Family visit visa- 2nd application, how much info is too much?

[7by7]

I will read your PM and reply there.

BTW, my pal's app for his mother in law came back in 3 days last month so they seem to be better organised now.

More to do with demand than anything else. The number of ECOs stationed in Bangkok doesn't vary much, if at all; but the number of applications submitted at any one time varies considerably; especially as student applications for the new academic year will soon start to be submitted.

Once an application is submitted it effectively joins the queue for that category. The first two to three months of the year is often a quiet time, so there is virtually no queue and applications can be dealt with quickly. Apply when it's busy and each application will take longer to reach the head of the queue and so take longer from submission to decision.

[Mister Fixit]

Quite so. That's what happened to me in 2013. In 2011, we applied in early May and it took 5 days, but in 2013 we applied in early June and it took 9 days. It was explained to us that we had just caught the start of the UK student applications, which caused the delay.

Unfortunately, we aren't going to be able to apply until early June again this year because we won't be leaving here until about 14 - 16 August for various weddings later in the month and I think 90 days in advance is about the last week in May, so there'll be a delay, I suspect.

What I am concerned about is whether there'll be an automatic 6 months multi-entry again, which is easiest for us, or if we have to specify how long we want the visa to last. My PM explains more, but that may well change as of a few hours ago!

Edit - many thanks for your advice earlier regarding my index. I have culled my application bundle by a good 15% or more because of it. I've also reduced my sponsor letter from 2 pages to one and a half. Thank you.

Edited May 19, 2015 by Mister Fixit

[7by7]

<snip>

What I am concerned about is whether there'll be an automatic 6 months multi-entry again, which is easiest for us, or if we have to specify how long we want the visa to last......

The form does ask for the dates of the visit, start and finish, but the visa will be valid for 6 months and multi entry; unless there is a specific, justifiable reason for limiting the term and/or number of entries.

If applying in advance and intending to remain in the UK for the full 6 months you should stress the required start date in your sponsor's letter as well.

Then check it immediately her passport is received back; mistakes do happen and cannot be rectified later.

Edited May 20, 2015 by 7by7

[Mister Fixit]

Just to let peeps know that my wife's visa was granted earlier this month, 6 months, multi-entry. Took 3 working days at the Embassy. So much for all the guff that was put out on here earlier this year about maybe no more automatic 6 month visas and people might have to specify all the dates, maybe only get a single entry for a few weeks etc ...

The app went in on Wednesday 3rd June and that night we had an SMS at 18.09 to say that it had been sent to the UKVI. On Tuesday 9th June, we had an email to say the passport was being sent to Trendy Building and to go 2 working days later to collect it.

This we duly did but no passport at 10.45 am. Wife would have just come back next day, but I showed the email to the girls on the counter one of whom froze and the other just tried to fob me off and parroted 'Fi'tee' workie day, fi'tee' workie day'. I don't really think they could properly read the email or process the information, if they could read it. As counter staff, I think their job was just to get people processed into the working area. To be fair, when that lift disgorged 12 - 15 applicants, they really had their work cut out.

I asked to see the manager and was fairly stern, which jolted the frozen one into action. She shot off sharpish and came back with a girl who was quite good but had to use a calculator and fingers to work out 2 days from Tuesday was Thursday! She took the email and receipt into the main room and promised to sort it out.

She was back in 5 minutes and took us through where we spoke to a very helpful lady who explained that although the passport was due that day, it hadn't arrived yet. I asked why that wasn't made plain in the email and said I didn't want to sit around all day. Then a very pretty obviously senior girl arrived, with excellent English immediately I asked and explained they were sent from the Embassy in batches throughout the day, that they would chase it for us and to come back at 1 pm. We had a little joke about would that be Thai 1 pm or English 1 pm, but they were very good-natured and very helpful.

We went off to Terminal 21 about 11.30, had an early lunch and they called my wife at 12.10 to say the passport was ready for collection! Very commendable.

We collected the passport, there were lots of wais, smiles and thank yous and to be honest, I really think they did pull out all the stops to help. However, I also think that a little British assertiveness helped the process.

Two small improvements they could make - a little more English training for the reception staff and more counter skills training (although as I said, they are under pressure when a lift arrives) and secondly, if the email just said 'Please collect your passport 2 working days after this email. Please note that passports are sent from UKVI throughout the day, so there may be a short wait' would be very helpful.

All in all, 9/10 to VFS. I really should get around to writing a letter of thanks for the speed with which they resolved the issue - I'll get around to it when I've finished me tea ...

In terms of the visa processing time, they would have had it on the morning of Thursday 4th June and it was granted on Monday 8th June, valid from Tuesday 9th June - a very good turn-round time. We aren't going until August, so no problem. Next year, we want to go for a lot longer, so I'll apply much nearer the date we want to leave and try to utilise as much of the visa time as possible.

Thanks to those who gave advice too.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Mister Fixit

[bobrussell]

I don't remember anything being said about changes to the 6 month visa length but as all the politicians have been preoccupied with the election, don't count on changes in the future.

I would not be at all surprised to find changes to bring the visit visa more in line with Schengen visas. This would introduce a maximum stay of 90 days in a six month period. I suspect this will require a change in the law and hopefully the government are too preoccupied with other issues to make it high priority!

Time will tell!

[Mister Fixit]

There WAS a thread some time back which I can't be bothered to look up, saying that someone who works in the visa industry had had notice of changes to the UK visa application procedures and there were some scare-mongering posts saying that there may no longer be any automatic 180 day multiple entry UK visas. Oh, and also that the UK would be tightening up on visa applications in general, the inference being that they would/could become much more difficult to get.

As it happens, this hasn't transpired but it got me and a few others a bit anxious at the time.

That's not to say that there won't be changes at some stage, but it looks like it's not going to happen in the immediate future.

I think the notice that was sent to visa agents earlier in the year was just to say that changes were being made, but in fact, what the UK did was rationalise and reduce the number of different visas to make the process simpler all round.

In the meantime, hats off to VFS!