Healthcare surcharge???

http://www.vfsglobal.com/

Here is a quote from Wikipedia...

"...several governments have been critical of VFS Global's abilities and have raised concerns over security. "There's the accountability issue, the privacy issue and why are we outsourcing to a for-profit entity something that belongs in the security mandate?" asked Victor Wong, executive director of the Chinese Canadian National Council".

I have personally been the victim of a fraud by an outsourced BT call centre in India. More recently, Talktalk customers have also been the victim of a fraud, when Talktalk's own outsourced Indian Call Centre stole customers' data!

Help! I am getting absolutely nowhere with my repeated attempts to pay the IHS for Corina and Krian.

I was told when I rang the UK Visa and Immigration Help Centre that I should start a new application.

I was told to make a new application, pay the IHS and get the number and then submit that to a link that they would give me.

But when I get to the "Pay the IHS" page it asks me for the "visa route"

It offers a menu of:

Discretionary Leave
Further Leave to Remain
Further Leave to Remain (Other)
PBS Dependant Tiers 1, 2 and 5
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 2 PBS dependant
Tier 5

What on earth does this mean?

Am I on the right web site to begin with?

Should I have started somewhere else?

Help!

What can I do?

has anyone else who has applied recently had the same problem ?

I am GUESSING that because the IHS is not payable unless the visa is for six months or more, it is "expecting" the answer "Further Leave to Remain", but is it possible to confirm this?

The page is here (I hope)

https://www.immigration-health-surcharge.service.gov.uk/payment/LeadApplicant/LeadDetails

What I find absolutely disgusting is that Theresa May is all-but physically welcoming illegal immigrants who storm the Channel Tunnel by giving them comfortable hotel rooms, three meals a day, free healthcare and 35 quid a week pocket money; the chances of them being repatriated is zero. Compare that to the increasing difficulty Andrew and others face to bring their wives and sweethearts to the UK legally. Cameron and May should hang their heads in shame.

Oh and needless to say the "feedback form" does not work!

This is the email I got when I rang the £1.27 a minute service:

You will notice that there is no way to reply to it (it is a "no reply" email)

Dear Mr Methersgate (edited by oss)

Thank you for contacting UK Visas and Immigration international enquiry
service.


　With regards to your query, if you have already submitted your
application to the application centre or given your biometrics then you
will need to create a new application and fill the entire application again
and pay for IHS but do not need to pay for the application fee again. Once
you have done this please provide us the following information so that we
can escalate your case:

PLEASE PROVIDED ALL THE INFORMATION

IHS REFERENCE NUMBER:

First GWF Reference Number:

Passport Number:

Name of the applicant:

Date of Birth:

Country where applying:

Location of the Visa application centre:

Type of visa:

Date of biometrics:

Second GWF Reference Number:

Brief Reason of escalation:

If you have completed your application and paid for it as well but still
waiting for your appointment then you can apply refund for this application
and create a new application.

For any further details, or should you need to contact us again please
refer to our website at https://ukvi-international.faq-help.com/, select
appropriate country, click next and then select "E-Mail form" and complete
as instructed. We will aim to come back to you within 1 day.

Kind regards,

Fiona

UK Visas and Immigration International Enquiry Service


We would like to invite you to participate in a brief survey about the
service you received from us to identify strengths and opportunities for
improvements. http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/130335JPJLG

You keep forgetting to anon the email..

There seems to be no option to pay for a Fiancée Visa, which kinda proves the point that no surcharge is payable on a Fiancée Visa. Have you already been emailed with your IHS surcharge reference number?

Well, I can report a minor triumph. Having registered a new email address I was able to log onto the Visa4UK website. I completed a new application (you have to do the whole thing) based on K's actual application. I then "confirmed" this, booked an appointment at VFS, and PAID K's IFS which by the way is for THREE YEARS i.e. US$ 960.

Now I have to do the same for small k

Mindful of the excellent advice from Choi and John on the reluctance to allow children of fiancees into Britain we will submit a letter detailing that small k has nobody else to look after him and has always lived with his Mummy. K will hand that in at VFS with the IHS numbers on the "appointment" that we have made.

That's good news, Andrew. Well done!

And now I have paid for small k's IHS as well.

There was a heart stopping moment when my card was declined, but that was only because I had put the wrong expiry date in the form.

Phew!

I have texted the IHS numbers to K and she will visit VFS again tomorrow. I will also submit them to the Manila Deferrals email address that I was given.

In both cases, will add a covering letter concerning small k and the inability of his aged grandparents to care for him.

That is very good news, Methersgate, it must now be a great relief.

Sounds like you're getting there thankfully, maybe a letter from the Grandparents stating they are elderly and unable to take care of the youngster may help the application as well as the letter you said that K will write.

I agree, a strong drink is in order

OK, here follows some advice for anyone else caught in this bind:

1. This happened because I had "submitted" the visa applications (so could not amend them) before July 5th but I only paid when I had the money, on July 12th. If you started your application before July the 5th, the best thing to do is to start again and make a new one.

The new system requires the IHS to be paid after you book your appointment but before you pay the visa fee. On advice from the helpline, I did NOT pay the visa fee so the "appointments" will lapse.

If you DO have to do this, start by creating anew email address as the one used for the original application will show up as "taken".

Apply "for someone else" - this is important, as otherwise the software will assume that the applicant him/herself is in Britain already and will only permit you to extend an existing stay in the UK - this was what had me foxed for quite a while.

Might be a good idea to start a new thread for this, it is very good information and will be easier to find in the future.

We need a conclusive section on the new NHS surcharge in the near future, the information you have provided through your own unfortunate experience will help others in the future I'm sure.