VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
May 6th 2017, 9:58 pm
#16
Just Joined
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 17
Re: VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
Hey emu77,
I feel your pain! My nerves are shot. I lodged a complaint with VFS on the 21st, a week after my appointment. They got back to me the next business day, apologising for their staffs lack of professionalism and not conveying that this is indeed the correct processing procedure for their Toronto office. I received my processing email from Sheffield UKVI on the 23rd (a Sunday which was odd?), 4 business days after submitting my biometrics.
VFS staff also told me the turnaround time was 6-8 weeks with priority, which I thought was strange considering many timelines I read about online were 2 weeks. Obviously I know that each application is different, but that seems like a big gap! I actually checked processing times for other centres in Canada, and apparently Halifax had a February processing time of 100% of applications returned within 5 days, Vancouver and Ottawa similar results. Toronto on the other hand is 66% within 30 days, 100% within 60. I actually flew to Toronto from Newfoundland, so I could have easily have gone to Halifax had I known... now I'm kicking myself for not checking that beforehand. I just assumed it would be easier coming from Toronto as it's a larger centre.
Please let me know if you hear anything further from yours & I'll do the same! I also have anxiety issues, and it's gotten to the point where I've been nauseous and have barely eaten in a fortnight. So praying I hear something back soon
I feel your pain! My nerves are shot. I lodged a complaint with VFS on the 21st, a week after my appointment. They got back to me the next business day, apologising for their staffs lack of professionalism and not conveying that this is indeed the correct processing procedure for their Toronto office. I received my processing email from Sheffield UKVI on the 23rd (a Sunday which was odd?), 4 business days after submitting my biometrics.
VFS staff also told me the turnaround time was 6-8 weeks with priority, which I thought was strange considering many timelines I read about online were 2 weeks. Obviously I know that each application is different, but that seems like a big gap! I actually checked processing times for other centres in Canada, and apparently Halifax had a February processing time of 100% of applications returned within 5 days, Vancouver and Ottawa similar results. Toronto on the other hand is 66% within 30 days, 100% within 60. I actually flew to Toronto from Newfoundland, so I could have easily have gone to Halifax had I known... now I'm kicking myself for not checking that beforehand. I just assumed it would be easier coming from Toronto as it's a larger centre.
Please let me know if you hear anything further from yours & I'll do the same! I also have anxiety issues, and it's gotten to the point where I've been nauseous and have barely eaten in a fortnight. So praying I hear something back soon
Thanks for the update! I'm glad VFS got back to you and that you've received a confirmation from UKVI (strange it was a Sunday but at least it's in hand)
My husband and I hired an immigration specialist in the UK to help us with the application and he said that the processing time for priority service is usually 10 business days, give or take a few days. I also read this a lot on other forums from people who seemed to have straightforward enough applications so fingers crossed this is the case. I assume they say 6-8 weeks to cover their butts in case they make a mistake or it takes longer for whatever reason. However, I read on the VFS site for applications coming from the UAE that they aim to have priority settlement applications done in 15 business days or less. This made me feel slightly better, as I can't think of a substantial reason why UAE applications would take any precedence over Canadian ones. Regardless, fingers crossed for us both, because if we have to wait 6-8 weeks it seems you'll be nothing but skin and bones and I'll have gone crazy from sleep deprivation! I'll be sure to post any updates, and I look forward to yours!
May 12th 2017, 9:53 pm
#17
Just Joined
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 17
Re: VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
Hey emu77,
I feel your pain! My nerves are shot. I lodged a complaint with VFS on the 21st, a week after my appointment. They got back to me the next business day, apologising for their staffs lack of professionalism and not conveying that this is indeed the correct processing procedure for their Toronto office. I received my processing email from Sheffield UKVI on the 23rd (a Sunday which was odd?), 4 business days after submitting my biometrics.
VFS staff also told me the turnaround time was 6-8 weeks with priority, which I thought was strange considering many timelines I read about online were 2 weeks. Obviously I know that each application is different, but that seems like a big gap! I actually checked processing times for other centres in Canada, and apparently Halifax had a February processing time of 100% of applications returned within 5 days, Vancouver and Ottawa similar results. Toronto on the other hand is 66% within 30 days, 100% within 60. I actually flew to Toronto from Newfoundland, so I could have easily have gone to Halifax had I known... now I'm kicking myself for not checking that beforehand. I just assumed it would be easier coming from Toronto as it's a larger centre.
