This is the worst experience I have ever had getting a visa, and I've applied for and received two Russian visas. I've seen others post here about their great experiences with getting a Tier 4 Student visa, but they seem to be the minority. I couldn't send my documents in to them until the beginning of August, because my boyfriend and I went to Canada for a few days and I needed my passport. Standard turnaround time being 10-15 days, I figured it was fine, since I wasn't planning on leaving until the 30th. My first problem was that they received my documents and emailed me to say that they couldn't send my documents back until I purchased their $34 return courier service. Nowhere, on any of the instructions or documents, did it say you MUST buy this service, only that you needed to provide return packaging and a shipping label. USPS cost $6. So I had to wait until the following Wednesday to pay 6x that for their stupid courier service. Sent an email to the complaints address on August 12. Never heard back. Got an email saying they'd received the shipping label, then silence. I called and emailed everyone I could think of trying to find out where my visa was in the process because my roommate in Glasgow would be away for the first week of September, so if I didn't get my visa and flight before then, I would have to arrive only 3 days before the start of classes. There is no number you can call to speak to a live person, unless you want to pay an exorbitant amount per minute. No email you can write to that will actually get a reply in a timely fashion. When they FINALLY wrote back about the status, it was only one day before the official decision email. That was Tuesday. Then silence again. I checked the UPS site constantly to see if it had shipped. Waited until 3 PM Wednesday and then emailed them again because it hadn't shipped yet and it was supposed to ship Tuesday or Wednesday. Didn't hear back. Finally they shipped it around 5 PM Wednesday, but I only knew that because of UPS. UKVI DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO EMAIL ME ABOUT MY VISA SHIPPING. It has now been delivered and they STILL haven't emailed me. The worst part of all of this is that, when I finally got my visa, I looked at the letter included that I have to give to the immigration officer when I get to the UK, and it was dated August 19, TWO DAYS after I sent them my shipping label. This means my visa was actually decided and printed nearly a week before I received it, and their email about the decision was four days late (three business days, since they've been staying open Saturdays). FOUR DAYS and they couldn't email me. I have anxiety and have been going absolutely insane for almost a month now, feeling sick and sleeping too much or too little every night. This process has caused me so much grief that could have been avoided just by having ONE person I could call to check on the status. It also means I had to buy a ticket that was more expensive with a worse baggage policy. Here is my timeline: 16 July - finished application 25 July - biometric appointment 8 August - sent documents via priority mail (3 business days) 12 August - documents received at the consulate, got an email about needing to buy courier service 12 August - wrote complaint to UKVI 17 August - bought and sent in return shipping label, emailed to ask about status of my visa 22 August - went on an emailing spree of university contacts, heard back from all of them within a day but they couldn't really help 22 August - received email responding to my status question, included survey regarding customer service, which I obviously laughed at and completed 23 August - received email saying my visa was printed and would be shipped that day or the next 24 August - UPS updated the tracking 25 August - received visa. Still have not heard from the UKVI. Overall, it took 17 days to get my visa, which isn't bad, but the service is absolutely horrific. I'm relieved to have my visa in time to book a flight, but I will never use this consulate again if I can help it.

