₦airaland Forum

Tuoma:
My application has just been transferred to VAC

Fingers crossed. You should smile soon. This is a first standard visitor visa application or renewal?

Roneld77:
Thanks, i think the op is not understanding my kinds of english language here, last time someone here told me, that i don’t need any of her financial paperwork’s if she’s ain’t paying for the trip, and actually she not paying for the trip, she will only be responsible for my accommodation, food, and likely medical health insurance if possible, but not responsible to my round air fare. So u mean i should submit her payslips and leave her bank statement and her payslips shows she have a long time permanent employment and and getting all her bank statement may looks suspicious to the eco as am coming as a friend ect

The applicant is at ease to pursue the angle they feel most comfortable with. It is not a hard and fast rule. The idea is to cover as much grounds as possible. I have attached an excerpt from Visit Guidance from gov.uk, a document ECOs use to decide visa applications. They generally liken a sponsor to one providing maintenance and accommodation and is also generally called financial support. On face value, a sponsor providing accommodation and maintenance does not need so much more as you would be staying in the sponsor's house at no additional cost to them. But then, it is what it is.

Roneld77:
Yes. she gave me her payslips from the year 2020 (January to July payslips), and she earn 1500 GBP every months. I am just thinking maybe i should submit her payslips only and forgo her bank statements; since she don’t have good closing balance on her bank statement.

The point here is that she paid her bills like rents ect’s and that why the money reduce to that amount b4 i ask her to give me her bank statement.

Don’t make that mistake of submitting payslips and withholding bank statements. Have u applied yet? If not why not wait another month should her closing balance increase. It is not that her balance is bad. It depends on how the ECO interprets it as you would be dependent on the same balance. More so, remember your own financial details are also required as your ties to Nig and especially since you would be footing the return flight tickets.

My opinion is that payslips are not enough. Have u thought of a scenario where someone earns a good salary but due to debts or dependants or other financial commitments, the person’s outgoings match (or even surpass) incoming funds? How can you convince the ECO that this is not the case with you? How can you prove that your sponsor would have no recourse to public funds while providing for you in the UK?

Roneld77:
Can i submit payslips of a friend inviting me to the UK, if she’s not paying for the trip, but providing accommodation, medical insurance, food, travel expenses within the UK for duration of your stay, but not limited to financial responsibility for your round trip air fare to travel from Nigeria to the UK and back ?

Emphatically yes. In fact you also need the person’s bank statements. A sponsor is not just one that settles flight costs. You need to convince the ECO that the person that would take care of your accommodation and maintenance in the UK has sufficient funds for themselves and also you without recourse to public funds. Their bank statements would show money coming in and going out and also the balance whether it is sufficient for someone else like you. The payslips would serve as the source of the funds.

Skymoore1004:
What exactly do you think will happen? Or what do you think someone can do with the GWF?

I really do not know if this question is for me to respond to. A GWF no is your unique application no. It is personal to u. It is just like posting your passport no online and saying it means nothing. You do not know that to contact UKVI about an application, GWF is the most important info you provide.

pheemeehan:
It is a tough time with many people whose application were submitted for review in the month of March. After 5 Months, people are still waiting and hoping to get their passport returned with Visa granted. I submitted my application March 16 shortly before lockdown. Sometimes in the Month of May I sent a mail to UKVI through a paid service and got a reply that my passport is safe and secure. Recently, I sent a reminder and was informed am going to get escalated attention and should expect response in 15 working days and the next day I got another message from SITEL which I attached here for information. I will like people with similar experience to share what outcome they got from the process.

It is best to block out your GWF no as that is unique to your application, especially when posting anything bearing it in the public space.

MrsAnyanwu:
July 29th

Wow, July 29, 2020 and processing of the visa application has already started. I know it must have been standard as priority services are suspended for now. Well, that language is not new especially when it seems like they are trying to make sense of some documentation or statement made in the application. If the ECO’s assistant calls on phone, that would be great as you would have the opportunity to explain better.

I hope she included a marriage certificate...

Ghana resumes Int’l flights Sept 1.

giselle237:
please do as u have been advised. no need to ask same question 100 different ways, lol
Before covid 19 it used to happen as such, one day no appointment and then later on , appointment dates will free up... even days you thought were not available because people will cancel etc Just keep on refreshing as many times as possible.

panic mode, I guess

Celomomo:
Yes! I did self service. And there was no slot for almost an hour that I kept checking but I kept refreshing till I found one. Yo can check from 12 am and see what happens. Just keep checking. Slots are reserved for 20 minutes and released when the slot is not paid for. So you may want to keep refreshing.

Ok thanks. Not paid for...? U referring to prime time and premium appointments? Did you pay for any TLS service at all?

Celomomo:
Appointment is still ongoing. Just keep checking. You will definitely see free dates.

