Post
by Donutz » Mon Sep 08, 2014 3:20 pm
You have two options (for both regular applications or EU/EEA spouse applications):
1) A direct application via the embassy thus bypassing VFS or TLS all together. Most embassies require you to make an appointment for this. An appointment must be granted to you within 2 weeks of the request being made. Downside: you may not wish to wait (maximum) 2 weeks or an embassy may say you cannot get an appointment within 2 weeks or at all (which would be a violation of the Schengen visa rules). Upside: often more experienced staff since these people actually process visas and should know about them, especially rare or more complicated visas.
2) Go to an outsourced visa center, an appointment might not be required there. This could mean you can apply sooner then via an appointment at the embassy. Downside: service fee applies. Possibly less experienced staff who do not know all the rules. They may be asking too many documents for the rarer type of applications such as a EU/EEA spouse visa (asking for hotel or transport reservations/bookings for instance, wishing to see a UK residence permit while this is not relevant at all for EU/EEA family member applications). VFS or TLS may wrongfully advice people to remove/add more documents, even though they are just a handling agency that forwards the paperwork to the embassy.
In practise embassies themselves are sometimes asking too many things by default (many seem to ask for a UK residence permit valid for 3-6 months upon return, some wish to see transport tickets, others wish to see documentation that the marriage is also accepted in the country of the spouse etc. ) or are reluctant to handle directly with applicants even though they are obligated to accept direct applications. Trying to push people to VFS or TLS with cunning (misleading) or outright wrong information, saving the embassy the time and thus money to deal with applicants, burdening the applicant with extra costs.
What one prefers would ofcourse be different for each applicant. How easy (convenient) is it to reach the embassy or VFS/TLS? Is it cheaper to go via VFS/TLS or the embassy? How much time do you have (do you have max 2 weeks plus max 15 calenderdays visa processing time?), what is the general attitude of the person receiving you at their desk? etc. etc.
