Vfs Malpractice At Uk Visa Centre

[Electra]

And of course the ECMs and Regional Director in their cloistered little world are fully cognisant of this disgraceful state of affairs but like all shiney arsed superannuated clerks these days they choose to do nothing about it because it has no bearing upon either their statistics or their performance. So what if Brits are being ripped off? It's not as if that is important and in any event the perception among the Embassy staff there is that most of the applicants are just ' slappers ' and therefore of little or no consequence.

[slipperx]

I have read the various posts here. I understand that the people accosting you and trying to rip you off may be nothing to do with the VFS but the British Embassy is inviting criticism if it allows it's contractors to bring it into disrepute which is the current case. VFS may or may not be innocent (I am sceptical on that point given our experience) but I believe they have a responsibilty to reduce the risk of people visiting their offices being misrouted by these touts. I am sure there are steps that can be taken to make people aware that they are being accosted by unofficial staff if they really wanted to. Just saying it's not them so they are innocent is not good enough in my book.

[7by7]

VFS may or may not be innocent (I am sceptical on that point given our experience)

VFS are a large, reputable company handling visa applications for the UK, USA, Australia and many other countries, not just in Thailand but worldwide. Do you really think that would put all that at risk just to screw a few thousand baht out of people?

OK, maybe some of the VAC staff are doing so; in which case you must complain about them to VFS and the embassy. If VFS staff are guilty of this, just moaning about it on an internet forum wont achieve anything.

I am sure there are steps that can be taken to make people aware that they are being accosted by unofficial staff if they really wanted to. Just saying it's not them so they are innocent is not good enough in my book.

A said before, both VFS and the embassy have clear warnings on their websites. VFS staff are in uniform with ID badges.

I ask you, and those others who complain of the embassy and VFS not acting, what steps do you think they should and can take?

[7by7]

I am certainly no expert in this field, but how on earth did you manage to divorce your wife twice?

It's difficult to decipher his posts, but if I have done so correctly it appears that he asked someone with no knowledge of UK divorce law if he could divorce at the Thai embassy in London, and was told yes.

Of course, the only place you can divorce in the UK is the UK courts, so the divorce at the Thai embassy was not recognised in the UK, although it was in Thailand. So he had to divorce her again.

What I don't understand is why he asked someone in an office in Thailand, be it VFS or not, about how to divorce in the UK. If he was in Thailand, why did he and his ex not trot along to an Ampur and divorce there? Simpler, cheaper and such a divorce is recognised in the UK. Why did they return to the UK and divorce at the Thai embassy?

Very strange.

[apeks1971]

I am certainly no expert in this field, but how on earth did you manage to divorce your wife twice?

It's difficult to decipher his posts, but if I have done so correctly it appears that he asked someone with no knowledge of UK divorce law if he could divorce at the Thai embassy in London, and was told yes.

Of course, the only place you can divorce in the UK is the UK courts, so the divorce at the Thai embassy was not recognised in the UK, although it was in Thailand. So he had to divorce her again.

What I don't understand is why he asked someone in an office in Thailand, be it VFS or not, about how to divorce in the UK. If he was in Thailand, why did he and his ex not trot along to an Ampur and divorce there? Simpler, cheaper and such a divorce is recognised in the UK. Why did they return to the UK and divorce at the Thai embassy?

Very strange.

Hi

I was in the UK at the time i wanted to divorce my x wife,i contacted a UK solicitor and he advised to to contact the British Embassy in Bangkok for there advice as they do have immigration staff as i was married in a register office in Bangkok and he wasnt sure,the Embassy emailed me with the advice about the divorce which was ,1st i could go back to Thailand like you stated or i could go to the Thai Embassy in London as i was married under Thai law in there country,i did tell them that we both reside in the UK,iam not a lawyer or law trained so i took there advice but unfortunatley it was wrong,when i tried to get a visa for my new wife then the problem with the divorce came to light and thats when my problems started