Please let me know if you hear anything further from yours & I'll do the same! I also have anxiety issues, and it's gotten to the point where I've been nauseous and have barely eaten in a fortnight. So praying I hear something back soon
I feel your pain! My nerves are shot. I lodged a complaint with VFS on the 21st, a week after my appointment. They got back to me the next business day, apologising for their staffs lack of professionalism and not conveying that this is indeed the correct processing procedure for their Toronto office. I received my processing email from Sheffield UKVI on the 23rd (a Sunday which was odd?), 4 business days after submitting my biometrics.
VFS staff also told me the turnaround time was 6-8 weeks with priority, which I thought was strange considering many timelines I read about online were 2 weeks. Obviously I know that each application is different, but that seems like a big gap! I actually checked processing times for other centres in Canada, and apparently Halifax had a February processing time of 100% of applications returned within 5 days, Vancouver and Ottawa similar results. Toronto on the other hand is 66% within 30 days, 100% within 60. I actually flew to Toronto from Newfoundland, so I could have easily have gone to Halifax had I known... now I'm kicking myself for not checking that beforehand. I just assumed it would be easier coming from Toronto as it's a larger centre.
Please let me know if you hear anything further from yours & I'll do the same! I also have anxiety issues, and it's gotten to the point where I've been nauseous and have barely eaten in a fortnight. So praying I hear something back soon
Thought I'd provide a bit of an update, as I used the international enquiry service to check and see if they would tell me if my application had started being processed. I received the following reply:
ContactID#XXXXXXX#
[email protected]
Dear emu77,
Thank you for contacting the UK Visas and Immigration International Enquiry
Service.
We understand that you would like to know about the current status of your
visa application. I have tracked the status (GWFXXXXXXXXX and date of birth
xx/xx/xxxx) and found that a decision on your application has been delayed
whilst further enquiries are being conducted. Your visa application centre
or the entry clearance officer will contact you once a decision has been
made or, if necessary, during the consideration of your application.
Though we try our best to complete the visa application process in 15
working days, each application is subject to an individual assessment and
processing times may vary, hence applicants are requested to be patient and
wait for the processing to be completed. You can check how long you'll have
to wait for a decision on your visa application in your country (if you
applied from outside the UK) by entering your details at the following
link: https://www.gov.uk/visa-processing-times. Please note that the actual
processing times may vary depending on a range of factors.
We have service level standards for processing UK visa applications. We
will process 90% of non-settlement applications within 3 weeks, 98% within
6 weeks and 100% within 12 weeks of the application (biometric taken) date;
and 95% of settlement applications within 12 weeks of the biometric taken
date and 100% within 24 weeks of the application (biometric taken) date.
Please note that we define 1 week as 5 working days.
For any further details, or should you need to contact us again please
refer to our website at https://ukvi-international.faq-help.com/, select
appropriate country, click next and then select 'E-Mail form' and complete
as instructed. We will aim to come back to you within 1 day.
Kind regards,
Dominique
UK Visas and Immigration International Enquiry Service
It's not the greatest news, considering my application has been delayed and I don't know for what (thought it was pretty straightforward), but it seems to imply that it's been opened and looked at, which I'll take as a small victory at this point! I also thought it provided useful info you may be interested in, and that perhaps you can enquire about your own application through the service (emails are usually responded to in one business day (although I would say this took technically 2)). At least then you may have some idea if they've even opened your application!
May 16th 2017, 5:43 pm
#18
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 40
Re: VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
Hey Shynes,
Thought I'd provide a bit of an update, as I used the international enquiry service to check and see if they would tell me if my application had started being processed. I received the following reply:
ContactID#XXXXXXX#
[email protected]
Dear emu77,
Thank you for contacting the UK Visas and Immigration International Enquiry
Service.
We understand that you would like to know about the current status of your
visa application. I have tracked the status (GWFXXXXXXXXX and date of birth
xx/xx/xxxx) and found that a decision on your application has been delayed
whilst further enquiries are being conducted. Your visa application centre
or the entry clearance officer will contact you once a decision has been
made or, if necessary, during the consideration of your application.
