There are some weird facts about United Kingdom visas and the application process that even most frequent travelers haven’t taken notice of. Your No.1 travel blog Jetsanza.com has put together these facts for your attention and reading pleasure.
It’s about money
The UK Visa Application process is all about money. It’s not as if you are paying a connection man or a middleman to influence the outcome of the application but are official fees that either goes to UK Visas or the commercial partner.
You can pay if you don’t want to book an appointment to submit your application. You can pay if you need a VIP treatment at the application center. You can pay if you want your documents to be scanned on your behalf. You can pay if you want to receive your passport earlier than the usual 15 days. And one weird thing is that paying all these excess fees will neither guarantee you a visa, nor guarantee that you will receive your passport earlier.
Some of the fees are as follows:
- Assisted Service with scanning of documents : GBP 23.63 / GHS 154.14
- Express Courier Return : GBP 14.95 / GHS 81.00. Meanwhile courier companies in Ghana charge less than GHS12 / USD 2.5 for domestic deliveries.
- Premium Lounge for those who hate queues and need VIP treatment: GBP 89.00 / GHS 490.00
- Walk-in with or without appointment: GBP 89.00 / GHS 490.00
- Applicants who can’t come during working hours: GBP 88.13 / GHS 490.00
- Can’t go to the application center? They’ll come to you!: Fees quoted upon demand.
- Priority? Need your decision within 5 working days? : GBP 220.00 / GHS 1,225
- Assistance in filling form? They will give you : GBP 25.00 / GHS 136.00
One worrying situation people have found themselves in is choosing several of these valued added services without knowing if they really needed them. They are forced to pay these fees thinking that the more they pay, the faster or more likely their application would turn out positive. Others also think they are supposed to tick everything they see. Jetsanza.com will throw more light on what to tick in the next article so that you can apply on a more cheaper side.
Still about more money
If your application takes longer than expected, then you are not done yet with spending money on your application. If an application takes longer than expected to process, UK Visas usually send the applicant an email that the application will take some more days to process. When you wait for some weeks and you are not hearing anything, you will probably want to contact them. This is where you have to pay. You are required to pay for each minute you speak to a customer care agent or for any email you send. Weird right?
Visa issued ONLY for who you are at the time of application
If your circumstances change after a visa is issued, your visa can be cancelled. Example: If you were issued a visa because you were a cleaner, the visa will be revoked when you seize to be a cleaner. When you either become unemployed or change job from cleaner to be a trader, the visa will be revoked anytime they get hold of your passport, whether at the embassy or at any UK point of entry. Weird right? LOL
Applicants bear cost for Visa Officer’s negligence
“You have been denied because you did not include any evidence that you are a student”. Oh but you added an Introductory Letter from School and even included copy of your School ID. Probably the Visa Officer didn’t see these documents. Either it’s an oversight or negligence of duty, it’s the applicant that bears the cost. Now you will have to pay another visa fee to make a new application to draw their attention to the documents that you included because visit visa applications are not granted the right to appeal. So the only right you enjoy is to make a fresh application; fresh fees.
Frequent travelers list all their travels
If you are a first-time traveler, then the UK Visa application form is the simplest one. Completing the forms is a trouble for frequent travelers like myself. You have to list all the countries you have visited, date you visited and purpose of travel for each of them. Just imagine someone like myself who have visited South Africa, Kenya and Togo countless times. How do I recall all the purposes of each of the travels? If your passports are old and some stamps are fading away, it means getting to know the dates too would be problem. All these make it difficult for me to apply for a UK visa unless I really have something very important to do in the country.
And UK Visas are easiest to get
Upon all what seem to make UK Visas very difficult to obtain, it’s rather the easiest to get. While the US, Canada and even Schengen countries place priority on travel experiences, the UK rather grant people the travel experience. Though travel experiences may positively influence the outcome of your UK Visa application, it shouldn’t be a concern for first-time travelers. Just present your documents depending on your circumstance, explain why you don’t have certain documents, and be honest throughout with your answers on the visa application forms. It’s easier to obtain a UK visa by explaining why you don’t have a bank statement than including a fake bank statement.
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