omario2016

Greetings to all,

I have a very specific question in regards to the VFS office having taken cash from the applicant despite the fact the application fees was already paid online. The application was a for a UK visitor visa and application made in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Has anyone else had similar experience? I am thinking of writing to the VFS to complain but I don't want to look silly if there is a local fees to be paid as well as online fees?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

spouse of scouse

Visa fees are paid online, not at a VFS. Did you use any 'premium' services that needed to be paid for at VFS? When you were asked for money at the VFS, what were you told the payment was for?

omario2016

thank you for your reply.

Yes, I made the payment online myself. I should explain; the applicant is my mother in law who does not speak English or Urdu but she told that VFS staff member (I don't how they managed to communicate) told her to pay 5000 rupees which is around 40USD. All she could understand was that the VFS staff told her that this is "local fee". It looks fishy to me to be honest.

She was not given any extra receipt other than her passport receipt so I doubt it is for premium service....

scot47

He extorted a bribe ? What is your legal remedy ? None I suspect !

spouse of scouse

Sounds fishy to me too. I had a look on the VFS Pakistan website, the only fee I could see that's close to PKR5,000 is an Internet Kiosk service for PKR5,500 that's offered in Islamabad, and it doesn't sound like it would have been of any use to your mum in law. https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/pk/en#la...ate,Descending

Be interesting to see if any other posters can shed some light on this - best of luck in sorting it out, sorry I couldn't help.

omario2016

Thank you very much for your replies guys. I am really sorry but it seems to have been a false alarm. She has found a receipt and she just sent me picture of it and yes as Spouse of Scouse rightly suggested, they have charged her premium. Even though this is not bribery (as I suspected) but it still is not ethical and professional as she did not want a premium service. Thought to clarify this and let you both know. thank you very much for taking your your times to reply.

BritInParis

What did she pay for?

omario2016

premium service (fast tracking)

BritInParis

The Priority Visa service is more than 35,000. I too cannot see what she bought for 5,000.

omario2016

BritInParis

Priority service for settlement visas is over 95,000. I would check exactly what she is supposed to have paid for.