Though we try our best to complete the visa application process in 15
working days, each application is subject to an individual assessment and
processing times may vary, hence applicants are requested to be patient and
wait for the processing to be completed. You can check how long you'll have
to wait for a decision on your visa application in your country (if you
applied from outside the UK) by entering your details at the following
link: https://www.gov.uk/visa-processing-times. Please note that the actual
processing times may vary depending on a range of factors.
We have service level standards for processing UK visa applications. We
will process 90% of non-settlement applications within 3 weeks, 98% within
6 weeks and 100% within 12 weeks of the application (biometric taken) date;
and 95% of settlement applications within 12 weeks of the biometric taken
date and 100% within 24 weeks of the application (biometric taken) date.
Please note that we define 1 week as 5 working days.
For any further details, or should you need to contact us again please
refer to our website at https://ukvi-international.faq-help.com/, select
appropriate country, click next and then select 'E-Mail form' and complete
as instructed. We will aim to come back to you within 1 day.
Kind regards,
Dominique
UK Visas and Immigration International Enquiry Service
It's not the greatest news, considering my application has been delayed and I don't know for what (thought it was pretty straightforward), but it seems to imply that it's been opened and looked at, which I'll take as a small victory at this point! I also thought it provided useful info you may be interested in, and that perhaps you can enquire about your own application through the service (emails are usually responded to in one business day (although I would say this took technically 2)). At least then you may have some idea if they've even opened your application!
Thought I'd provide a bit of an update, as I used the international enquiry service to check and see if they would tell me if my application had started being processed. I received the following reply:
ContactID#XXXXXXX#
[email protected]
Dear emu77,
Thank you for contacting the UK Visas and Immigration International Enquiry
Service.
We understand that you would like to know about the current status of your
visa application. I have tracked the status (GWFXXXXXXXXX and date of birth
xx/xx/xxxx) and found that a decision on your application has been delayed
whilst further enquiries are being conducted. Your visa application centre
or the entry clearance officer will contact you once a decision has been
made or, if necessary, during the consideration of your application.
Though we try our best to complete the visa application process in 15
working days, each application is subject to an individual assessment and
processing times may vary, hence applicants are requested to be patient and
wait for the processing to be completed. You can check how long you'll have
to wait for a decision on your visa application in your country (if you
applied from outside the UK) by entering your details at the following
link: https://www.gov.uk/visa-processing-times. Please note that the actual
processing times may vary depending on a range of factors.
We have service level standards for processing UK visa applications. We
will process 90% of non-settlement applications within 3 weeks, 98% within
6 weeks and 100% within 12 weeks of the application (biometric taken) date;
and 95% of settlement applications within 12 weeks of the biometric taken
date and 100% within 24 weeks of the application (biometric taken) date.
Please note that we define 1 week as 5 working days.
For any further details, or should you need to contact us again please
refer to our website at https://ukvi-international.faq-help.com/, select
appropriate country, click next and then select 'E-Mail form' and complete
as instructed. We will aim to come back to you within 1 day.
Kind regards,
Dominique
UK Visas and Immigration International Enquiry Service
It's not the greatest news, considering my application has been delayed and I don't know for what (thought it was pretty straightforward), but it seems to imply that it's been opened and looked at, which I'll take as a small victory at this point! I also thought it provided useful info you may be interested in, and that perhaps you can enquire about your own application through the service (emails are usually responded to in one business day (although I would say this took technically 2)). At least then you may have some idea if they've even opened your application!
May 17th 2017, 12:34 am
#19
Just Joined
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 29
Re: VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
Hi Folks,
I submitted my "Settlement - Wife" application + biometrics last week, on April 13th. Because there was no VAC near me I had to fly halfway across the country to Toronto to do this. I had put all my documents into a super organised pile of originals and separate pile of copies, as I had read online to do. I even had my husband fly over from the UK to hand deliver me the originals, and paid for priority processing.