Cheers

A

Celomomo:
Keep checking every 10 minutes/at intervals, you will finally see a date. At least that is what I did and I still saw August 4.

Ok, thanks. Was yours self service? Did you initially observe no slots available before you eventually found Aug 4?

Rheminix:
wow!! All d slots are taken, people have been booking since oo. You are just booking now.

You mean, all the slots this year are taken? You know that for a fact or based on what I said?

Hello guys. Is anyone else having issues booking an appointment or finding appointment slots? I can’t seem to find any dates at all for the rest of the year. Location of choice is Ikeja , Lagos.

famzynet:
You can submit application. You have about 2-3months to book for biometrics after that. After booking for biometrics ,you have till day of appointment to upload.

Very well explained. Thanks.

famzynet:
1) Done on gov.uk website which directs you to TLS website
2)Visa application is submitted before UK website will switch you to TLS site
3) Ensure all documents are ready and saved as PDF files in your phone before before you start uploading
4) Yes. You cannot upload without finishing and submitting visa application.

Many thanks, I appreciate; very explicitly put together.

My final concern is if it’s possible to submit online visa application, then go to TLS to upload documents at a later date. I know, Gov.uk directs you to TLS but must you upload same day? Reason is, the supporting documents are not completely ready but I would rather submit application, get Biometrics appt date, then sort out a comprehensive documents pack and upload at a later date prior to the actual appt. This ensures I secure appt date in some good time.

Also, is the Biometrics appt date booked before being prompted to self upload?

giselle237:
If u choose the option of self upload, on the portal u will see different sections under which to upload evidence such as financial, family, residency and the likes.
U do the upload of each evidence by yourself one by one and ideally should be done at least 24 hours to biometric day.
When u agree that u have uploaded all u want to attach to d application, then u must click submit to finally send these through.
As u click submit, all upload entries would be entered and then u wud have a slip you must print from that interface to show u have submitted online yourself.
The applicant then presents for biometrics with intl passport original, copy of intl passport data page, copy of self upload submission slip, checklist and evidence of biometrics appt booking.
Point is, if u submit ur evidence online urself there is no need to come again to VAC with physical documents of which u had already uploaded online.

This is for the self upload option.

Many thanks for your detailed explanation.

Finally...

1. Is the biometrics appointment done with the Gov.uk online application or separately on the TLS portal?
2. Should you opt for self upload, must the supporting documents be uploaded as part of the visa application before the actual online visa application is finally submitted?
3. Can you start off uploading documents and pause while you sort out missing documents and come back later to finish off?
4. In summary, are you able to complete and submit online visa application, then come back to upload documents?

A

Fwaz:
Yeah you can upload your documents at the comfort of your bedroom and it should be before your biometric appointment.. there will be a print out of the documents you uploaded, you are to take it with you during ur appointment..

Hello, thanks. You mean a print out of the list of items uploaded itemising all the documents uploaded like a checklist? Is there a need for the applicant to take the physical documents to the appointment also cos I would be scanning and uploading most of the documents outside Nig and wouldn’t have time to send them to Nig.

mimilyrics:
An applicant who chooses self-upload will have to scan and upload at home before biometrics. If not, the applicant will have to pay N11,700 for assisted scanning at the VAC if not done by the biometrics appointment.

Well received and understood, cheers.

Fwaz:
You should have chosen self service so that you will upload your documents by yourself free of charge..
Assisted service you will have to pay #11700 and go with ur documents they will do the upload for you.

quote author=Dolorsa post=91847804]Please someone should help clarify if this is a free or paid appointment.

Pls, this self upload, would an applicant have to self upload at the centre or can they self upload at home? If yes, must it be before or after the Biometrics appointment or it does not matter? I am asking cos I want the applicant to scan and send their documents to me while I add mine as the sponsor and upload all once.

ukay2:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/07/10/uk-coronavirus-travel-restrictions-us-self-isolation/

Nah, you are still required to self isolate. You fill a form and provide an address where you would be for the next 14 days upon arriving in the UK. This your update is for countries on the corridor list of which Nigeria (and Africa) are not a part of.

famzynet:
They are not serious. Scam. Why ask for money in petition.

It may not be scam. I think it is genuine as it directs you to the landing page for the petition on www.change.org official site. Change.org tends to offer the option requesting a token from you to help push the petition to more audience. However you can always decline as it is optional. If you click on the link from anywhere in the world, the currency of the token request would be in your local currency and not a universal currency. Anyway I am not sure what a petition can do in this case; it is a chasing after the wind.

kunzzy4me:
Pls advise for those of us with UK valid visa and alrdy book flight via an emirate airline againt first week in April what's our fate ..do we need to contact the ticketing agent to know if out flight booking is still active or canceled or what or does UK still allow people to come into their country

Also, news reaching me suggests the Int’l airports in Nig may already be shut.

kunzzy4me:
Pls advise for those of us with UK valid visa and alrdy book flight via an emirate airline againt first week in April what's our fate ..do we need to contact the ticketing agent to know if out flight booking is still active or canceled or what or does UK still allow people to come into their country

U need to call your airline directly

priscyspecial:
She called BA and there is assurance that they are flying but her worry is entry because her friend said everything is shutdown this week that she is not sure they might grant entry.