[apeks1971]

tell you now its a nightmare,a wall goes up and you got no chance of getting through,iam not the only one whos had these problems,as for divorcing my wife twice,i was originally emailed and told by the British Embassy as i was married in Thailand i could either go back there to divorce or go to the Thai Embassy in London,as we both lived in UK i chose the latter,got my papers and thought that was it,1 year later i get re married like a fool and go for a visa only to be told my divorce is not UK legally bound so i had to divorce her again under UK law in the UK,as for being insulting ,i dont mind anyone commenting on my post but not in that way,he must be a Lord Malloch Brown fan thats all i can say

[7by7]

I guess it all depends on what question you asked the solicitor, but s/he must have known that the only place you can divorce in the UK is through the courts, whether you married in the UK or not is irrelevent.

Whether staff at an embassy need to know this is a moot point. Visa section staff should, so they can judge whether a marriage is valid in the UK or not, but I imagine that an enquiriy such as yours would not go to the visa section.

I reckon the blame for this lies 30% with the embassy and 70% with your solicitor.

[sbk]

Abusive off topic posts and their responses have been deleted. There is no need to attack other members in this way. Lets try to keep this civil.

Unproven allegations and their responses have been removed. Thai Visa is not the appropriate place to post possibly defamatory and libellous comments. If you have proof then I suggest you go to the police, but do not post unfounded allegations here again, thanks.

[apeks1971]

I guess it all depends on what question you asked the solicitor, but s/he must have known that the only place you can divorce in the UK is through the courts, whether you married in the UK or not is irrelevent.

Whether staff at an embassy need to know this is a moot point. Visa section staff should, so they can judge whether a marriage is valid in the UK or not, but I imagine that an enquiriy such as yours would not go to the visa section.

I reckon the blame for this lies 30% with the embassy and 70% with your solicitor.

Family act 1986 or 1989 not sure of years states that you can only divorce in country you reside in,i didnt know anything about this thats why i contacted the British Embassy as they do have 4 immigration law trained staff at each Embassy,my solicitor wasnt sure so thats why he told me to contact the British Embassy in country i was married,problem was it got to the interview stage of the visa application before this was picked up,once you paye the £500 fee theres no refunds no matter what the reason is so really i was married to 2 women which is bigamy,the Embassy checked my divorce i had got from the Thai Embassy in the UK and gave me my affirmation saying i was free to marry,its a complicated subject,i know now the Embassy wont check divorces any more as a result of what happened,the Home Office did an investigation why my wifes visa got to the interview stage and wasnt picked up earlier but as i pointed out it took 3 years and endless letters to MP,S and Lord Malloch Brown and they admitted they were at fault but i got a letter just saying,,very sorry...and wouldnt refund my legal fees as i had to divorce my 1st wife again in a UK court of law

[7by7]

Family act 1986 or 1989 not sure of years states that you can only divorce in country you reside in

I am fairly certain that, like a marriage, if a divorce is legal in the country where it took place then it is also legal in the UK. I know of several British/Thai couples resident in the UK who married in Thailand and subsequently have divorced in Thailand and had their divorce recognised in the UK.

I'm not a lawyer, and stand to be corrected on this point by someone who is.

The problems you had came down to the fact that you divorced at the Thai embassy in London. Whilst this is recognised as legal in Thailand it is not in the UK. As you found out, the only place one can divorce in the UK is through the courts.

Perhaps you should have been advised of this when you completed the AFM at the embassy for your second marriage. But remember, all that says is that you are free to marry in Thailand; which you were. That this second marriage would not be recognised in the UK is irrelevant for the purpose; although the embassy staff should, I think, have warned you of this.

BTW, a divorced person completing an AFM at the British embassy still has to produce their divorce papers. This is a requirement of Thai law.

I still cannot understand why your solicitor seemed so ignorant of UK divorce law. If s/he had advised you correctly in the first place then you would not have had any of your subsequent problems. If any competent solicitor was unsure about a point they would find out; not pass the buck to someone else!

