Worldbridge and UK Visas - Service with a scowl

lonelywife · Post by **lonelywife** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:30 pm

Congratulations! And well done navigating the nightmare that is Worldbridge!
Thank you for replying and best of luck for the future.

Richard66 · Post by **Richard66** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 2:46 pm

Thank you!

Why did you not apply for an EEA FP, if you are based in Rome?

The Embassy knows me and knows that I DO make a nuissance of myself if they don't behave.

Jaydee · Post by **Jaydee** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 3:44 pm

Congratulations Richard !! Im glad eveything went well for you. Ive just checked the tracking of my wifes settlement visa and it states that the application has been processed and returned to courier.Considering my wife only put in her application on wednesday its been dealt with very quickly.I dont know if thats a good thing or not !! Well fingers crossed anyway.

Richard66 · Post by **Richard66** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:58 pm

Yes, fingers crossed!

lonelywife · Post by **lonelywife** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 5:19 pm

Hi Richard,

I'm not based in Rome (unfortunately!) My husband and I have been in a long distance relationship for a couple of years. We talked about me moving to Italy but the job prospects are a bit grim so decided on the UK as I'm in full-time employment here so had to be a settlement visa. The process has been an absolute nightmare though - we thought it would be straightforward and only expected to be waiting a couple of weeks tops. It's 35 days now but, after banging my head against a brick wall with Worldbridge for the last month, I did manage to find the embassy's online complaints form so emailed them on Wednesday and received a reply yesterday to say that we will have a response in the next couple of days.
Just out of interest, and perhaps future necessity, how did you manage to contact the embassy?

Thanks for your replies.

And Jaydee Good Luck - hope you get the result you want.

Richard66 · Post by **Richard66** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 1:22 pm

I sent a fax to the visa section and a copy to the ambassador.

lonelywife · Post by **lonelywife** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 11:06 pm

Thank you. I'l keep it in mind in case we don't get any word next week.

lonelywife · Post by **lonelywife** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:23 am

Hi Richard66,

Hope your plans are coming along now that you've got your visa. Needless to say I am still demented waiting for news from Rome. I received an email last Thursday, after complaining via email, to say that the application was still under consideration and we would have a response in the 'next few days'. So we've had another long weekend and still no reply today.
I just wanted to ask you your advice, as you seem to be very well informed particularly in the workings at the Rome office, as to whether I should complain again? My concern is that I pester them too much it may antagonise them and cause further delay.
Also, I've looked at the embassy website and I'm unsure which fax number I could use to contact them. Their website says that all visas queries should be referred to Worldbridge and that all visa enquiries sent to other sections of the embassy will not receive a reply. Can you help me by letting me know how to find the relevant fax number? And any other advice would be appreciated.

Grazie Mille.

lonelywife · Post by **lonelywife** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 9:39 am

Update!

This morning the status on the Worldbridge website changed to "With Courier, Attempting Delivery" so the decision has been made finally. We just don't know what it is!

We have waited 37 working days for this decision but my husband has not received any calls, emails, or had an interview - should we be worried? Has anyone else had this experience? Our nerves are shattered...

Thanks all

Richard66 · Post by **Richard66** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:29 pm

Good!

We received only one call and that was to ask for our marriage certificate,which we had forgotten to take with us when we applied.

It will tKE 3 days to arrive.

Good luck!

lonelywife · Post by **lonelywife** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 10:48 am

Good News! The visa arrived yesterday afternoon (as you said 3 days) and has been approved! Thank you so much for your help, it was a tremendous reassurance to find out that you had had similar difficult dealings with Worldbridge - what a crazy system! Anyway, it's all good now and we can finally start enjoying our married life together.

Grazie Mille.

Richard66 · Post by **Richard66** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:50 am

I am happy for you!

I even wonder if it legal this Worldbridge business. It certainly makes things ridiculouly long and difficult.

Post by **JAJ** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 7:01 pm

Richard66 wrote:I am happy for you!

I even wonder if it legal this Worldbridge business. It certainly makes things ridiculouly long and difficult.

British citizens applying for passports overseas are given similar hassle but the "outsourcing" of contact phone numbers to a private company.

Richard66 · Post by **Richard66** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:54 am

They started this in Italy but it did not last long. Now you can again call the Embassy for passport inquiries. I believe there was an outcry. I remember once a girl from Oxford at our school lost her passport. She called the Embassy, furious, and said she was CALLING NO PREMIUM NUMBERS and she was not at all nice about it either.

jei2 · Post by **jei2** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 4:09 pm

Richard66 wrote:I am happy for you!

I even wonder if it legal this Worldbridge business. It certainly makes things ridiculouly long and difficult.

Worldbridge are contracted by the UK government for a goodly sum to process entry clearance applications from several countries. They work primarily to a checklist and most have no immigration or EEA law experience to speak of.

Once they've done their bit the documents are passed on to the relevant visa section and that's it. Even though it's not their role to advise on documentation, on occasion they do try to give back certain items.

I know of several individuals who've had to insist that the VAC accepts all the evidence provided since it could be fatal to any later appeal if it isn't there.

Congratulations if you got through the maze of madness.

86ti · Post by **86ti** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 5:19 pm

jei2 wrote:Worldbridge are contracted by the UK government for a goodly sum to process entry clearance applications from several countries. They work primarily to a checklist and most have no immigration or EEA law experience to speak of.

Once they've done their bit the documents are passed on to the relevant visa section and that's it. Even though it's not their role to advise on documentation, on occasion they do try to give back certain items.

So what's the point of having a private company doing stuff they don't really know about (and obviously don't have to) and which doesn't have any responsibility? I have no experience with Worldbridge but with their counterpart VFS Global when they just started in Tokyo (we were among the very first there to apply for the FP). Of course, their webpage stated that their services would increase efficiency, etc. All utter nonsense!

jei2 · Post by **jei2** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:53 pm

86ti wrote:

So what's the point of having a private company doing stuff they don't really know about (and obviously don't have to) and which doesn't have any responsibility? I have no experience with Worldbridge but with their counterpart VFS Global when they just started in Tokyo (we were among the very first there to apply for the FP). Of course, their webpage stated that their services would increase efficiency, etc. All utter nonsense!

Tell me about it!

It's to do with logistics of regulation - and no doubt costs. VAC staff as overseas based advisers would have had to be audited by a relevant body for the provision of UK immigration services (including advice). There was some discussion a couple of years ago about how it could be done but it was decided that.. er.. it couldn't.

I guess bringing them into an exempt group to allow them to give advice would also bring its own problems. The appeals system would probably implode.

3crown · Post by **3crown** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:53 pm

Many many congratulations to you both

lonelywife wrote:Good News! The visa arrived yesterday afternoon (as you said 3 days) and has been approved! Thank you so much for your help, it was a tremendous reassurance to find out that you had had similar difficult dealings with Worldbridge - what a crazy system! Anyway, it's all good now and we can finally start enjoying our married life together.

Grazie Mille.

Richard66 · Post by **Richard66** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:28 pm

Madness indeed. I wish it were abolished! Cand you believe me they refused to let us send a crucial document by courrier, they told us not to send it to the embassy... They almost told us to go home and return the next day with the document.

I really do not thing British citizens should be made to put up with this. Certainly for Germans or Italians or French they get priority and personal service.

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Worldbridge and UK Visas - Service with a scowl