I recently went to Regent House, the VFS office dealing with applications for a UK visa. My partner has had several visas before so the application was (I hope) straightforward. On arrival at Regent House we were accosted 'Indian Tailor style' outside the doors to the centre (which has many business aside from the VFS office incidentally). We were ushered to the 'Information counter' where were were asked if we wanted to use an agent to assist in making the application. We replied we did not. We were asked if we knew how hard it was to get a visa to the UK and I interrupted saying we already had several previous UK visas along with those to many other countries in the world to which we had travelled, including the US and Australia and that we really did not need any assistance.

The girl looked rather sullen and told us to go in. At the door a rather unpleasant Thai man said I was not allowed entry as I was a foreigner. Well I wasn't a foreigner at the UK Embassy when we made several other applications but still. I went to sit outside and had a kip. Inside my partner was again approached asking if she needed help. I guess once the foreigner is out of the way they can prey on the thai girls simplicity to extract money from them with less foreign resistance. She said she did not. She overheard an agent talking to a group of girls sitting close by who had obviously paid for assistance. They were told to sit and do nothing, everything would be taken care of for them adn they would jump the queue as they were using the office assistance. Being Thai my partner said nothing but noted the conversation. When she was finally called the agent taking the application looked at it with some disinterest until he saw the bank statements and land title deeds used to support the application. I think at this stage he realised that no money was going to be forthcoming from this particular applicant and therefore he'd best get it over and done with asap. She emerged with the application having been submitted.

Now this sticks in my throat. My partner, three (dual nationality UK/Thai kids) and myself want to go visit my UK family. We have everything in place and are adept at filling in the forms yet get subjected to this scam at the VFS office which in my mind represents the UK embassy. I understand why they don;t want foreigners in the office since we are not so shy to speak up when things are wrong nor to uncover scams. Why is this practice allowed to continue - it puts the UK in bad light, misleads the applicants, refusal to allow foreigners to accompany the aplicant is also distasteful. Anyone else had this experience?

Your not the only one.

The trick here is that there are these scammers right next door to VFS office with touts outside. VFS has nothing to do with them but they try to get applicants in and asking thousands of bahts for the "assistance". Their company name and logo are copied from the VFS one to mislead people to think they actually are in VFS office. So these were the touts and people bothering you with their "information" counter. Apparently VFS has no legal means to evict them as they are not doing anything legal as such even when their sales tactics are questionable.

For the VFS office itself.

- They have service for filling in the application form for you. Cost is 300 baht and is fixed. Lot of applicants can not understand the form that well so it is good service for them. What your wife overheard was likely someone who asked VFS to fill in the form for them

- They also have a counter for insurance so it might be that these girls were purchasing the mandatory travel insurance

- They allow only applicant in their offices what i assume is security reasons and to limit the amount of people as it get's crowded sometimes.

Good that your post you experience, the more people know about the scammers next door the better.

Hi
i tryed to take the VFS to the high court over scams that is going on in there,ive never felt so unwelcome in a so called British office,there is an office downstairs as you walk into regents house that are a visa service agncie offering fast track visas,what a con that is and when i reported it to the Home office they denied that its even there even though its licensed by the British Goverment,i was wrongly adviced about obtaining a divorce through the Thai consulate in London and when i kicked up a fuss and went to the high court about it the Embassy put a block on it and it didnt even get into court,i learnt when dealing with the VFS and anything to do with the Embassy your on a loser even though i had all the proof ,for 3 years i was ignored and just messed around,even went to my MP who recently got done for expensices fiddles so i wasnt suprised i didnt get any help from him,too busy sorting his own pocket out,its all about money to the VFS

None of the scams, wrong advice , malpractice etc. mentioned in the above posts were carried out by the VAC or members of VFS staff. All of such practises are done by unscrupulous so called agents operating from Regents House. None of these offices are 'licensed by the British Goverment' or have any connection with any official government organisation.

As Mjo says, unfortunately there is no way either VFS or the British embassy have any way of evicting or otherwise stopping these people. They could move the VAC, but these sharks would only follow. Even in the old days, when queueing up outside the embassy we were accosted by such scum trying to persuade us to let them handle our application.

The possible exception is the wrong advice about divorcing at the Thai embassy in London. However, as the VAC is only responsible for collecting and checking visa applications I am not at all surprised that the VFS staff did not know about divorce law in the UK.

For some time, whether it's for security or overcrowding reasons, only applicants have been allowed into the VAC, with some obvious exceptions such as child applicants.

The UKVAC website a photo of their staff in uniform.



If the person talking to you is not wearing this uniform then they are not VAC staff. Tell them to Foxtrot Oscar.

Notice also the clear signage to tell you that you are in the VAC.

Having said all that, if one feel that any VAC staff are acting improperly then one should make a formal complaint to the embassy.

Its visa world again they operate from a coffee shop next to the doors, also a company on the ground floor I'm in Bangkok Wednesday IL take some pictures etc.

Just for clarity travel insurance is not mandatory for visits to the UK, though obviously a good idea.

7by7 is absolutely correct with his comments about the Visa Application Centre, they seem to get plenty of criticism about the vulchers circling the office, though they have no control over them.

I think the offer by Thai Visa Express to photograph the "rouge agents" offices is sound and very helpful, though whether he would be able to post it on this forum is debatable.

It really sickens me to see these "rouge agents" giving people the once over as they enter the building or the VAC area and then usher them into their rooms to fleece them.

I am merely taking photographs of the set up at Regent House. As discussed previously we have had files taken etc clients stopped and being told they wont get a visa unless they use them. The British Embassy are not interested however i note they do now say use an OISC adviser on the site.

I complained to the British Embassy last year. Obviously they don't care. We should all write to the Foreign Office and our own MPs if we want anything done.