[apeks1971]

Family act 1986 or 1989 not sure of years states that you can only divorce in country you reside in

I am fairly certain that, like a marriage, if a divorce is legal in the country where it took place then it is also legal in the UK. I know of several British/Thai couples resident in the UK who married in Thailand and subsequently have divorced in Thailand and had their divorce recognised in the UK.

I'm not a lawyer, and stand to be corrected on this point by someone who is.

The problems you had came down to the fact that you divorced at the Thai embassy in London. Whilst this is recognised as legal in Thailand it is not in the UK. As you found out, the only place one can divorce in the UK is through the courts.

Perhaps you should have been advised of this when you completed the AFM at the embassy for your second marriage. But remember, all that says is that you are free to marry in Thailand; which you were. That this second marriage would not be recognised in the UK is irrelevant for the purpose; although the embassy staff should, I think, have warned you of this.

BTW, a divorced person completing an AFM at the British embassy still has to produce their divorce papers. This is a requirement of Thai law.

I still cannot understand why your solicitor seemed so ignorant of UK divorce law. If s/he had advised you correctly in the first place then you would not have had any of your subsequent problems. If any competent solicitor was unsure about a point they would find out; not pass the buck to someone else!

the Embassy took my £500 fee and it got through to the interview where it was picked up,it should had never gotten that far,your right my second marriage was not reconised under UK law,the fact the Embassy didnt pick this up lead me to file a complaint,the affirmation i was given was unsigned too but was stamped by the Embassy,if it was signed they would had had to give my wife her visa and the person who signed it would had been liable,when i spoke to the interviewer whos name i cant publish as it will be deleted said to me she didnt have time to look at my papers??i know the procedure in the way visas are dealt with which i thought was a poor excuse,i wanted to take it too court but was advised not too as you cant take one person to court id have to take the Embassy to court,i went to the High court but the Embassy put a block on it so it didnt get into court,good old Lord Goldsmith if i carried it on it would result in legal fees of £20,000+ and id never get legal aid for it,the solicitor i saw wasnt an immigration specialist so his view was to contact the Embassy as they would advise me correctly what to do?the way it was dealt with in the UK angered me,i was lead up the garden path and just ignored,everytime i wrote a letter they answered with sumthing i never even asked???all i got then was write again,its a stalling process and hoping you just give up,after 3 years of battling i spoke to a MP and he advised to leave it as youll never beat them,your one man against a goverment office so now i have left it alone but il never forget the way it was handled by the Embassy

[khastan]

I guess it would be too much to have a sign on the genuine VFS office warning about the bogus outfit next door or to have a genuine VFS staff member waiting outside to usher people into the correct building?

Last September I was outside the VAC waiting for my lady who was applying for a UK visitors visa who should arrive but non other than the honarary british consul or whatever he is called. I overheard him saying that the sign for the entrance to the VAC has to made more clear because he has he had a number of complaints from people that have gone into to the wrong office by "mistake".

So therefore I am suprised to read this post and it would seem that things are just the same has they were before when I was there last year.

[Jonson83]

None of the scams, wrong advice , malpractice etc. mentioned in the above posts were carried out by the VAC or members of VFS staff. All of such practises are done by unscrupulous so called agents operating from Regents House. None of these offices are 'licensed by the British Goverment' or have any connection with any official government organisation.

As Mjo says, unfortunately there is no way either VFS or the British embassy have any way of evicting or otherwise stopping these people. They could move the VAC, but these sharks would only follow. Even in the old days, when queueing up outside the embassy we were accosted by such scum trying to persuade us to let them handle our application.

The possible exception is the wrong advice about divorcing at the Thai embassy in London. However, as the VAC is only responsible for collecting and checking visa applications I am not at all surprised that the VFS staff did not know about divorce law in the UK.

For some time, whether it's for security or overcrowding reasons, only applicants have been allowed into the VAC, with some obvious exceptions such as child applicants.

The UKVAC website a photo of their staff in uniform.

If the person talking to you is not wearing this uniform then they are not VAC staff. Tell them to Foxtrot Oscar.