I think the thing that differs between my review and others is that I didn't preemptively purchase airfare before my visa issuance, and subsequently get "burned" because I didn't receive it when I would have liked. I also did not purchase their priority processing. Here is my timeline of events: 8/10 - Notified of receipt of my visa application package and was notified that ***Average handling time for applications received that week was 14 days.*** Very important. 8/20 - 9 business days later - Was notified of visa acceptance and that soon my visa would be mailed off. 8/26 - 13 business days later - Notified that visa had been printed and would dispatch their office in 72 hours 8/27 - 14 business days later - I had purchased Next Day Air mail service from UPS (which is advised), and I woke up at 9 AM to a UPS delivery of my visa (which requires a signature!). There are a few things I want to note. I understand that not everyone else's case is going to be similar to mine and that the advised 14 business days they informed me of is an average, meaning it can take longer or shorter by a few days. I also want to point out that I was applying for a tier 4 student visa and that may be easier/quicker to process than say a residency visa. The only reason I didn't give my review 5 stars was because I know they can give more clarity and communication than they provided for my case. After they had notified me that I was accepted, I waited a week before they notified me that it was printed. During that time, I had no clue what was going on with my application, and wished they would have given me some follow-up between those two dates. Finally, the customer service is pointless, expensive, and unhelpful. I opted to use their online communication form to ask the status of my visa rather than pay an exorbitant price to call directly. It appears that the customer service department is an entirely separate entity from the UK consulate in New York, and thus knows no more about the status of your visa than you already do. I highly advise against spending money to contact their customer service. TL;DR: Overall, they did what they said they would (why is the visa application fee for the UK almost 5x more expensive than an American visa?), and did it within the timeline they advised me of. The customer service and communication could have been better, but I'm just glad I got my passport/visa back in a timely manner. Oh, and BUY YOUR AIRFARE AFTER YOU RECEIVE YOUR VISA, NOT BEFORE (see. common sense).

It was reasonable service. It was a bit expensive and the application process was very obscure. The visa service they use has terrible customer service. After reading the other horror stories though, I was quite happy to have an overall turnaround time of about 17 days after having paid for priority processing. I could have sped my overall application process up by about 7 days by booking the biometrics appointment a little earlier. I applied for the online on Jun 30, and since I was traveling in August, I applied for priority processing. They claim that their target is 15 days for processing, but since I wanted my visa back by Jul 30, I didn't want to take any chances. My biometrics appointment was on Jul 7, and I couriered my passport and other documents right after I got the biometrics done. I received an email from the UK consulate on Jul 10 confirming receipt and that my application had been placed in queue. I got an update on Jul 14 saying that my visa had been issued, and one on Jul 15 saying that my visa had been printed. I'd also paid for their courier service -- which is a bit more expensive than Fedex -- so I received my passport with the visa in it on the 17th. Overview of the procedure - Apply online - Pay your fee. You can buy the courier service or pay for priority processing now. - Book biometric appointment, take your current passport and copy of your biometric confirmation receipt. - Once you receive your application. Post your application to the New York Consulate at UK Visas and Immigration British Consulate General 845 Third Avenue New York 10022 - Provide prepaid electronic shipping waybill. Misc notes - I was traveling for a conference, so I applied a 6 month business visa. - The phone service was absolutely useless and a bit of scam. Do not use it. They have no reason to serve you quickly, and you should expect to pay about $20-25 if you insist on speaking to a person. - The instructions were never very clear, and I had to trawl the forums to get information. - Sending them email was also pretty useless.

Agree with all bad reviews. On May 19th, shipped the EXACT documents (including the UPS return label) they needed to issue the visa. May 26th, received an email saying they received my documents and the process will take 15 business days. After 10 business days, June 10th, I emailed them for withdrawal, but instead I received an email stating that I can't withdrawal because the visa has already been issued, but nothing about when they are going to ship the documents. Logically, the documents must be shipped once they issue the visa or after 2 business days. I waited 3 business days, on June 16th, called the USELESS customer service to ask about what is happening, why my documents hasn't been shipped yet. I got response after couple hours saying the shipment will be withing 48 hours. My trip is a week far, and based on their emails I will receive my passport before my flight, which was on June 26th. Sadly I haven't received on that week. Delayed my flight 1 more week. Same thing happened haven't received. Eventually, I canceled my trip and it's been ruined all with my academic career. I were suppose to take a 3 weeks course over there. Kept calling them and the only response they give me is New York (British Consulate) has the control. Here we are now, I still haven't received my passport yet, and they (the customer service contact #) still saying we haven't received a response for my escalation. They literally explained to me what is frustration. About their customer service # they provide. USELESS they don't have a direct contact with New York, only via emails which is not enough. Basically it's waste of money. My point of all this complaining above is if you are international living in the US. Issue the visa in your hometown. this way is much safer and you will have a better customer service. Also, plan ahead, send your documents to them ahead of time, like more than 2 months to do their slow process. Avoid risks of buying your flight ticket before issuing you visa or at least you don't know the process of you visa.

