS has made special arrangements with GDA Couriers to accept visa applications and return your passport by courier. These centres are located in Chiangmai, Samutsakorn, Chonburi, Phuket and Suratthani. "

http://www.vfs-au.net/courier.shtml

Not surprised if they have changed it without updating their web pages though...

There is some tracking tools in the web pages as well but i guess it will only tell you if the passport is back with VFS.

Hope you can sort it out without making the extra trip to bangers.

Probably Maestro............... however they could easily ask me questions over the phone to verify identity, they have ALL my info. All of my credit card issuers and my banks do exactly that!

I have been told now (by an associate who is 'experienced' with the visa issues) that if they did not contact the wife due to any problems with her application then the likely result is success............Im not sure I agree with is 'logic'..............what do you think?

Mojo.........yes the do courier......to SOME locations..............apparently not out the back-of-beyond..........

Mojo.........yes the do courier......to SOME locations..............apparently not out the back-of-beyond..........

I walked into this trap last year ---- made the application anticipating return by the courier service described in their website. The wording was very similar ----- but advised that the courier service (then) was available to Bangkok only !!!

I suspect the courier service is not for return to anywhere (outside BKK) except their 5 centers.

If you read the wording very closely :

"If you are unable to attend in person at the Australian Visa Application Centre in Bangkok, VFS has made special arrangements with GDA Couriers to accept visa applications and return your passport by courier. These centers are located in Chiangmai, Samutsakorn, Chonburi, Phuket and Suratthani."

Return of Passports

"You may choose to have your passport returned to you by courier. Additional charges will apply.Passports will be returned to the same GDA courier centre and you must present the Airway Bill Receipt to collect your passport."