Notice also the clear signage to tell you that you are in the VAC.

Having said all that, if one feel that any VAC staff are acting improperly then one should make a formal complaint to the embassy.

If you guys took the time to actually have a look at the VFS sites or at pictures like the one posted above you would'nt be getting yourselves into such a pickle.

It really isnt that difficult.

[7by7]

the solicitor i saw wasnt an immigration specialist so his view was to contact the Embassy

You didn't ask him an immigration question (did you?), you asked him a divorce one. He didn't need to be an immigration specialist in order to advice you about your divorce; he merely needed to know about divorce law in the UK. Even if all he has done since qualifying is conveyancing, he still should have know that the proper person to refer you to was a family lawyer in the UK.

The embassy made mistakes, yes; but all your problems stem from your solicitor's ineptitude. Maybe you should be seeking recompense from him. See Legal Complaints Service.

[apeks1971]

the solicitor i saw wasnt an immigration specialist so his view was to contact the Embassy

You didn't ask him an immigration question (did you?), you asked him a divorce one. He didn't need to be an immigration specialist in order to advice you about your divorce; he merely needed to know about divorce law in the UK. Even if all he has done since qualifying is conveyancing, he still should have know that the proper person to refer you to was a family lawyer in the UK.

The embassy made mistakes, yes; but all your problems stem from your solicitor's ineptitude. Maybe you should be seeking recompense from him. See Legal Complaints Service.

question i asked was about a divorce to a foreign national that i married in foreign country,i was surprised he didnt know but was thankful he lead to what i thought was good sound advice,idf the Embassy dont know then who knows?i still blame the Embassy 90% because they are legally trained and why didnt they pick up the divorce i recieved from the Thai Embassy,the British Consulate have immigration officers that are supposed to go through our paperwork and if its all ok then your interview is the last thing but for sum reason they didnt with mine,proberly too busy drinking and going to strip shows in Soi Cowboy and was hungover?il forward you an email from the Embassy saying they refuse to answer any of my emails and they will only reply to my MP??whats all that about??i spoke to UK visas and the reply i got when i asked questions was...no comment...ha ha ha..thats not a good way to run a so called service,i did in the end get a immigration lawyer but even he said the advice i recieved from the Embassy was totaly wrong and they certainly covered up there tracks by saying the man who sent the email and advice dosent work there anymore,i certainly learnt a lesson there

[7by7]

I still feel that your solicitor should bear the brunt of the blame; any solicitor should know that a couple who married abroad can divorce in the UK, subject to some simple residency requirements which you obviously met.

However, you obviously feel differently, so let's leave it there?

[slipperx]

VFS may or may not be innocent (I am sceptical on that point given our experience)

VFS are a large, reputable company handling visa applications for the UK, USA, Australia and many other countries, not just in Thailand but worldwide. Do you really think that would put all that at risk just to screw a few thousand baht out of people?

OK, maybe some of the VAC staff are doing so; in which case you must complain about them to VFS and the embassy. If VFS staff are guilty of this, just moaning about it on an internet forum wont achieve anything.

I am sure there are steps that can be taken to make people aware that they are being accosted by unofficial staff if they really wanted to. Just saying it's not them so they are innocent is not good enough in my book.

A said before, both VFS and the embassy have clear warnings on their websites. VFS staff are in uniform with ID badges.

I ask you, and those others who complain of the embassy and VFS not acting, what steps do you think they should and can take?

Well for a start 7by7 where people are being accosted by touts hanging around outside their office they could at least have some uniformed staff around, clearly ID'd to lessen the chance of being misled. They get enough out of the visa fees to employ a few extra people where the touts are plying their trade. I saw no uniformed VFS staff either in the lkobby or the waiting area. They could also increase signage and make it far clearer. It is not rocket science and can be tackled reasonably inexpensively. I believe they have a duty to do that. Before there was not the problem as the applications were all handled inside the embassy but now it is all done outside I suppose as some form of cost cutting measure or something.

[ThaiVisaExpress]

Visa World strikes again.