Unfortunately, they are extremely inefficient and really don't care about you and your travel plan. I have a conference to attend on Oct 20th, I started the whole process on Sep 24th when I have the required conference information for general visit-business visa. I was quite confident about the process because last year I got my same type of visa issued in 2 business days at about same time of the year. So I didn't buy the priority service. It turned out to be a disaster. My time line: 9-29: Biometric information collected, shipped out the documents with USPS express on the same day. 10-2: Received an email saying they opened the package. I don't understand why it took them 2 days to simply open the package because according to USPS tracking the package arrived and was signed on Sep 30th. 10/03-10/17: Anxiously waited for their answer. I was about to cancel my flight because I didn't receive any email until 10/17 Friday afternoon. Then magically they sent me an email 3 pm that day saying my visa was issued. I was so happy because with USPS express, I should receive my passport tomorrow and can make the trip on Sunday! 10/20(today): Apparently I was overestimating them. Those bummers didn't even bother to drop off my package on Friday afternoon. I had to change my flight to tomorrow afternoon, hoping they can at least ship it today. However, it's already 4:21 pm and I still cannot find any tracking information on USPS website! I am so frustrated by this experience. It cost me a lot financially and emotionally. My boss blames me for frequently update of my travel plans, too. And in the end, I didn't make the trip anyway thanks to UK consulate. Yes, I understand I only have 3 weeks to apply for this visa, but the fact that they don't ship it even after it is issued really makes me upset. Obviously they are trying to make some money with the priority service. So I would suggest anyone who is applying to buy it. Don't believe in those people!

I want those who have submitted their visa application to this embassy, now freaking out from all the negative reviews here, to rest assured that this process can work smoothly. My fiance and I submitted our applications for a visitor/marriage visa, with our passports and passport photos, to the embassy on 18 May. Plenty of time as we are planning to be married in Scotland on 30 July. Also, because we had time, we did not opt to use the more expensive expedited processing. The embassy confirmed receipt of our applications one week later by email, on 25 May. The email, as others have said here, gave the process 14 days for completion. I did not hear again two weeks later, so on 9 June I sent the embassy an email inquiry via their web site. The next morning, I received a reply stating that our applications had been processed and a decision had been made. It did not state if our visas were approved or not, only that they had been processed. It also stated: "Please note that your passport and documentation could still take some time to reach you whilst being sent back from the decision making centre and whilst other administrative formalities are completed. The visa application centre will be in contact with you regarding the collection or delivery." During this latter process, I found all these reviews on Google and became very concerned. However, today (11 June) UPS delivered our passports with the approved visas inside. We did not receive notification they were on the way, I only found out by checking my tracking number and saw it was being delivered this morning. So, it took only a little over three weeks from when the embassy received our applications to having the visas in hand. A smooth process overall for us and I have no idea why so many others are having such problems unless their paperwork was incomplete or different types of visas take different amounts of time. Hope this helps for those just starting this process.

I was hoping the reviews were wrong but I can see why the low rating. I am a permanent resident of the United States and was not aware I needed a visa. My father in law gave us a trip to London for Christmas so I applied about 3 weeks ago, got my biometrics done 12/06 and sent all my documents 12/9. I paid $425 for priority service which according to the website takes 5 days to get a decision. I also paid $5 for texting updates and the only text I got was on 12/11 to let me know my documents were received and my application was to be considered. Nothing back from there so I decided to call them but the only way to get in touch is by paying $8 to email (which it may take up to 48 hours for them to reply) or call them at approximately $2 per minute. I called them and spent 12 minutes on the phone for a rep to tell me she did not see anything on their system about my application. She also said the priority service is not guarantee but there is nothing on their website that specifies that. We are suppose to fly on Sunday 22nd and I have given up on the idea that I'll be traveling. I am extremely frustrated of the amount of money I have wasted for nothing, from priority service to useless text, phone calls and email services. Update: I’ve been emailing back and forth with no one able to give me an answer. I woke up this morning to an email saying they have no received my documents after I had already received messages stating they had them. Now I’m extremely nervous, they have my passport and green card and I’m unsure how to proceed.

