Waiting For Text Message From Vfs

[kobrien]

Hi guys,

We sent our paperwork in on Wednesday for a family visa and we are now waiting in hells hall way while we await the UKBA's decison.

Been told these applications normally take a week, but I was wondering if anyone knew any signs or tips with regards to if it looks

good or bad,I have been told that if you dont get a text it means you have been denied ?,is there any wording in the email or text which

leads to an denied or granted visa ?

God I hate this process,I wish they would just get the sponser to sign a bit of paper saying if you dont take care or pay for their return flight you go

to prison...

Be grateful of any help guys

[7by7]

It takes just as long to process a refusal as it does an acceptance; so the length of the process is no indication of the result.

Current processing times do appear to be about 5 working days.

The text will simply say that the passport has been returned to the UKVAC for collection/delivery. For privacy reasons passports etc. are returned in sealed envelopes, so you wont know the decision until you've received the passport.

I wish they would just get the sponser to sign a bit of paper saying if you dont take care or pay for their return flight you go to prison...

Guidance - General visitor – version 2.0EXT Page 11

Length of stay

You must not seek or accept a written guarantee or undertaking concerning length of stay.

It is not currently possible to enforce guarantees by third parties that a visitor will comply with their conditions of stay, or to leave the UK at the end of a specific period.

[unobeano]

When we applied a couple of weeks ago the "text" service wasn't working. We had to check daily online. Took 4 working days. (fiancé visa)

[Madivad]

You have to wait a week? Be thankful you're not from Australia. It's taking us 3-4 months!

[ThaiVisaExpress]

At the moment its 7 days to process a tourist/family visit visa.

[kobrien]

Well it will be 7 days tomorrow,I hope we get it,its such an emotional bloody drain this visa business.

Talking of good and bad business,it cost 1000Baht each for the two Thai passports I had to get for my wife and newborn.

The British embassy charged 5250 for my newborns passport,if we get this visa tomorrow we will have to

get this passport forwarded to us, so this leads us back to the UK embasssy who want to charge the best part of another

5000Baht to hand out emergency travel documents,if we get the visa I dont care,just happy for my family to be in the UK with me,would

love to know how much the Embassy makes in profit from all of these Visa applications and travel documents !

[7by7]

would love to know how much the Embassy makes in profit from all of these Visa applications and travel documents !

Simple; the embassy makes zero, zilch, nada, sweet FA.

The fees are set by the government, and any surplus after costs is kept by the treasury.

When my wife and step-daughter applied for settlement in 2000 I asked at the embassy why a settlement visa was so much more expensive than a visit one. I was told that it was because the cost of a settlement visa included the cost of processing any later in UK applications such as ILR; which seemed logical. When my wife and step-daughter applied for ILR there was no fee. If I recall correctly, at that time all in UK applications were free!

Then Blair and Brown saw a money spinner. They raised the out of UK fees and introduced new, high in UK fees. They also decided that all these fees should be raised at least once a year by amounts well above inflation.

Despite vociferous objections to this at the time from both the Tories and LibDems, the coalition government has continued this policy.

Even the governments own figures show that the fees charged for most visas and leave to remain applications are way above the actual cost of processing the application.

[kobrien]

But if a settlement visa is refused how is that money covering future costs ? I know the answer,Im just not happy about it.

Fair play for asking them about it,im shocked they took time to explain the detail behind it

[7by7]

But if a settlement visa is refused how is that money covering future costs ?

On the assumption that the application was successful; which consistently over 90% in Bangkok are.

This was 11 years ago. The visa fee doesn't 'cover future costs' any more; you will have to pay again when she applies for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

When Blair and Brown introduced the fees for ILR etc. they did not decrease the settlement visa fee by an appropriate amount; they increased it! The exercise was not to make the fees system more logical or fairer; it was done, and is continued, purely to raise revenue. A tax on immigration.

[Chivas]

But if a settlement visa is refused how is that money covering future costs ?

On the assumption that the application was successful; which consistently over 90% in Bangkok are.

This was 11 years ago. The visa fee doesn't 'cover future costs' any more; you will have to pay again when she applies for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

When Blair and Brown introduced the fees for ILR etc. they did not decrease the settlement visa fee by an appropriate amount; they increased it! The exercise was not to make the fees system more logical or fairer; it was done, and is continued, purely to raise revenue. A tax on immigration.

Do you not feel its totally in order to charge a hefty fee to deter potential hangers on ?? The fee should be a flat 5k to remove idiotic two week "love affair" applications.

Before anyone explodes I have previously been successful in visitor and settlement applications.

[7by7]

The "idiotic two week "love affair" applications" tend to fail anyway.

I have no objection to paying a fee for processing a visa or LTR application, I do not see why the tax payer should fund it for me. I do object to the fee being way above cost.

£5000 for a settlement visa would put it way out of reach for many people.

It seems that you think only the rich should be allowed to marry a foreigner and have their spouse live in the UK with them!

At the current fee levels, the total cost from initial visa through to naturalisation is already about £3000; but at least it is spread over three or more years.

[VisasPlus]

Here's an interesting tidbit for you 7x7 :

In South Africa the UKBA has introduced a “priority visit visa application service”. This is what UKBA in South Africa says:

“The additional service allows UK visitor visa applicants in South Africa to pay an additional fee to have their application processed ahead of others. The service is optional, however only a limited number of priority services will be available each day on a first-come, first-served basis. The priority visa service is provided through VFS Global and costs an additional GBP53.

Globally, UK visitor visa applications usually take 15 working days, although South African applicants have normally had to wait only five working days. The new priority visa service will give an even quicker turnaround time, although a guaranteed turnaround time wasn't specified.

We turn around most visa applications very quickly, but inevitably some people have to travel at the last minute, and this priority service will speed up the process even further."

[bobrussell]

It amazes me that the UKBA do not offer more 'priority services'. ILR can be done same day for a premium while those of us mere mortals have to wait 10-11 weeks. Priority settlement visa processing would bring in a pretty penny to the treasury.

Astonishing how much more smoothly Border Control seemed to work without the Immigration Officers during the strike. The staff brought in were given magic boxes that got the job done efficiently. They are called ipads!