I was in a restaurant when i over heard a conversation regarding UK/Vac. I got talking to an English guy he came up in the lift at Regent house and was greeted by the chubby girl who works for this company. Then he followed her into the office with his completed file paid her 20,000 baht plus the visa fee until i had spoken to him he was not aware he had been scammed !

The guy was in his mid sixties and believed he was dealing with UK/Vac.

[7by7]

Whilst I feel sympathy with anyone scammed by any con merchant, the advice is quite simple.

If they are not in uniform, they are not VAC staff.

Issues of signage within the building have already been discussed.

[theoldgit]

I was in a restaurant when i over heard a conversation regarding UK/Vac. I got talking to an English guy he came up in the lift at Regent house and was greeted by the chubby girl who works for this company. Then he followed her into the office with his completed file paid her 20,000 baht plus the visa fee until i had spoken to him he was not aware he had been scammed !

I don't doubt what you say for a minute but I find it quite incredible that the chap you describe, who I would have thought would have researched the requirements, apparently meekly follows someone into a room and hands over an extra 20,000 Baht, not an insignificant sum of money.

What was his response when you told him, I presume you went back to the office with him.

[theoldgit]

Well for a start 7by7 where people are being accosted by touts hanging around outside their office they could at least have some uniformed staff around, clearly ID'd to lessen the chance of being misled. They get enough out of the visa fees to employ a few extra people where the touts are plying their trade. I saw no uniformed VFS staff either in the lkobby or the waiting area. They could also increase signage and make it far clearer. It is not rocket science and can be tackled reasonably inexpensively. I believe they have a duty to do that.

I can only comment on what I have seen, there was certainly a large sign indicating where the office is when I have entered Regent House, and I certainly noticed uniformed VFS and their uniformed staff outside of their office, I personally thought they were pretty visible, though I have still noticed people walking past them and the entrance to VFS to go into the touts office.

[noel2499rk]

Sat outside the vfs office in regent house recently while me wife was inside applying for a tourist visa for her mum, I watched a succesion of English Thai couples walk straight past the entrance into the agents office. I was there for about three hours and in that time I saw seven couples ignore all the signs and get accosted by the agency staff.

Elsewhere in this thread it is said the vfs staff are clearly identified by their uniform but outside the office the staff are g4s security staff who wear a different uniform to the one in the picture on the website. I watched as people who were just about to talk to the g4s staff were steered into the agents office by the agency girls. It would be very easy for these g4s security to say something but they just stand there like statues for me I think they must be complicite in some way.

I got chatting to one couple he was around 60 from kent she was from somewhere in isaan, I watched them come and sit in the agents office for about half an hour, then the two of them came to sit outside while one of the agency staff took their application from inside the vfs office.

He told me he had already paid an agent 600 pound to fill out his tourist visa application for him so I asked him why he felt the need to use another agent. He told me his wife had done all the talking in the agents office I asked him how much it had cost he replyed he didn't know. I explained to him that he didn't need to use this agent and he could of just went into the vfs office himself but this just didn't register with him. I really tried to explain to him what was going on but he just kept saying " I dunno mate", "the missus deals with all that".

So i left him to his blissful ignorance he was either to stupid to grasp what was going on or he just didn't care.

As I understand it all visa appilcates have biometric data taken fingerprints, photos so how is it these agency people take the applications into the vfs office without the person applying? Everyone in the agency office was having their photo taken is vfs using these photos for the biometric data?

[katana]

So it seems once you're at the building, the scam agency make more effort (and are more successful?) in getting you into their office than the legitimate one, which seems a somewhat strange state of affairs.

[ThaiVisaExpress]

I was in a restaurant when i over heard a conversation regarding UK/Vac. I got talking to an English guy he came up in the lift at Regent house and was greeted by the chubby girl who works for this company. Then he followed her into the office with his completed file paid her 20,000 baht plus the visa fee until i had spoken to him he was not aware he had been scammed !