Update on 1/28 after 2month! Almost 3 month I'm just curious how much those people earn monthly and just sitting there doing nothing? Such a great job for those British people. Alt least, if you lost my passport you should tell me? --- below are old messages --- I already withdraw the application! Can you just mail my passport back!!? Such a terrible place, I'm going to withdraw application. I had to cancel all the flight ticket and no one will cover this. There's no refund at all!!! Highly suggest you apply 3 month ahead if you really want to go. If you have any other choices, never apply their visa! Update on 1/3... please process my visa ASAP. I submitted on 11/9, and it was arrived on 11/12. Just look how many business you took! Because I don't have my passport, i have to stay at the U.S. for Christmas by MYSELF. I want to go home!!!! I'm staying at my friends house, but I don't have a car, and all of my friend went to home 2 weeks ago! Just checking email every seconds... please please I wanna go home. I don't wanna stay here for new year by myself again. Please let me go home. I already cancel my ticket on 12/20, the one lets me go home. I don't want to cancel the ticket on 1/5 fly to U.K.! No one gonna cover this fee, I don't understand how can you take this long to process a visa! Literally, I'm crying. Do you even know how lonely and depressed I am because you are still holding my passport for almost two month!? I just want to go home and spend new year with my family member, PLEASE.

Indian Passport Holder in the US on Work Visa I went for my Biometric on Friday Oct 18th Mailed my passport and supporting documents on Oct 19th Saturday Received by the Consulate on Oct 21st Monday 11am I did not receive any acknowledgement except a message from UPS that this was delivered. On Tuesday i started to read all these reviews and became super worried.. My flight is on Nov 8th and paid Priority Visa (5 days) Coming to Friday, out of concern- i sent an email ( paid GB 5.97 ) asking them to acknowledge and confirm that visa will be granted in 5 days as mentioned by UK VI on website. Friday evening received a notification from UPS that they received a package and preparing for delivering. Sunday evening : I received a response for my email saying "A decision has been made" and you will be contacted shortly regarding passport delivery. Monday Oct 28th - Passport was delivered at 10:15am and i have my Visa. So here's my 2 cents on the process: If you are worried about visa - Pay for 5 day priority.. It's $400 something If you are doing this 2-3 month in advance, then go with normal. And do not get worried if they don't acknowledge. I freaked out after reading reviews and sent them a message and it was for nothing. I literally received my visa in their provided time frame(5 business days).Good luck to all...

My son received a fellowship to study at St. Andrews. He submitted all paperwork at the earliest possible time. It took an extra month beyond the predicted time to get his academic clearance. At the beginning of August, he was finally able to apply online for his Tier 4 visa and paid the expedited fee. A week later, he was told he had to submit a whole new application again (and pay again), because the online application did not prompt him to pay the healthcare fee (a computer error on their end). On Aug 20, he reapplied. It took eleven more days to receive an email that said his visa was approved, and he got a UPS tracking number. We were told it would ship in 3-5 business days. 7 business days later, it hasn’t shipped, and nobody can tell us why or when to expect it. Today is Wednesday and school starts next Monday, Sept 14 (he has already missed orientation). We have been calling the help line daily, and have submitted multiple emails requesting help/status/any information. Wish I had read the other reviews here 4 months ago, but it wouldn’t have helped—all the delays have been on their end. It seems like the only way we’ve gotten this far is to keep calling and emailing. So much stress and frustration, money down the drain on expedited visa fee and numerous $3 per minute phone calls--this is mind-boggling.

The day I was eligible I applied for my student visa so the consulate had as much time as possible to approve it and get it back to me. I got an approval email on July 25. It is now September 15 and I STILL do not have my passport and I leave in one week to UK. I have spent WEEKS trying to get someone to answer my email or talk to me on the phone. I FINALLY got someone on the phone and they charged me to talk to them. Thankfully, Josh was the ONLY person to help me. No one told me at ANY time that I had to use a specific shipping company, NO ONE. So I sent a USPS label and never heard anything. Weeks went by and Josh was the only helpful one and he sent me instructions on what to do. However, I had to pay to talk to him and I just spent another $75 on a shipping label, because, of course, there is no accountability in any country's immigration system whatsoever, so no one will pay (monetarily) for their mistakes (not including Josh). This is NOT review of Josh because he seems to be the only competent person at this consulate. I work in immigration and the UK Immigration and Consulate is absolutely worthless. I sincerely hope I never have to use this consulate again. I now understand why they barely have a 2 star rating, because they REFUSE to talk to or help ANYONE. AVOID THIS CONSULATE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.