Now what got me on high alert, is the VFS Global agent refused to accept any originals. She said they cannot accept any originals as they do not return them, only the primary passport. She turned away EVERYTHING original including: bank statements, payslips stamped by employer, letter from employer confirming employment, tenancy agreement, letter from landlord, contract of employment, my old cancelled passports, birth certificates, letter of intent from my husband, etc. Basically if it had a signature in ink, it was refused. My appointment, which I expected to take 30 minutes, took 3 hours, while she put all my originals in a discarded pile and ripped apart my copies, and charged me $38 to photocopy some of them.
Is this normal? Am I panicking unnecessarily? I swear everything I read online said I required the originals... I know that VFS Global is just outsourced, they don't have a hand in visa outcomes... was I misadvised? Help! x
I submitted my "Settlement - Wife" application + biometrics last week, on April 13th. Because there was no VAC near me I had to fly halfway across the country to Toronto to do this. I had put all my documents into a super organised pile of originals and separate pile of copies, as I had read online to do. I even had my husband fly over from the UK to hand deliver me the originals, and paid for priority processing.
Now what got me on high alert, is the VFS Global agent refused to accept any originals. She said they cannot accept any originals as they do not return them, only the primary passport. She turned away EVERYTHING original including: bank statements, payslips stamped by employer, letter from employer confirming employment, tenancy agreement, letter from landlord, contract of employment, my old cancelled passports, birth certificates, letter of intent from my husband, etc. Basically if it had a signature in ink, it was refused. My appointment, which I expected to take 30 minutes, took 3 hours, while she put all my originals in a discarded pile and ripped apart my copies, and charged me $38 to photocopy some of them.
Is this normal? Am I panicking unnecessarily? I swear everything I read online said I required the originals... I know that VFS Global is just outsourced, they don't have a hand in visa outcomes... was I misadvised? Help! x
May 19th 2017, 11:13 am
#20
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 40
Re: VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
Hi, this is completely normal, from February this year UKVI no longer accepts originals from VFS, they basically as you said spend hours scanning all docs and photocopy others which are too big or delicate. These all get sent to the decision making centre digitally. Even the passport stays at the VFS, the only thing that comes back from the decision making centre is the actual Visa. Went through all this with a settlement visa in February, felt exactly same as you did. So don't panic.
May 19th 2017, 11:25 am
#21
Just Joined
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 29
Re: VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
Hi Untraceablebr - where did you hear about this new practice? I haven't read about this anywhere, and am a bit confused if this is the case why did they put my visa application into a UPS package/bag, with return postage inside? I guess it would make sense in terms of cutting international shipping costs and wait times. But then why did it take them a week to receive my documents in Sheffield?
And we are currently still waiting. Info about this new system on the VFS global website for your country of application. It states the system is in place from February, however some countries have done it sooner and others a bit later. But believe me if she took photocopies or scans, it's definitely with them. We panicked exactly how you are currently!
Best of luck!
Jun 6th 2017, 11:38 am
#22
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 40
Re: VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
Hey Shynes,
Thought I'd provide a bit of an update, as I used the international enquiry service to check and see if they would tell me if my application had started being processed. I received the following reply:
ContactID#XXXXXXX#
[email protected]
Dear emu77,
Thank you for contacting the UK Visas and Immigration International Enquiry
Service.
We understand that you would like to know about the current status of your
visa application. I have tracked the status (GWFXXXXXXXXX and date of birth
xx/xx/xxxx) and found that a decision on your application has been delayed
whilst further enquiries are being conducted. Your visa application centre
or the entry clearance officer will contact you once a decision has been
made or, if necessary, during the consideration of your application.
Though we try our best to complete the visa application process in 15
working days, each application is subject to an individual assessment and
processing times may vary, hence applicants are requested to be patient and
wait for the processing to be completed. You can check how long you'll have
to wait for a decision on your visa application in your country (if you
applied from outside the UK) by entering your details at the following
link: https://www.gov.uk/visa-processing-times. Please note that the actual
processing times may vary depending on a range of factors.
We have service level standards for processing UK visa applications. We
will process 90% of non-settlement applications within 3 weeks, 98% within
6 weeks and 100% within 12 weeks of the application (biometric taken) date;
and 95% of settlement applications within 12 weeks of the biometric taken
date and 100% within 24 weeks of the application (biometric taken) date.
Please note that we define 1 week as 5 working days.