I don't doubt what you say for a minute but I find it quite incredible that the chap you describe, who I would have thought would have researched the requirements, apparently meekly follows someone into a room and hands over an extra 20,000 Baht, not an insignificant sum of money.

What was his response when you told him, I presume you went back to the office with him.

Why would i go back to the office he had already been scammed for 20,000 baht what could i do his papers were with Visa world. The point he made was if he wanted an agent he would have looked for one himself but he wanted to do it himself, he actually believed this was the fee .

Its not a room it is a very large office and it looks the part.

[sumrit]

Whilst I feel sympathy with anyone scammed by any con merchant, the advice is quite simple.

If they are not in uniform, they are not VAC staff.

Issues of signage within the building have already been discussed.

Although I'm now back in the UK I've been to the VFS centre on several occasions over the past few months and the guy at the entrance handing out the tickets to

people DOESN'T wear a uniform (he just wears black trousers with a white shirt and NO ID BADGE) but he IS a member of VFS staff.

For those of us who've been to the VFS centre before it's easy to recognize the touts but for most people it's their first visit, and for them it's definately NOT clear where they should go and it's presisely those people the tout's are looking for.

Two/three years ago there was an independent government report on the VFS centre and the Embassy visa section. That report highlighted the lack of signage to the VFS centre and the problem of tout's 'highjacking' visa applicants because of it and stated changes needed to be made but to date the VFScentre/Embassy have done absolutely NOTHING to improve things.

While I agree people should read the info on the web sites and be wary of people approaching them the fact that the VFS/Embassy have been told officially their system isn't good enough and should be improved but have chosen to ignore it means they (are at least partly) responsible for people being scammed.

[Thongkorn]

I have been to Regent house before so i knew of the tricks from the scammers. I made my application on line, I got a date for submitting the visa application, I went to Regent house for 7.30 , so we could submit the file for a visa. and then be on our way for a 4 week holiday.When we arrived we was accosted by the staff of the office next door, they spoke to my partner ,they would not speak to me , so i spoke to them in Thai , i told them that we did not need there service, but i had to be quite forcefully with them, they do not understand the meaning of no thanks, the thing that got me was, one of the visa staff was stood next to me while this was going on,Why did they not intervene, Because they know the score. Also we went and sat on the seats that are on the right,just before the door, we were the fourth seats along, at about 8 o clock some Thai man obviously a visa agent , walked in with some Thai people and ask us to move, I just sat there as i had a 8 o clock appointment, as the doors opened he ushered them to the front , i walked past him and inquired about having an appointment, with that The staff from the visa office went outside and told every body who had an appointment to come forward as you could now book on line to save waiting. My partner went in and submitted her visa file . while she was inside for about an hour i had many people come up to me and start to ask questions about the visa application and asking me various questions had they done this right had they done that right ,I helped few , but all the time the staff from the office next door keept watching me , i just smiled at them , i though yes thats one back for me.

[7by7]

the guy at the entrance handing out the tickets to

people DOESN'T wear a uniform (he just wears black trousers with a white shirt and NO ID BADGE) but he IS a member of VFS staff.

Point taken, but how often does he check applications, offer advice or ask for a fee?

Two/three years ago there was an independent government report on the VFS centre and the Embassy visa section. That report highlighted the lack of signage to the VFS centre and the problem of tout's 'highjacking' visa applicants because of it and stated changes needed to be made but to date the VFScentre/Embassy have done absolutely NOTHING to improve things

Other than the general comments I have made on signage, I cannot say how good or bad the signage is as I have never been there.

My sister-in-law has, and she found the right office without any problems (although, to be fair, I did warn her about the touts).

Also, the posts by theoldgit and noel2449rk above indicate that the signage is adequate or better.

Depends on each individual's perception, I guess.

Edited August 6, 2009 by 7by7

[sumrit]

the guy at the entrance handing out the tickets to

people DOESN'T wear a uniform (he just wears black trousers with a white shirt and NO ID BADGE) but he IS a member of VFS staff.

Point taken, but how often does he check applications, offer advice or ask for a fee?

