A.a to all the users of this forum. I have been following this forum for over two years. I want to share my ordeal with the home office (UKBA). We (me and my wife) applied settlement visas for my mother-in-law (who was 66 years old a the time of application VAF4) and sister-in-law (34years old at the time of application suffering from Down's Syndrom) in mid December 2007 at VAC Lahore. BHC Islamabad refused their settlement visa on 31 December 2007 giving the reason that we didn't had the "indefinite leave to remain" in UK. However, Copies of our "ILR" were attached with the applicaiton forms and they did return them with bank statements, salary slips etc. Initially I thought it was a human error and appealed against the decision in January 2008 on our return to UK. It took 8 months for the hearing at AIT court at manchester in August 2008. The Judge allowed their appeals on 28th August 2008. No representation was made by homeoffice in the court. We recieved the letter about the decision in Septermber 2008 and then our indefinite plight started to wait for BHC to contact them to submit their passports. In the mean time, I have been writing to following email addresses to urg them to contact applicants to submit their passport but all in vain. Here are the email addresses:
visqry.islamabad@fco.gov.uk
visqry2@islamabad.fco.gov.uk
Appeals.Islamabad@fco.gov.uk
appealdetermination.islamabad@fco.gov.uk
complaint.consular.services@fco.gov.uk
publicvisaenqs@fco.gov.uk
Casework.Islamabad@fco.gov.uk
ukvisasvcs.pakistanetc@fco.gov.uk
visa.abudhabi@fco.gov.uk
UKHUB.PAKISTANGeneralEnquiries@fco.gov.uk
After ten months the BHC contacted them to submit their passports in June 2009. In the mean time, their TB Certificates had expired and they had to pay for new ones. They submitted their passports toghether with copies of our passports, letters from us, our new bank statements and slary slips (to avoid any new excuse from BHC to delay their visas!) on 12th June 2009. Then a new stage of ordeal started with no end in sight. Again I was writing to all the above email address. I also wrote formal cmpalint letters to cryodon and BHC Islamabad and received the standard replies. Here is the standard email reply:
"Dear applicant,
Thank you for your email.
This is to inform you that your visa application is under process with ongoing checks. Due to a large number of on going appeals we have heavy workload of cases. Therefore I am sorry to say that at present I can not give you precise time frame in this respect. I shall be grateful if you would please wait to be contacted by this office."
I also tried a website whatdotheyknow.com and asked them following question about number of people waiting for their visa who have won their appeals in 2008. please see following for details:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/s ... ming-73787
Atlast our ordeal ended and they received a call on 25th Feburary 2010 to collect their passports. They collected their passports from VAC Lahore on 26th Feburary. They were issued " Indefinite leave to Enter" visas on 15th January 2010 till the expiry of their relevant passports. Keeping in view their overall performance, it is no surprise that it took VAC lahore 41 days to contact them after issuing the visas.
I personally feel these are deliberate delaying tactics to first refuse visas on false ground, then not to contest decisions in AIT courts and finally delay again to contact people and issue visa.
Today I have also receive a reply about my requests under freedom of information act and I think it will be benficial to every one on this forum so here it is:
Visa Customer Services
Visa Services Directorate
International Group UKBA
c/o Lunar House
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon
CR9 2BY
Web
www.ukvisas.gov.uk
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk
Dr M S Ahmed
By e-mail:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
4 March 2010
Our Ref: FOI 13936 GV100/150777/LW
Dear Dr Ahmed,
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000.
Thank you for your e-mail of 3 February where you requested for the following:
• The number of people from Pakistan waiting for their visa to be issued after their successful appeals in 2008.
• The number of passports submitted to British High
Commission in Islamabad for settlement visas after successful appeals
since 1st June 2009.
• The number of those who have been issued visas since then and also the number for those who are still waiting.
• The number of people who are still waiting for visas after six months of their passports re-submission (once their
appeals have been successful allowed by Asylum and Immigration
Tribunal) since 1st June 2009?
This falls to be dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I apologise for the delay in responding.
I can confirm that the International Group of the UK Border Agency holds information relevant to your request. Please find the information below.
• 134 are waiting for a visa to be issued after their successful appeals in 2008.
• 2390 passports submitted to the BHC in Islamabad for settlement visas after successful appeals since 1 June 2009.
• 2209 settlement visas issued since 1 June 2009, 181 are still waiting. 17,255 non-settlement visas issued, 1654 still waiting. Of these, 801 applicants have not submitted their passports despite reminder requests.
• 286 people still waiting for visas after 6 months of their passports re-submission since 1 June 2009.
In relation to questions 1 and 4, those waiting for their visas to be issued are subject to further enquiries.
If you are dissatisfied with this response you may request an independent review of our handling of your request. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the UK Border Agency sending a substantive reply to your original request and should be addressed to:
Information Access Policy Team
Freedom of Information Team
11th Floor - Short Corridor
Lunar House,
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon
CR9 2BY
During the independent review, the department’s handling of your information request will be reassessed by a member of staff that was not involved in providing you with the response.
Yours sincerely
Lisa Walker
Visa Services
I hope this information will put things in perspective for the people waiting visa after appeals for them and their loved ones.