I don't think the press would be interested as making it easier for more Asians to come to the UK does not engender empathy with their readership. I'm afraid the average Brit down the pub would probably say "bl**dy good idea telling em how tough it is - keep all them wogs out"

I guess it would be too much to have a sign on the genuine VFS office warning about the bogus outfit next door or to have a genuine VFS staff member waiting outside to usher people into the correct building?

I think the Thais have quite strict libel and slander laws, so putting a sign up saying next door is a bogus office is asking for a huge court case. The entrance is clear to anyone by the signage and the security at the entrance. If anyone is actually fooled into thinking the other places in the building are official then they probably need the services of them to gain a visa anyway.

Santi Suk. What exactly do you think the embassy or foriegn office can do? As I said before, there is no way either VFS or the British embassy have any way of evicting or otherwise stopping these people. They could move the VAC, but these sharks would only follow.

Katana, the VAC is clearly signed, and there are pictures of the VAC uniform on the VAC website.

Fair point!

Actually they should be able to do a lot about it - they are contracting this service out and set the standards. One of these should be that that the contractor insure unimpeded direct access to there office. The fact is touts can be removed if the contractor pays for it. Even if it requires moving to a building where they have full control. In this case it seems people are being hassled within the building itself and even by officials of the building. There is no excuse for that.

Although the VFS center signs are clear when you get outside the office, I've watched people being approached outside the building. When people who are approached think they are being escorted to the VFS center by an employee they tend to 'switch off' and just follow, not looking at the signage on other offices. When we went to take my wifes application we were there for about eight hours over two days and I watched as several people were approached outside Regent House then lead up the stairs past the VFS center and into the Visa World office. I didn't see one person question where they were being taken or even look at the VFS office, and nobody who I saw go in came out of Visa World quickly either.

Of course, ensuring the VFS negotiates a lease in a building excluding the head lessor from permitting any subsequent occupation by a visa agency would be too difficult a task for the British Embassy........

No doubt they relieved them of a large amount of baht.

This is a joke, right? You cannot really think that such a thing would be possible!

Just an update on the VFS sign as you approach their office.

The sign is actually a portable one on a stand, with the sign itself about 15 " wide by 24" high and the top of the sign about five feet off the ground. It's positioned on the right hand side of the entrance (the entrance used by both the VFS center and visa world), next to the gift shop. When we first arrived yesterday there were two people standing in front of it talking so it couldn't be seen at all.
There is a large, empty space above that entrance, so if the VFS center wanted to they could put a large, clear sign there with an arrow pointing to the right which would be much easier and clearer for people to see it.
The only person I could see with a uniform on was a female security guard standing round to the right, half hidden by a desk and ticket machine, in front of the actual entrance door to the VFS office, totaly out of sight of anybody aproaching from the lift/stairs. While we were there there was a man from visa world that came out and stood in front of the sign waiting to pounce on anybody that had a refusal.

Before I made a point of looking yesterday I thought/assumed the signs were quite clear. After looking I decided that in fact they are very poor and unclear and not always able to even see at all. The Embassy/VFS center could and should make the signage much clearer to avoid any confusion.

I can now fully understand how people go into visa world by mistake, especially if they are being lead by somebody from outside who works for them.

Visa world staff actually tell them they work for the Embassy they then ask to check their papers.

They then start by ripping the application to bits finding problems that don't exist and use scare tactics etc.

They then ask for credit cards etc and payments of around £1000 on average and people just pay it.

Since when have thais been refered to as ''Wogs'' ???

Do the VFS people know about this?

And if they do, are they powerless to do anything about it? Has anyone asked them?

Until and unless something can be done to stop these scammers, advice would be to accompany your Thai partner (was about to write TG but now realise that is a bit sexist) if at all possible or get someone who is robust to accompany her/him or brief your TP (new pnemonic?) very thoroughly. Its better they come away and start again than fork out serious money.

Yes the forms can be a bit obtuse (witness the debate on a separate thread about the 'how much money will you spend'?) but with a bit of serious effort and asking TV.com to help if stuck you should make it through

This post has been edited by SantiSuk: 2009-07-01 20:06:09

^
This is f*king disgraceful. The pathetic UK 'government' has feebly outsourced a critical function, and then allowed it to be overrun by scammers.

It is therefore colluding in the ripping off of its citizens who wish to quite legally obtain visas for their TPs (it's an acronym, not a pnemonic or even an mnemonic ).

Unfortunately, your government hates you, even more so because you had the sense to leave, so they will punish you, or allow you to be punished, and they will feel good about it.

It does appear that the signage at Regent House could be clearer. Whether this would be allowed by the landlord is, of course, not known.

Anyone reading this who has never applied before should be aware of the following:-

VAC staff are all in uniform. No uniform means they are not VAC staff.

VAC staff will check your application and supporting documents and will advise you if either are incomplete. They ask you if you would like to withdraw the application and resubmit it once you have corrected the errors, but must forward it to the embassy if you insist.

They will not offer any other forms of advice.

They will not charge you anything for any advice they may give you.

If you do wish to take professional advice, ensure that your chosen adviser is properly qualified and regulated in the UK before parting with any money. No reputable adviser will offer 'no visa; no fee' so if you are offered this, tell them that you will pay their fee after you get the visa!

Mr. Bradford, this Labour government is well versed in ripping off those who need leave to enter or remain in the UK, as the massive increase in the various fees since they came to power shows. But even I would draw the line at accusing them of colluding with con artists.

Here is the website of VFS GLOBAL, the UK visa application centre in Bangkok.

http://www.vfs-uk-th.com/

Read it carefully and note the information and warnings given to applicants.

Note that you can make an appointment to visit.

This post has been edited by david96: 2009-07-02 14:47:23