For any further details, or should you need to contact us again please
refer to our website at https://ukvi-international.faq-help.com/, select
appropriate country, click next and then select 'E-Mail form' and complete
as instructed. We will aim to come back to you within 1 day.
Kind regards,
Dominique
UK Visas and Immigration International Enquiry Service
It's not the greatest news, considering my application has been delayed and I don't know for what (thought it was pretty straightforward), but it seems to imply that it's been opened and looked at, which I'll take as a small victory at this point! I also thought it provided useful info you may be interested in, and that perhaps you can enquire about your own application through the service (emails are usually responded to in one business day (although I would say this took technically 2)). At least then you may have some idea if they've even opened your application!
Thought I'd provide a bit of an update, as I used the international enquiry service to check and see if they would tell me if my application had started being processed. I received the following reply:
ContactID#XXXXXXX#
[email protected]
Dear emu77,
Thank you for contacting the UK Visas and Immigration International Enquiry
Service.
We understand that you would like to know about the current status of your
visa application. I have tracked the status (GWFXXXXXXXXX and date of birth
xx/xx/xxxx) and found that a decision on your application has been delayed
whilst further enquiries are being conducted. Your visa application centre
or the entry clearance officer will contact you once a decision has been
made or, if necessary, during the consideration of your application.
Though we try our best to complete the visa application process in 15
working days, each application is subject to an individual assessment and
processing times may vary, hence applicants are requested to be patient and
wait for the processing to be completed. You can check how long you'll have
to wait for a decision on your visa application in your country (if you
applied from outside the UK) by entering your details at the following
link: https://www.gov.uk/visa-processing-times. Please note that the actual
processing times may vary depending on a range of factors.
We have service level standards for processing UK visa applications. We
will process 90% of non-settlement applications within 3 weeks, 98% within
6 weeks and 100% within 12 weeks of the application (biometric taken) date;
and 95% of settlement applications within 12 weeks of the biometric taken
date and 100% within 24 weeks of the application (biometric taken) date.
Please note that we define 1 week as 5 working days.
For any further details, or should you need to contact us again please
refer to our website at https://ukvi-international.faq-help.com/, select
appropriate country, click next and then select 'E-Mail form' and complete
as instructed. We will aim to come back to you within 1 day.
Kind regards,
Dominique
UK Visas and Immigration International Enquiry Service
It's not the greatest news, considering my application has been delayed and I don't know for what (thought it was pretty straightforward), but it seems to imply that it's been opened and looked at, which I'll take as a small victory at this point! I also thought it provided useful info you may be interested in, and that perhaps you can enquire about your own application through the service (emails are usually responded to in one business day (although I would say this took technically 2)). At least then you may have some idea if they've even opened your application!
Jun 6th 2017, 3:29 pm
#23
Just Joined
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 17
Re: VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
Hey emu77! Just wondering if you've had any further update on your application? I tried the enquiry service on May 16th and it took them 7 days to get back to me only to say there were no current updates on my application. I sent another update request on May 31st as I saw they were beginning to charge for the service, but have yet to receive a response. I keep telling myself it'll be any day now, but I've been thinking that for a solid month and the stress is continually building... not sure how much more I can take!
No update for me unfortunately
I was hoping you'd already got yours and just forgot to update here but I guess no luck!I've gotten very poor responses from the email enquiry service thus far so not surprised they have been useless for you too! Last time I messaged them they responded that there was a technical error and I'd need to send info they requested again, conveniently that was on June 1 so if I wanted to respond I'd have to pay. You'd think after all the money we spent on the visa itself they'd have some decency not to charge to send an email but everything is a cash grab these days!
I hope you hear soon, so then I know mine can't be much further behind! Please let me know of any updates and I'll do the same!
