EC : UK Embassy asking for Letter from Local Area Authority

[aqilzeeshan]

UK Embassy in Riyadh/KSA is asking me to submit Copy of passport of the friend i am staying with and Letter from Local Area Authority stating that this many people can stay in the house.

What if my friend email me scanned images of these two , will serve the purpose or he has to send me original letter through courier service?

One other option that is comming into my mind is to show them reservation in a hotel but i dont know how to do reservation in uk hotel sitting here in Riyadh/KSA and what will be the plus and minus of this on EC application.

Please suggest what should i do.

Further i am Pak National currently on work visa in Riyadh/KSA.
I went to Uk embassy to submit my VAF1 form , HSMP Approval Letter, Bank statment of my account in pak of more than 6500 GBP , Photographs with white background , passport with exit/re-entry visa, letter of employment from my current employer stating start date , length of my contract , salary and designation attested from chamber of commerce, email correspondance with friend show i can stay with him , print out of my flight booking.

The above info will help you to suggest me better.

[John]

Hi, it looks like the evidence you submitted failed to deal with the issue of whether the accommodation would be overcrowded. This issue is more fully described here :-

Guidance on Accommodation Overcrowding

I am not going to comment upon your question of whether emailed scanned images are OK. I shall leave that to others.

But it might indeed be easier to get a confirmed hotel booking, for a minimum of seven days, and to supply such confirmation instead of putting your friend through the bother of getting the report from the Local Authority. Getting that report will cost money and will take time to obtain. Getting a confirmed hotel booking on the internet, using credit or debit card, would be very quick.

[nizamm]

Can some one update with websites please

[aqilzeeshan]

What i am confused about is , even after getting the seven days confirmed booking in a hotel what if they asked where you will stay after that. What should i say ? if i say with friend they will again ask for the same letter from local area authority.

Any idea what should i do

[John]

even after getting the seven days confirmed booking in a hotel what if they asked where you will stay after that. What should i say ?

Simple, the answer is ... during those seven days you will search for and move into your own accommodation, and if there is a delay moving in, you will extend the stay in the hotel.

In other words, stop involving your friend in all this. Of course once the EC is issued no one will end up checking what actually happens. And plans can genuinely change. You might currently be thinking you will live in say London but before you arrive you might succeed in getting a job in say Edinburgh! Your need for accommodation will change, won't it!

[John]

Can some one update with websites please

Oh so much choice! I have just done a search on www.google.co.uk and you can have the same search results on your computer by clicking here.

No recommendations being made .... but clearly a lot of choice! If possible try to find a website that ... yes takes your card details to confirm the booking ... but fully allows you to cancel the booking up to say 3pm on the expected date of arrival .... without you incurring a charge at all. That is, you need flexibility ... you can only guess when you will travel to the UK given that you do not know exactly when the EC will be granted.

[Kayalami]

aqil,

1. Don't submit scanned docs - they are likely to get rejected. Ask your friend to send originals or certified copies (by a UK lawyer or notary)..the former option is better. Use a courier - DHL, Fedex, UPS etc they should get you in a few days.

2. I suspect that changing 'intended housing' from the friend to a hotel may raise questions as to the genuine nature of the original offer. ECO may still want longer term option. Are you travelling with family. 6,500 GBP may seem significant but in some parts of the UK that is around 6 months rent excluding bills for a 2/3 bedroomed family house

[nizamm]

Appreciate your Support JOHN and KAYALAMI

[aqilzeeshan]

I am trying to make Cancelable online Hotel booking. There are lots of online hotel bookings available in UK but i am unable to find any booking that is Cancelable. Your help in this regard will be highly appriciated.
Please let me know if you know any.


No i am not travelling with family i am single.

Further change the accomodation option will not raise their eye brow coz what happened with me is that, on the counter of submitting visa application the guy just saw my approval letter and said plz go to next counter who will tell you what docs are required to submit the application. the guy on next counter saw my papers and said where you will stay i said with friend. He straight away said then bring his passport copy and letter from local housing authority and returned all my docs back to me. So if i go next time with hotel booking reservation he should not have any problem since i am one of many people he returned the docs back.


Thanks a lot

[John]

No doubt lots of other examples but the first one I look at is Travelodge. Their website includes Booking Help, part of which reads :-

Can I cancel or amend a booking?

Yes, you can cancel or amend Flexible rate bookings you have made online by visiting the 'Manage your bookings' section. Bookings need to be cancelled before 12 noon on the day of arrival.

If you are a registered member of the website, then you can also log in and follow the links in the 'My bookings' section of the Members' area.

All Supersaver and Saver rate bookings cannot be cancelled, refunded, or amended. Event rates are non refundable, but can be transferred to another name, and additional nights added, but not transferred to another date. Should you wish to cancel, please call 08700 850 950.

Note Important note - Please note that multiple room bookings with different reservation numbers need to be cancelled individually.

So don't be tempted to go for a "Supersaver and Saver rate booking" because you will see that they cannot be cancelled or altered, but apart from that, total flexibility.

No doubt lots of other examples out there on the internet!

[aqilzeeshan]

I online booked Cancellable Room from Travelodge (45pound per night). Attached print out of the email sent by them about the booking details. and went for EC to british embassy. They said where u will stay i said in hotel they said after that i said i have so many interviews lined up for me so i will move the place where i will get job or i will extend my stay in the hotel. They accepted my application without any further question about accomodation.

Later i got EC

I am going to post the EC experience in a separate post.

Thank You so Much for your time and effort in helping me. I appriciate it a lot.

Aqil

[nizamm]

Congrats.

I would appreciate if you can post all details that u remember. as i will be the next inshallah to attend Riyadh for EC.

Best of Luck.

[aqilzeeshan]

Here you can find all my expereience

http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewto ... 2909#32909

Further i just cancelled the Booking without any problem.

[John]

aqilzeeshan, congratulations on getting the EC. And as regards the accommodation aspect, glad that worked out so well.

[nizamm]

congrats again Aqeel.

I would appreciate if you can give details of your appilication when was it appilied, how much time taken etc.