UK Visa website problems?

[genghis15]

I have been struggling with this website trying to do an application for a study visa for my Thai stepson. He wishes to come to UK for 4 months on an English language course, and we have no problem fulfilling all the requirements for a short term study visa.

However, I have completed the application form 3 times now, each time even more carefully, each time selecting study visa (not Tier 4) at the very start,but each time the same thing happens.

When i submit the application and book his appointment, I am asked to pay $473, approx equivalent to the Tier 4 visa charge of £298 for long term study a a UK institution, which is not what he wants at all - indeed, he could not fulfil the requirements for such.

I would expect to be asked a fee equivalent to £80, say $120, which is the fee for short term English language study.

Naturally, there is no helpline. I have emailed various addreses to ask if this is a website problem, but they either disclaim responsibility or don't answer. I paid £4 for a live chat to advisers working on behalf of UK govt and they merely referred me back to websites I already studied, or supplied info that was downright wrong.

My issue here is not with the fee - tho obviously I don;t want to pay more than necessary- it's that I don't want to apply for the wrong visa, a Tier 4, which would neither be appropriate or granted.

Has anybody else been having similar issues with the website, for a study or any other visa? And can anyone help in any way at all?

My application is currently stalled, I have no idea what to do next.

[7by7]

A student visitor visa is either £80 for a 6 months one or £144 for an 11 month one to study English. (payable in USD for reasons which the Home Office have consistently failed to adequately explain).

I've not used the online system, and can't get into it without opening an account.

But I assume it asks what type of visa is being applied for.

If so, what are you entering; visit or study?

If you're entering study, try entering visit.

Edited April 2, 2014 by 7by7

[genghis15]

No, it already knows you are applying for study.

The only options are Study or Tier 4 visa.

I obviously chose study, as stated above.

Visit is not an option, nor one I would wish, as that does not allow you to study.

And yes, language schools do check that sort of thing, or they lose their accreditation.

[7by7]

Most visit visa holders are not permitted to undertake a course of study in the UK; true. However, there is a special type of visit visa for those who wish to study in the UK for up to 6 months, or 11 months if an English course. This is a Student Visitor Visa.

A student visit visa is a class of visit visa, as the name suggests, not a student visa under the Points Based System.

When applying using a paper form rather than online, the applicant completes form VAF1D; which is a type of visit application. Whereas Tier 4 applicants use form VAF9; which is a PBS application.

Unfortunately, you cannot use the paper form in Thailand anymore and must apply online.

How does the system know you are applying to study? Must be because you told it.

Try again; this time applying as a visitor.

Edited April 2, 2014 by 7by7

[genghis15]

I am sorry, I thought it was clear.

I am applying for a Student Visitor visa, also referred to in different parts of the site as a Study visa, as opposed to a Tier 4.

The site guidesyou through a fairly easy chain of links, which I have checked and checked, and I cannot see where, at any point, there could be error in what I am applying for.

That's not to say I don't value your feedback - keep it coming.

Something is wrong somewhere and anything that makes me think is worth trying.

[winterwonderland]

Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I'm having the same problem while applying for a student visitor visa. I'm a US permanent resident applying to study in the UK for 6 weeks in the summer. The website is asking me to pay 473 USD instead of the 120 USD I was expecting. I sent an eail to the "contact us" link but I'm not too hopeful for a response. The only reason I can think of for the extra charge is maybe to pay for collecting our biometric data, but it seems unreasonably largefor that. If it is an error hopefully they will correct it soon...

I don't think I am selecting the wrong type of visa, because if I select "visitor visa" at the beginning, there is no option for student visitor.

[RHCP]

I have gone through the online application for my Thai wife’s next visa to England and hit a snag. She has previously been granted 3 visas all applied for manually, the last one being a 5 year visa.

The problem is the section for her parents who both passed away some time ago. It is asking as a compulsory requirement their dates of birth. She has never had this information and tells me that it would be impossible for her to obtain. What do we do? Surely they can't insist on this information if impossible to get and also why should it be relevant to the application when they have long since passed away.

[lekatai]

I have gone through the online application for my Thai wife’s next visa to England and hit a snag. She has previously been granted 3 visas all applied for manually, the last one being a 5 year visa.

The problem is the section for her parents who both passed away some time ago. It is asking as a compulsory requirement their dates of birth. She has never had this information and tells me that it would be impossible for her to obtain. What do we do? Surely they can't insist on this information if impossible to get and also why should it be relevant to the application when they have long since passed away.

When I applied for a visit visa for my wife via old website,the instructions were,that if you didn't know this information,then enter the date of birth as 01/01/1900.I've just completed an application on the new website,where this instruction is not given,and entered the dates as before,the application was accepted(on the website at least) so I assume this is still the way to do it

[Madgee]

OP, I might be stating the obvious here but a student visitor visa is only available to 18+ applicants.

Is your step-son above this age?

[RHCP]

I have gone through the online application for my Thai wife’s next visa to England and hit a snag. She has previously been granted 3 visas all applied for manually, the last one being a 5 year visa.

