alcat2010

Hi there,

My wife has just came back from the bank where she was hoping to get a 'certified cheque' to pay the application fees, but they have confusingly issued her with a foriegn bankers draft? They claim there is no such thing as a certified cheque??

The fees have already been taken out of our account, which is fine, but what we are questioning now is:
=What if our application is rejected?

The only way we will get that money back (in x amount of months time) is by having the original bankers draft...
So what precautions do CIC take to ensure the fees are returned safely to applicants??

Do they state anywhere on which postal method they use on returning forms / payments etc?

(we have been advised to photocopy the original...but how would / could you actually trace the draft)

Has anyone paid by draft, what was your experiences?

Sorry for the long winded question! hope u can help..
Thanks

helcat12

Almost everyone pays by either credit card or Bankers Draft. Bankers Draft is safer in a way. Quite a few people had problems not so long ago because their CC was declined (for all sorts of reasons - one digit transcription error on the paperwork, the UK bank refusing to pay such a large amount to a foreign agency for fraud protection issues )and CIC did not bother to inform them and give them another chance, but just rejected their application and sent it back. So, BD became the method of choice for many people for a while to avoid this new hard line from CIC happening to them.
In most cases a BD will not be cashed by CIC until they have cleared you through the first check, so you are pretty sure everything is OK if you find the BD has been cashed.
I have not heard what happens if subsequently they reject an application, but there is a point at which the money is not refundable anyway, which I think is once the application is officially IN PROCESS.
We paid by BD and everything was fine; the only issue with us was that the bank refused to tell us whether it had been cashed or not.
I am sure you need not worry at this stage.

alcat2010

Hey thanks for your reply,
Its good to know the BD is a popular method...
Though the points you make are the very reason we are doubting it

-How are we to know when the CIC have cashed it?
-Since there is no concrete timeline for processing applications,how do we know when the money is non-refundable? (though surely that will be after the initial stage of processing ??)

Maybe we are being over cautious, we should just send it away in the hope CIC deal with thousands of payments in this way.... and im sure they have a fool proof (refundable) method in place!!

Do you know if they will accept a VISA DEBIT card??

helcat12

[QUOTE=alcat2010;9355399]Hey thanks for your reply,
Its good to know the BD is a popular method...
Though the points you make are the very reason we are doubting it

-How are we to know when the CIC have cashed it? You don't unless the bank will tell you.
-Since there is no concrete timeline for processing applications,how do we know when the money is non-refundable? (though surely that will be after the initial stage of processing ??) You can check ECAS after you get your initial approval (in some forums this has become known as PER) using the Immigration File number or Client ID number they give you and it tells you there when you are IN PROCESS . Technically.

Maybe we are being over cautious, we should just send it away in the hope CIC deal with thousands of payments in this way.... and im sure they have a fool proof (refundable) method in place!! I am sure they have, but let's say you won't need it!

Do you know if they will accept a VISA DEBIT card?? NO, they do not accept Debit Cards.

alcat2010

Thanks for taking the time to reply helcat,

we'll stop being so paranoid and cautious... and do what weve been planning for many many many months and get the forms sent away!

helcat12

Go for it!