Our trip to Japan/Thailand most likely wasn’t scheduled for the best time. If I could at least get the applications done and the biometric appointments made we would at least be on track for when we returned. We still don’t know if Ira’s passport is going to be an issue, so our rationale is that if we at least get the visa taken care of as early as we can, it would give us some wiggle room to take care of the passport, if needed.
Tickets to the UK were purchased (Ira found good prices) and applications filled out leaving us with just enough credit on our business cards to pay for Ira’s visa application and mine, but not Bodhi’s. Flight and visas to the UK are not cheap, plus, there is a requirement to pay for a health surcharge to access their healthcare (currently $900-$1500 depending on visa type). It was almost the end of the month so I just needed to be patient enough for the month to roll over and hopefully get his appointment made, too. Of course, this came right when we were leaving Japan and traveling to Thailand. Once we got to more predictable Wi-Fi, I submitted the payment, but there weren’t any other appointments available at the same time. However, there was one available an hour after ours so I just took in hopes that we can just get it all done in one trip.
Fast forward to June and our return home. I was really nervous about how long this appointment would take, what would happen, and if they would tell Ira he would need to renew his passport first. The facility was in a little run down strip mall nowhere near any place we had ever been to in the Columbus area. Sketchy, at best. Bodhi was not thrilled at the aspect of waiting, he’s in full-blown summer play mode. We walked in the door and we saw lots of chairs for waiting, but not one other applicant. The gentleman at the front desk took our paperwork then one-by-one signed and sent us over to the woman on the other side of the room. Bodhi was first. She had him sit in her little cubical while she got everything set up, asked him a few questions, took his fingerprints and photo and then called for Ira. Same procedure, then it was my turn. She was just as friendly as the man who checked us in and we were finished in about 10 minutes total.
We stopped by the nearest UPS store on the way home so we could get our passports and documents sent to the approval center. Another five minutes. UPS sent us a tracking message the next day when the envelopes arrived – silly, but each had to go in its own envelope – with a message to check the processing times on a website. Panic time again. Three weeks for Ira’s visa and up to 24 weeks for mine and Bodhi’s.
How would we get to the UK without our passports? Ugh.
Over a week later, Ira’s passport was delivered to our front door. I’m not sure why, but there was every envelope that was used to send the passport through the channels inside as well. FOUR! Bright neon yellow stickers were placed on the passport cover and inside an entry visa sticker with an expiration date in November.
Wait, what?
This isn’t done?
Nope.
After a total of two weeks, we received Ira’s decision email approving the visa. Didn’t we already get that? Well, no. That one expires in November. Apparently, the actual visa needs to be received in the UK. Ours will be sent to the University of Exeter. Things were starting to make sense. Until I read the letter that stated in bold words DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENTER THE UK.
What the heck???
I totally understand why people freak out about this process. It’s terrible. When we tried to get a temporary visa in Thailand – for three days – the forms were so terribly translated into English that nothing made sense. We actually ended up NOT getting the visa because we got so frustrated with the process and the time we were having to wait OUTSIDE, in the HEAT with a 6 year old and Ira’s elderly mother. However, that meant dealing with immigration when it was time to leave. That’s a whole other story that probably should be told at a later time.
After stepping away from the letter and getting my heart rate down, I re-read the letter and figured out that we just need to pick up our official visa from the university immigration folks when we arrive. Why the drama? I don’t know. It seems unnecessary since they already sent the passports back with the entry visa. The letter stated in smaller letters further down that we could enter with the entry visa.
The next two days Bodhi, then I, received our letters and passports. All I care about is that we have our passports back and approval to enter the UK. All the build-up seems to be for nothing.
What did I learn about this? 1) it’s not that hard to apply on your own without paying exorbitant fees for help and 2) not to freak out because someone says you’re supposed to.
My advice? Take your time, ask lots of questions, and get the damn visa. If you have the opportunity to go somewhere, do it. Don’t let the visa be something that prevents you from trying to go.
Under the Bodhi Tree 