I had a decent experience with my business visit visa application. For people who are interested in knowing the timeline: 1. Biometrics on Feb 13 - I used the DHS biometrics center - takes up to 2 hours for your turn. Feel free to go earlier than your appointment time because tokens are issued first come first serve (Elizabeth NJ center). Mailed passport same day via UPS (all my supporting documents were self-uploaded prior to the appointment). 2. Feb 14 - Passport received by VFS and they forwarded my application to UK consulate on the same day. 3. Feb 15 - Passport received by UK consulate and under processing. 4. Feb 27 - received notification that my application was processed and sent to VFS who couriered it via UPS label provided by me on the same day. 5. Feb 28 - passport out for delivery. I missed it because I was not home but received it today (March 1). So, I got it back in 12 business days vs their guidance of 15 business days for just processing application. I am still slightly disappointed that in 2023 the visa applications have to take so long to process especially as the fee charged are high. Enough resources should be deployed to make these faster so people dont have to wait so long for their passports. I would have missed my trip if I didnt receive it in 3 more days.

This is my second time applying for a UK student visa. I applied with the standard processing and did not choose the priority service. I got my visa approved in 5 business days and it was shipped the same day that I got the e-mail that it was despatched from the visa center! I feel like I lucked out for sure. Here's my timeline. 10/8: Online application submitted 10/26: Biometrics appointment. This was the earliest appointment I could get but was in and out within 10 minutes. I shipped off the documents the same day with one day air shipping through UPS. With the return label included, it cost $100 in total. YIKES. You can definitely save if you go with 2 day shipping instead though. 10/27: Application delivered to mail room. The only way I knew was because I checked the UPS tracking. I received no communication from the consulate 11/2: received e-mail from VFS that my visa application was processed and would be despatched to the address on my return shipping label. I checked UPS and it was sent off that evening. 11/3: received my passport with the visa attached! So relieved that I got my visa within 5 business days without paying premium prices! Kind of weird how they don't send any updates at all though until it's shipped out.

I never really write reviews, but I wanted to in this case because I had a lot of anxiety over this whole process and I read a few of the reviews and it made me even more nervous. This was my first time applying for a visa. I have an internship coming up this week so time was of the essence. I was applying for a Tier 5 student visa. The process was pretty smooth for me. It was super quick and I received my visa back in a timely manner. TIP: Choose Priority service when filling out your application. Trust me. It saves so much time. Timeline: June 8: I went for my Biometrics appointment. It took about 10 mins. Went to UPS to mail my documents. I chose Next Day Air so they would receive it by 10:30 am the next day. June 9: Received email from Consulate stating they received my documents. June: 13: Received email saying my application was approved and my visa was being printed. June 14: Received my visa and passport via UPS next day air. It was an easy process. Very quick. I have no complaints. My suggestion for anyone applying for a visa is just make sure you have the documents they are asking for. Make sure your application is filled out correctly. Make two copies to send to them and keep one for yourself. Hope this helps.

They deleted my earlier review. Here is my experience again: I applied for a transfer visa. I could not send my documents first although I paid for shipping on their website. then I paid my own shipping and sent my documents. It was the biggest mistake to send my documents there because they kept my passport there much longer than the time they give on their website. I emailed them many times and never got a single response back. I called their phone number in the UK and I had to pay to be able to talk with their personel. I do not mention the money for international call, this is for their time. I called them twice and could not get any progress. They told me they will investigate on it and email me but they did not. I had to pay for sending an email to them. Thankfully, I got a response back but it was a generic response saying that the process still going on and please be patient. I had to travel much later than that I planned because I received my passport back late. I recommend you to avoid travelling through the UK. I am not planning to visit the UK forever because of my bad experience with these people. It was the worst visa services that I received in my life.

