Picking up UK visa after paying for EMS

[Crillock]

We applied for a UK family visit on the 20th of March and have still not heard anything either through SMS or email. We are set to go for a small holiday in Thailand middle of next week and will return after Song Kran so we wont be home to meet the EMS delivery. Do you think we would be able to just turn up amd collect the passport if we get the decision has been made email? Also was wondering if anybody else has recieved their visas back this month? It seems a little busy and slow. 

[Upnotover]

Your problem will be stopping them sending  it out.  As there are no contact details for VFS (phone or email) you would have to be in the building when they send out the email to have a chance.

[Crillock]

Very true. Worst case might make a trip down there as soon as the email comes through and let them know we don't want it sent. This would mean 2 trips but I guess it's the only option other than delaying our trip. Annoying that there is no way to contact them. 

 

Edited April 1, 2017 by Crillock

[nickboyuk]

Did ours on 2 March and it arrived in the post on 15 March. A 5 year one.

[Crillock]

56 minutes ago, nickboyuk said:

Did ours on 2 March and it arrived in the post on 15 March. A 5 year one.

Thanks for answering. How many days did it take from receiving the email to getting it sent back to you?

[nickboyuk]

2 minutes ago, Crillock said:

Thanks for answering. How many days did it take from receiving the email to getting it sent back to you?

She got the text on the 13th saying it was ready and being posted. e mail from the embassy on the 12th

[Crillock]

Thanks for answering. Might just be ok after all. 

[Crillock]

Quick update. Received the decision email yesterday (April 4th) at 11:00am. Eleven working days to process as there were hundreds of students applying. We then received an SMS at 4:00pm to say it was ready for collection. Another SMS at 4:30pm to say it would be delivered to our home address which is what we didn't want as from reading through previous threads it seems to take 3 days give or take to get.Between the email and SMS I called the UK visa helpline and paid the extortionate £1.37 per minute. Asked for them to cancel the EMS or to notify their colleagues that we would come to pick it up-she refused saying the message wouldn't get there in time! There was a five hour gap between the email and SMS!  She tried to tell me if I

had called before the decision email she might have been able to something-I am not so sure. I also called the British  embassy afterwards knowing that they wouldn't be able to help. They were apologetic and freindly and suggested I called the UK immigration again and try to speak to a superior but I didn't fancy being fleeced again.We set off this morning and arrived at 10 and were let in.  The saff were very friendly and helpful and we managed to pick up the successful visa and folder. They said they would have either sent out the passport for EMS this evening or tomorrow which for us would have been a diaster as it is a public holiday on Friday. So all in all it can be done. Lesson learnt in terms of leaving it so late.

Edited April 5, 2017 by Crillock

[7by7]

7 hours ago, Crillock said:

Another SMS at 4:30pm to say it would be delivered to our home address which is what we didn't want

Then why did you request, and pay for, the EMS service?

 

Did you ask for it to be delivered to your home or somewhere else? You did say

On ‎01‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 8:08 AM, Crillock said:

wont be home to meet the EMS delivery.

which indicates you asked for delivery to your home.

 

7 hours ago, Crillock said:

Lesson learnt in terms of leaving it so late.

 UKVI, for some reason, do not suggest a minimum time one should allow for processing an application. Instead they  simply provide processing times for past applications. Which are not updated as often as they could be: the latest figures being for November!

 

Personally, I recommend allowing at least 15 working days for a visit visa.

 

I fully agree that having to phone a premium rate line in the UK when one has a query is ridiculous. At the very least, applicants should be able to resolve questions such as yours by contacting VFS in Bangkok.

[Crillock]

22 minutes ago, 7by7 said:

Then why did you request, and pay for, the EMS service?

 

Did you ask for it to be delivered to your home or somewhere else? You did say

which indicates you asked for delivery to your home.

 

 UKVI, for some reason, do not suggest a minimum time one should allow for processing an application. Instead they  simply provide processing times for past applications. Which are not updated as often as they could be: the latest figures being for November!

 

Personally, I recommend allowing at least 15 working days for a visit visa.

 

I fully agree that having to phone a premium rate line in the UK when one has a query is ridiculous. At the very least, applicants should be able to resolve questions such as yours by contacting VFS in Bangkok.

We had our appointment on the 21st of March. As the past prior 5 visas were done within 5 days we were quite foolish in thinking we would get everything back way before a planned holiday in Thailand on the 7th. So sure were we that we paid for the EMS service for everything to be delievered to our home address. We realized that we shouldn't have been so confident based on past applications  that were processed quite quickly. Trying to cancel the EMS was not possible. Luckily the VFS were very helpful and accommodating and dug out our visa and passport. Going by previous encounters with British Embassies and passport offices I really don't know if they would have allowed us to pick up the visa in person after paying for a courier service.  The UKVI website as a whole needs some real updating the visa proccesing times page seems to be down as you have to agree to bypass web security to access it-never a good sign! As you said it is useless stating statistics from November. Also we sent over 4 emails to try and get an update and notify them than we wished to cancel the EMS service-we never received a reply.

As stated this was a lesson learnt in terms of leaving things too late and will definatley plan ahead in future

[Crillock]

Also to add I find it worrying that we are not able to contact anyone within Thailand for any queries or issues we may have. I feel that this along with removing the right to appeal family visit visas creates an even further element of not having to answer to anybody.

[w94005m]

Were you given any tracking number from VFS that you could use to track with EMS?

 

Thanks.