When is the person travelling? As of now, flights are still coming in.

priscyspecial:
Good evening everyone, please has anyone been granted entry to Uk this week�� my sisters was suppose to travel on Sunday and up till now no information from BA on cancellation. Biko help a sister Thank you all

I had someone come in on Sunday. It was a transit flight anyway. They left Nig Sat and arrived UK on Sunday. You may have to contact BA and query directly. There is a lot of uncertainty this week.

Mstaiwoabby:
Hello Good people. Thanks for your effort in keeping this thread Alive. I got refused today. I did my biometrics with my 2 years old daughter on the 29th of February for tourist visa. I will really appreciate if you can read through this refusal letter and suggest a better way to apply next time. Thanks in advance.

The bitter truth is that self employed applicants have it hotter than those with regular monthly salaries corresponding with their payslips. Consider the following points:
1. If you are self employed, how did you come about the fixed annual salary?
2. Is your stated salary your gross or net(disposable)?
3. If your stated salary is your gross before tax and deductions, it could be questionable how you have that much closing balance when there are expenses to do. ECO considers possible expenditures from your disposable income to judge your financial circumstances (livelihood).
4. It is always somewhat difficult to provide evidence of deposits for a freelancer. A lot of people assume if there are unexplained deposits, being self employed where there is always influx of money here and there will suffice. That is a big lie. That is just a convenient excuse.
5. Best thing would have been to have a business account, then pay yourself a fixed salary from the business account into your personal account. Provide account statement of your personal account and show evidence of salary payments.

Mattinno:
Thanks does that include the Uk .Because i know the Uk is no more Under Eu

Hello. Let me try to advise you here. First off, UK is not part of the EU; so our boarders are not closed but UK is somewhat leaning towards the same border closure. My in-law came in on Sunday albeit it was a spouse visa and not tourist visa. Nevertheless we are not in the peak of it yet in the UK, hence tighter measures would be introduced. My mum due to travel to Nig for 2 weeks over Easter has had to cancel the trip for fear of being stuck in Nig.

As of today, there is social distancing. People are advised to work from home if possible. We are strongly advised against global travel. Yesterday, the advise was for people to avoid clubs, pubs and cinemas. Less people are commuting to work or for other activities.

Remember, the onus to convince the ECO is ultimately up to the applicant. The most crucial in a visa application is the intended purpose of the travel which must be weighed against many odds. The ECO, amongst many other factors, considers the social economic situations of home countries and destination countries. This virus pandemic is global as recognised by WHO. However, someone on this platform still secured their UK visitor visa even when the institution had postponed the course for which the applicant applied to undertake owing to coronavirus.

You have to weigh the odds. It is a judgment call. The burden of convincing the ECO is greater now and the likelihood of doubts upon scrutinising an application is high also. If it was a settlement visa to join (not visit) a family member, then an application would be scrutinised less than an application for a visitor visa for just tourism given the present circumstances.

What is my advise then? If the intended visit is to come and cool off and experience the West, then put a hold on it for now.

LoyalRoyalty:
Kindly furnish the house with details of his trip after arrival especially on the yellow card issue so that people can be informed. Does the person intend to visit regular tourist sites in the UK? I thought first timers going solely for the purpose of tourism won't be allowed into the country because of this virus issue since some tourist sites would be on lockdown.

Let me clarify that he only came on a spouse UK visa to join his wife, not as a tourist. He landed today. He was not asked for any yellow card in Lagos and POE at London Heathrow airport.

Regarding the second part of your query about tourist sites being on lockdown, well; I do not have info on how that impacts a visa application. Remember, there are different reasons to apply for a tourist visa (generally called Standard Visitor Visa) and not only to visit tourist sites. What about a standard visitor visa to visit family and friends, are the family and friends on lockdown also?

dilodavid:
Are first time tourists really allowed into the UK at this time?

Yeap, I have a first timer coming in today.

omicron:
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/03/fg-reverses-no-yellow-card-no-boarding-directive/

Ok then, it seems like it is a requirement in Nigeria. It seems all flights departing Nigeria, regardless of the destination countries, require the yellow card. Best thing is to be fully prepared (or over prepared) than to be under prepared and run into panic mode.

dilodavid:
No one should mislead anyone here. When did this YELLOW CARD thing start?

Yellow card is not required for Uk visa. The person who did it here was misinformed and did it anyway and never used it as it was never asked for. So this other guy whose MIL is travelling to UK next week just wants to have more than enough, which is going to be waste of effort.