Jun 16th 2017, 2:04 pm
#24
Just Joined
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 6
Re: VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
Hello,
I've been following this thread for the last couple of weeks hoping for some good news! The same thing happened to me while applying for my UK settlement visa through the Toronto office. My immigration lawyer scared the life out of me when he told me it was really bad that they didn't take any of my originals and that I'll probably get refused now. So naturally, I freaked out! I'm so glad I found this forum as it's calmed me down a bit...for now. I applied almost 2 weeks ago and haven't even received a confirmation email saying my application has been received. The lady who took my application in Toronto also didn't scan ANY of my documents so I'm still super anxious she did it wrong. I was also told I'd have a decision back within 5-6 weeks but saying that it's already been almost 2 weeks and I haven't even received a confirmation email, I'm thinking that timeline is a bit unrealistic. Here are my questions:
1. Has anyone heard back and been accepted after applying from the Toronto office with no originals?
2. What's everyones waiting time at the moment? Has anyone heard back within the 5-6 week mark?
Just an FYI, I'm applying for the spousal visa. My husband's a British born national but lives here with me in Canada. We are moving to the UK together.
Thank you!
I've been following this thread for the last couple of weeks hoping for some good news! The same thing happened to me while applying for my UK settlement visa through the Toronto office. My immigration lawyer scared the life out of me when he told me it was really bad that they didn't take any of my originals and that I'll probably get refused now. So naturally, I freaked out! I'm so glad I found this forum as it's calmed me down a bit...for now. I applied almost 2 weeks ago and haven't even received a confirmation email saying my application has been received. The lady who took my application in Toronto also didn't scan ANY of my documents so I'm still super anxious she did it wrong. I was also told I'd have a decision back within 5-6 weeks but saying that it's already been almost 2 weeks and I haven't even received a confirmation email, I'm thinking that timeline is a bit unrealistic. Here are my questions:
1. Has anyone heard back and been accepted after applying from the Toronto office with no originals?
2. What's everyones waiting time at the moment? Has anyone heard back within the 5-6 week mark?
Just an FYI, I'm applying for the spousal visa. My husband's a British born national but lives here with me in Canada. We are moving to the UK together.
Thank you!
Jun 16th 2017, 4:34 pm
#25
Just Joined
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 29
Re: VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
Hello,
I've been following this thread for the last couple of weeks hoping for some good news! The same thing happened to me while applying for my UK settlement visa through the Toronto office. My immigration lawyer scared the life out of me when he told me it was really bad that they didn't take any of my originals and that I'll probably get refused now. So naturally, I freaked out! I'm so glad I found this forum as it's calmed me down a bit...for now. I applied almost 2 weeks ago and haven't even received a confirmation email saying my application has been received. The lady who took my application in Toronto also didn't scan ANY of my documents so I'm still super anxious she did it wrong. I was also told I'd have a decision back within 5-6 weeks but saying that it's already been almost 2 weeks and I haven't even received a confirmation email, I'm thinking that timeline is a bit unrealistic. Here are my questions:
1. Has anyone heard back and been accepted after applying from the Toronto office with no originals?
2. What's everyones waiting time at the moment? Has anyone heard back within the 5-6 week mark?
Just an FYI, I'm applying for the spousal visa. My husband's a British born national but lives here with me in Canada. We are moving to the UK together.
Thank you!
I've been following this thread for the last couple of weeks hoping for some good news! The same thing happened to me while applying for my UK settlement visa through the Toronto office. My immigration lawyer scared the life out of me when he told me it was really bad that they didn't take any of my originals and that I'll probably get refused now. So naturally, I freaked out! I'm so glad I found this forum as it's calmed me down a bit...for now. I applied almost 2 weeks ago and haven't even received a confirmation email saying my application has been received. The lady who took my application in Toronto also didn't scan ANY of my documents so I'm still super anxious she did it wrong. I was also told I'd have a decision back within 5-6 weeks but saying that it's already been almost 2 weeks and I haven't even received a confirmation email, I'm thinking that timeline is a bit unrealistic. Here are my questions:
1. Has anyone heard back and been accepted after applying from the Toronto office with no originals?
2. What's everyones waiting time at the moment? Has anyone heard back within the 5-6 week mark?
Just an FYI, I'm applying for the spousal visa. My husband's a British born national but lives here with me in Canada. We are moving to the UK together.
Thank you!
Jun 16th 2017, 5:30 pm
#26
Just Joined
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 6
Re: VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
I didn't see the lady scan anything! Maybe she did it secretly, but not while I was sitting with her. She took only my most recent passport, no old ones, and no originals. I took all originals home with me.
