FINALLY got my UK visa today! whew, that was fast!
submitted my visa application and documents last friday at the vfs office at pasong tamo. later, i got a txt message saying that it has been dispatched to the British Embassy. on monday, i got an email from the UKBA that my visa will be despatched shortly. the next day, i received another txt message and email from the vfs saying that my passport had been returned and will be sent to me through aboitiz2go. this afternoon, WOW! i finally got it. not even a week and it's already here! so excited.
next step: schengen visa
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
uk visa application appointment
had set my appointment for may 6, early morning but the rains, my lost voice and fever, made me re-schedule it for friday next week.... fast forward to may 13...
had set my appointment at 0915 hrs. from their appointment form, i was informed that i must be at the vfs office ten minutes before my appointment time and i read somewhere in their website that they will only allot around 20 mins waiting time for those who are late. so naturally, i went early to find myself being assigned a number (#xx batch 2) once i've given my name to the guard. my bag was checked before being given a tag number, and then was ushered inside with only my wallet and documents in tow.
upon entering the holding area, i was astonished to see a lot of people waiting inside. at first, i thought they were the ones without appointments then later, when 915 came, i realized that these people also made appointments! i was so frustrated because i have expected that at 915, my name will be called. unfortunately, it seems that for every batch (they were still calling numbers at around 50 for batch 1 at this time), there are 100 applicants. i was really frustrated (because i was already really, really late for work) but i couldn't do anything so i just sat there waiting for my turn. i'd get up from time to time looking for a paste because i realized that i haven't pasted my picture yet! later, i got up again when i saw that the first page of my application form was missing! i was really nervous and had to go back outside to get to my bag. fortunately, the first page was amongst the papers in my folder. so again, i waited. my name was called at around 10am. since everything was in order, i was there for less than ten minutes. i ordered for my passport to be sent through courier and had already prepared the exact amount for it (Php330) but when charged, i was asked to pay Php440. i was a bit confused at first and then the lady said that it includes the SMS tracking service of my application. i walked away feeling bewildered because i didn't really ask for the SMS thing (since there's an online tracking system which was free of charge) and i didn't even fill out the piece of paper they handed out for that kind of thing. but oh well... what's the fuss, right? it had already been paid.
next was waiting for my name to be called again for the biometrics. it was not that long a wait but still, it's a wait. when i was called, i had to "pose" for the camera and have my fingerprints scanned. after this procedure, i was done. when i left the building, it was already 1030am.
it was really no fuss at all but the waiting was really long! *sigh*
so now, i'll just have to wait for that SMS thing to work! :)
had set my appointment at 0915 hrs. from their appointment form, i was informed that i must be at the vfs office ten minutes before my appointment time and i read somewhere in their website that they will only allot around 20 mins waiting time for those who are late. so naturally, i went early to find myself being assigned a number (#xx batch 2) once i've given my name to the guard. my bag was checked before being given a tag number, and then was ushered inside with only my wallet and documents in tow.
upon entering the holding area, i was astonished to see a lot of people waiting inside. at first, i thought they were the ones without appointments then later, when 915 came, i realized that these people also made appointments! i was so frustrated because i have expected that at 915, my name will be called. unfortunately, it seems that for every batch (they were still calling numbers at around 50 for batch 1 at this time), there are 100 applicants. i was really frustrated (because i was already really, really late for work) but i couldn't do anything so i just sat there waiting for my turn. i'd get up from time to time looking for a paste because i realized that i haven't pasted my picture yet! later, i got up again when i saw that the first page of my application form was missing! i was really nervous and had to go back outside to get to my bag. fortunately, the first page was amongst the papers in my folder. so again, i waited. my name was called at around 10am. since everything was in order, i was there for less than ten minutes. i ordered for my passport to be sent through courier and had already prepared the exact amount for it (Php330) but when charged, i was asked to pay Php440. i was a bit confused at first and then the lady said that it includes the SMS tracking service of my application. i walked away feeling bewildered because i didn't really ask for the SMS thing (since there's an online tracking system which was free of charge) and i didn't even fill out the piece of paper they handed out for that kind of thing. but oh well... what's the fuss, right? it had already been paid.
next was waiting for my name to be called again for the biometrics. it was not that long a wait but still, it's a wait. when i was called, i had to "pose" for the camera and have my fingerprints scanned. after this procedure, i was done. when i left the building, it was already 1030am.
it was really no fuss at all but the waiting was really long! *sigh*
so now, i'll just have to wait for that SMS thing to work! :)
Sunday, May 1, 2011
uk online visa application
yey! so i am finally done with the uk online visa application and have already set up an appointment with the visa application center (vac) on friday. this is where visa applications for the uk are submitted and where they will take the fingerprints for the biometric data.
you might be wondering why, when i've been preparing so long for this, have i only finished my online application now. this is because, according to the website and vac, applications are only accepted three months before the scheduled date of departure. i could have submitted my forms for the schengen though, but my agent advised that it is better to apply for the uk visa first.
here's hoping for a good application this coming friday! :)
pertinent websites you might find helpful if you're also planning to go to the uk--
UK visa online application website: http://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/
Philippine fee for general visitor (up to 6 mos): Php5700
Philippine Visa Application Center: http://www.vfs-uk-ph.com/index.aspx
on another note, my travel companion whom i had mentioned in previous blogs, will only be able to submit her application for passport renewal on may 5. makes me wonder how being, or having, a "computerized" system made the dfa's service less efficient. when they were doing passports by handwriting, one can just go directly to the dfa, submit their forms, and get it in just a week's time for only around ~Php700 (~Php1200 for expedited passports). it's just kind of weird, don't you think?
you might be wondering why, when i've been preparing so long for this, have i only finished my online application now. this is because, according to the website and vac, applications are only accepted three months before the scheduled date of departure. i could have submitted my forms for the schengen though, but my agent advised that it is better to apply for the uk visa first.
here's hoping for a good application this coming friday! :)
pertinent websites you might find helpful if you're also planning to go to the uk--
UK visa online application website: http://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/
Philippine fee for general visitor (up to 6 mos): Php5700
Philippine Visa Application Center: http://www.vfs-uk-ph.com/index.aspx
*****
on another note, my travel companion whom i had mentioned in previous blogs, will only be able to submit her application for passport renewal on may 5. makes me wonder how being, or having, a "computerized" system made the dfa's service less efficient. when they were doing passports by handwriting, one can just go directly to the dfa, submit their forms, and get it in just a week's time for only around ~Php700 (~Php1200 for expedited passports). it's just kind of weird, don't you think?
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