Lifestyle

Extortionate £800 ‘priority’ visa fee fails to deliver


I am a Canadian who has been living in the UK since 2009. I attended an appointment with UK Visa and Citizen Application Services (UKVCAS) in Croydon to renew my visa. I paid £600 extra (on top of the over £2,000 for the actual visa) for a same-day decision because I’m a teacher and had a school trip abroad the following month.

A letter arrived four days later informing me my application had been approved and that a biometric residence permit would arrive within seven days. Now, 32 days later, it has still not come.

I cannot re-enter the country without the visa so may have to cancel my travel plans. The letter states that if the visa does not arrive within 10 days I can report it on a dedicated website. I have done this but an automated response sent me back to the UKVCAS centre where I’d had my appointment.

I took a day off work and spoke to a manager who told me they are only in charge of taking the documents which they send to the main Home Office address in Croydon. It was suggested I go there, which I did, only to be told I should call the central Home Office helpline which said there was nothing it could do.

This is highway robbery! No other business would be allowed to operate in such a way, so why is the government without any recourse?

MM, London

Biometric residence permits are essential for people from overseas studying and working in the UK for more than six months.

The Super Priority Service, which now costs a breathtaking £800 on top of the standard application fee, promises a decision in one working day. The implication is that you would receive your visa straightaway; however, last year there were reports of backlogs and delays.

I met similar cluelessness when I tried to seek answers from the Home Office. At first it directed me to the original website which sent you on your wild goose chase. Repeated pleas to clarify what happens when this fails were ignored. In the meantime, your visa arrived 38 days after your application.

Eventually, I extracted an acknowledgement from the Home Office that, while there was no backlog, a “very small number” of applications had not met service standards and these were being contacted regarding reimbursement.

As indeed you were in an email that stated you are not entitled to a refund of your £600 fee because your application had been approved within one working day – it’s just that a processing error caused a five-week delay in getting it to you.

When I asked why the website did not make clear that Super Priority Service only applies to approval, not delivery, it merely repeated there is no backlog or systemic failure. Only after my seventh approach did it concede a refund was due.

It’s a scandal that those needing a quick turnaround are misled into paying extortionate fees when there’s no guarantee they’ll get a permit sooner than cheaper services.

If you need help email Anna Tims at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include an address and phone number. Submission and publication are subject to our terms and conditions



READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.