The problem is the section for her parents' who both passed away some time ago. It is asking as a compulsory requirement their dates of birth. She has never had this information and tells me that it would be impossible for her to obtain. What do we do? Surely they can't insist on this information if impossible to get and also why should it be relevant to the application when they have long since passed away.

When I applied for a visit visa for my wife via old website,the instructions were,that if you didn't know this information,then enter the date of birth as 01/01/1900.I've just completed an application on the new website,where this instruction is not given,and entered the dates as before,the application was accepted(on the website at least) so I assume this is still the way to do it

Thanks, she can work out the years of her parents births so will put 01/01/****.

I find the new online process a bit restrictive and possibly not clearly thought out properly in some parts. My wife is supported by myself as she will be on trips to the UK. She has significant amounts saved in various bank accounts as part of her own personal assets yet there is no option during the process to enter these details of savings, it just asks for monthly income from savings which of course today are miserably low with the interest earned and in general and in Thailand are not paid as monthly income.

In addition there is no option to enter my details of employment, income, savings, etc. I assume that they will accept these as supplementary documents for evidence in support of the application.

Edited April 6, 2014 by RHCP

[genghis15]

I have now received this reply from UKBA

"The visa type you have chosen will cost £278. (Student Dependant) The website is correct. There are different types of student visas, “(Special) Student visitor, up to 6 Months” is currently a cost of £80. This can be found under visit reason = Visit, Visa type = Special Visitor. We cannot say or advise if this is the correct one or not for your stepson as we do not have access to the information you seek. We can only deal with technical enquiries about the website."

So I should not be applying for a "Student Visa", but a "Special Visit" visa.

This rather confusing fact is not mentioned anywhere on UKBA's website, everywhere it call this a "Student Visa".

Only a Govt run website could give such confusing advice, and give no contact route to gaining the (reluctant) advive I have harried out of the technical (IT) guys.

At least i seem to have cracked the problem now, my next route was going to be paying £20 for a tel conversation with a specialist immigration solicitor.

[winterwonderland]

I have now received this reply from UKBA

"The visa type you have chosen will cost £278. (Student Dependant) The website is correct. There are different types of student visas, “(Special) Student visitor, up to 6 Months” is currently a cost of £80. This can be found under visit reason = Visit, Visa type = Special Visitor. We cannot say or advise if this is the correct one or not for your stepson as we do not have access to the information you seek. We can only deal with technical enquiries about the website."

So I should not be applying for a "Student Visa", but a "Special Visit" visa.

This rather confusing fact is not mentioned anywhere on UKBA's website, everywhere it call this a "Student Visa".

Only a Govt run website could give such confusing advice, and give no contact route to gaining the (reluctant) advive I have harried out of the technical (IT) guys.

At least i seem to have cracked the problem now, my next route was going to be paying £20 for a tel conversation with a specialist immigration solicitor.

Thanks for the information! I'm glad I caught this before paying $500 for the wrong visa.

[7by7]

Genghis15, so it appears the information I gave you before, i.e. that you should be applying for a visit visa rather than a student one, was correct.

As was the link to Student Visit Visas I provided!

[genghis15]

I don't want to get into a "I told you so - Oh no you didn't" argument, really, I'm just glad to have solved the problem. At least apparently, bcos I haven't completed the application yet, that's my next job.

Your advice "you should be applying for a visit visa rather than a student one", was correct, as far as it goes. But it didn't appear that way without the extra advice I now have from UKBA, to then select "Special Visitor" from the x no of categories, and then Student visitor. Who would know that ?

And the link you provided took me back to the same pages I'd been following , which guided me down the "Student Visitor" route. Either these pages need amending to make things clearer, or the architecture of the application should be changed to show the "6 month Student " option where the guidance says it is, under "Student" visas.

All hopefully sorted for me now, so all should be well.

But I fear this will confuse a hell of a lot of other people. as well. I may not be the world's smartest, but I am not unused to dealing with bureaucracy, and a native speaker of English. Many applicants will be neither of these.

[billybatson]

I have gone through the online application for my Thai wife’s next visa to England and hit a snag. She has previously been granted 3 visas all applied for manually, the last one being a 5 year visa.

The problem is the section for her parents who both passed away some time ago. It is asking as a compulsory requirement their dates of birth. She has never had this information and tells me that it would be impossible for her to obtain. What do we do? Surely they can't insist on this information if impossible to get and also why should it be relevant to the application when they have long since passed away.

When I applied for a visit visa for my wife via old website,the instructions were,that if you didn't know this information,then enter the date of birth as 01/01/1900.I've just completed an application on the new website,where this instruction is not given,and entered the dates as before,the application was accepted(on the website at least) so I assume this is still the way to do it

I was wondering about this also. If you enter something like 01/01/00 or 01/01/xx (where xx is the actual year of birth if you know it), do you then have to explain this in the extra info section ? Or maybe mention it in the covering letter with your supporting documents ?