Two/three years ago there was an independent government report on the VFS centre and the Embassy visa section. That report highlighted the lack of signage to the VFS centre and the problem of tout's 'highjacking' visa applicants because of it and stated changes needed to be made but to date the VFScentre/Embassy have done absolutely NOTHING to improve things

Other than the general comments I have made on signage, I cannot say how good or bad the signage is as I have never been there.

My sister-in-law has, and she found the right office without any problems (although, to be fair, I did warn her about the touts).

Also, the posts by theoldgit and noel2449rk above indicate that the signage is adequate or better.

Depends on each individual's perception, I guess.

Although the guy giving out tickets doesn't check applications he IS the first/only person you see when you first arrive, and with all the comments about VFS staff and uniforms I would have thought it was even more important for him to wear a uniform to show people where to go and they're in the right place. NOT wearing a uniform OR a badge can only add to to problem.

As for any comments theoldgit and noel2449rk have made about the signage being adequate I'll describe the only one there as you approach the VFS centre and you can made your own mind up/comment about it yourself. The sign itself is about twelve inches wide and eighteen inches high and is fixed on to a portable stand making the top of the sign about five feet from the ground. It is positioned to the right of the lobby area near the door to the adjoining gift shop. On my last visit two people were standing directly in front of it, talking, so it was completely hidden for anybody's view by their bodies and on a (recent) previous visit a Thai man who works for Visa World was standing in front of the sign, hiding it from view, as he looked for 'potential clients' coming into the waiting area. On neither occasion did anybody from the VFS centre ask them to move although it's only about ten-twelve feet from the guy handing out the tickets. This is the same sign that's been used since they opened the VFS centre and personally I agree with the independent inspector who said the signage is totally INADEQUATE, but you make up your own mind .

[theoldgit]

As for any comments theoldgit and noel2449rk have made about the signage being adequate I'll describe the only one there as you approach the VFS centre and you can made your own mind up/comment about it yourself. The sign itself is about twelve inches wide and eighteen inches high and is fixed on to a portable stand making the top of the sign about five feet from the ground. It is positioned to the right of the lobby area near the door to the adjoining gift shop. On my last visit two people were standing directly in front of it, talking, so it was completely hidden for anybody's view by their bodies and on a (recent) previous visit a Thai man who works for Visa World was standing in front of the sign, hiding it from view, as he looked for 'potential clients' coming into the waiting area. On neither occasion did anybody from the VFS centre ask them to move although it's only about ten-twelve feet from the guy handing out the tickets. This is the same sign that's been used since they opened the VFS centre and personally I agree with the independent inspector who said the signage is totally INADEQUATE, but you make up your own mind .

As 7by7 says it's all a matter of perspective, I didn't say it was adequate, I was just saying what I had seen. I saw a large sign as you enter Regent House, not as you get to the VFS office, visible from the ground floor. It's at a high level and, in my opinion clearly visible, well it was to me anyway. Outside the VFS office there may well be smaller signs and they may have been obscured, I really don't know because by then I knew where I was going.

I agree that in an ideal world, and for what we are paying in fees it should be an ideal world, it's not beyond the skills of the VFS management to provide a meet and greet service similar to that provided by the vulchers working for the various agencies, clearly the comments from TVE and others prove that these rouges are running a pretty smooth sting type operation. I think the security guards outside would out on a limb if they tried to interfere with the touts, not saying that it's right, I'm just pretty sure it would happen.

I think that a high percentage of applicants and their partners would be pretty worldly wise with the amount of information and warnings of these scams, but people like the chap who just said "I leave it up to her" are, sadly, probably beyond help.

[7by7]

I agree that in an ideal world, and for what we are paying in fees it should be an ideal world, it's not beyond the skills of the VFS management to provide a meet and greet service similar to that provided by the vulchers working for the various agencies

Agreed. But one does need to bear in mind that only a very small percentage of the fee actually goes to VFS; most of it is taken by the government!

Labour's own figures show that the unit cost of processing a settlement visa is £379, way below the actual fee charged!