Jun 16th 2017, 6:04 pm
#27
Just Joined
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 29
Re: VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
Jun 16th 2017, 6:14 pm
#28
Just Joined
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 6
Re: VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
Probably close to 2 hours! I had to rearrange all my documents and make lots of copies as she wouldn't take my "original" printed photos, wedding invites, etc. She mentioned that they can't accept any documents not in A4 size as they need to scan them, but I didn't see her scan anything. Perhaps she did and I wasn't paying attention...at this point I have to assume she scanned them and I just missed it. I'm more worried about the timeframe. Is 5-6 weeks about right for priority service UK settlement Visa? I signed up for the text message updates and only received one when it was sent out 2 weeks but that's it...no confirmation it was received.
Jun 16th 2017, 7:32 pm
#29
Just Joined
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 29
Re: VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
Probably close to 2 hours! I had to rearrange all my documents and make lots of copies as she wouldn't take my "original" printed photos, wedding invites, etc. She mentioned that they can't accept any documents not in A4 size as they need to scan them, but I didn't see her scan anything. Perhaps she did and I wasn't paying attention...at this point I have to assume she scanned them and I just missed it. I'm more worried about the timeframe. Is 5-6 weeks about right for priority service UK settlement Visa? I signed up for the text message updates and only received one when it was sent out 2 weeks but that's it...no confirmation it was received.
Jun 16th 2017, 8:12 pm
#30
Just Joined
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 17
Re: VFS Global Wouldn't Accept Originals??
Hello,
I've been following this thread for the last couple of weeks hoping for some good news! The same thing happened to me while applying for my UK settlement visa through the Toronto office. My immigration lawyer scared the life out of me when he told me it was really bad that they didn't take any of my originals and that I'll probably get refused now. So naturally, I freaked out! I'm so glad I found this forum as it's calmed me down a bit...for now. I applied almost 2 weeks ago and haven't even received a confirmation email saying my application has been received. The lady who took my application in Toronto also didn't scan ANY of my documents so I'm still super anxious she did it wrong. I was also told I'd have a decision back within 5-6 weeks but saying that it's already been almost 2 weeks and I haven't even received a confirmation email, I'm thinking that timeline is a bit unrealistic. Here are my questions:
1. Has anyone heard back and been accepted after applying from the Toronto office with no originals?
2. What's everyones waiting time at the moment? Has anyone heard back within the 5-6 week mark?
Just an FYI, I'm applying for the spousal visa. My husband's a British born national but lives here with me in Canada. We are moving to the UK together.
Thank you!
I've been following this thread for the last couple of weeks hoping for some good news! The same thing happened to me while applying for my UK settlement visa through the Toronto office. My immigration lawyer scared the life out of me when he told me it was really bad that they didn't take any of my originals and that I'll probably get refused now. So naturally, I freaked out! I'm so glad I found this forum as it's calmed me down a bit...for now. I applied almost 2 weeks ago and haven't even received a confirmation email saying my application has been received. The lady who took my application in Toronto also didn't scan ANY of my documents so I'm still super anxious she did it wrong. I was also told I'd have a decision back within 5-6 weeks but saying that it's already been almost 2 weeks and I haven't even received a confirmation email, I'm thinking that timeline is a bit unrealistic. Here are my questions:
1. Has anyone heard back and been accepted after applying from the Toronto office with no originals?
2. What's everyones waiting time at the moment? Has anyone heard back within the 5-6 week mark?
Just an FYI, I'm applying for the spousal visa. My husband's a British born national but lives here with me in Canada. We are moving to the UK together.
Thank you!
Haven't heard anything yet unfortunately
as of next Tuesday it'll be 40 business days so I think you're looking at a longer timeline than 5-6 weeks. I am active on another forum and talked with someone who applied on March 29 in Toronto (priority as well) and they haven't heard anything yet either! I think at the moment the minimum might be the full 12 weeks sad to say.As for your situation, I got a lot of advice from the other forum and it seems to be the understanding that they are now only sending copies from some places (Toronto included). I assume it's an initiative to cut down on time/cost of returning documents. My immigration specialist was also unaware of this but didn't seem concerned, more frustrated that it's not specified on the VFS website.
So hang tight, you may be in for a much longer wait than anticipated! I'll be contacting my MP to complain once I get there that they're taking huge amounts of money for priority and not delivering at all!