DO NOT SEND THEM YOUR PASSPORT. STAY AWAY, SAVE YOUR NERVES AND MONEY. Applied for UK visa, as a person that always does things in advance, I knew that I can’t apply earlier than 3 months before my trip. Ok. Applied 3 months before, it took 2 weeks to actually go and take my biometrics. Paid $125 which is A LOT. For the cheapest version! I paid $55 in Polish embassy and got my visa within 48hours. Anyways. After that it promised that it takes up to 3 weeks to get a decision for UK visa. 8 weeks later, I had only 7 days before my UK trip and 10 days before I had to be in Paris , and my passport was still at VFS!!!! No decision in 10 weeks!!! And you can’t apply earlier than 13 weeks. Makes no sense!! Total SCAM!!! I had to cancel my trip to UK, lose my air flight tickets, airbnbs, lose $125 to VFS, $60 to UPS for delivery of my passport. Why taking customer’s money if you can’t provide the service promised? I really regret giving my passport to them and from now one can’t trust this company and never ever going to UK until I get my US passport or they stop using VFS. Please think whether it’s worth the risk of not going anywhere at all, when you apply here.

This place is a joke and literal trash!!!! Wish there was a way to give 0 stars to them. All they want to do is only help there British citizens that are here.(words out of s employee themself). Someone could be dying and they would not care at all and not even help you. Even after you withdraw your application for a emergency travel they will not help you nor contact you nor give you your passport back in time. VFS global will just send you one auto generated response to show that they helped or they care and after that you will not hear a single word from them. You guys should seriously start caring about other people and their lives they can have real time emergencies, keeping peoples passports while knowing the processing times are taking longer than expected is just ridiculous, no way to contact these people since all they care about is money since they charge for talking, charge for email inquiries and not even help you solve your issue!! Do better. I need the passport back before August 9th and now is the weekend and i have yet not received any help nor doubt i will receive any help or my passport back before the 9th.

It is nightmare dealing with British Consulate. Even though they said they take 10 business days to process a visa application after receiving it, but DO NOT BELIEVE THEM. Because it also took them 10 days!!!!! just to confirm receiving my application, after Fedex confirmed delivery of my application. Even though they listed a super expensive inquiry phone line. Do NOT use it! It is managed by a third party that does absolutely nothing to change the application process. I wasted $75 on it and achieved nothing! DO NOT use retrospective priority service. Again, it will take sometime to acknowledge that you paid for it. It will take another 5 business to link your application. Then another 5 business days to process it. In the end, it is useless - even the useless third party inquiry line says so. If you want to withdraw? Sorry, you will also need to wait for 5 business days - if you are lucky. The worst consulate I have heard about. It makes me wonder what kind of country it is!! UK Consulate is hijacker of passports and I am sure they still live in the stone age.

Since 3 important questions I had were NOT addressed anywhere on their website & I did not need a passport or visa, I decided to stop in and ask at the source. The building does not accept walk-ins but the nice professional floor staff called the front desk for me. I asked whomever answered if I could come up to ask a few quick questions. And so began the shockingly rude, unnecessary, unprofessional convo with someone determined not to try to help or listen. He berated me for not reading the website, for being rude etc, he slammed the phone down in my ear and left me holding the phone in the lobby for almost 15 minutes! The wonderful desk guards told me to just hang up, gave me an info sheet & directions to the nearby UK Visas & Immigration office. There, I received exceptional service, got my questions answered from a pleasant, professional Security Desk guard. BRITISH CONSULATE OFFICE, surely you can do better than having an unprofessional, untrained, ignorant security guard represent you.

UPDATE ON Nov 21 - I received my passport with visa. At the same day I also received an email saying that they escalated my case to the right department. It shows just how unorganized they are. My advice - apply for the visa two months before your trip. I have read enough reviews from yelp and here and I don’t wish anyone to suffer like I have been for this. ———————— UPDATE ON Nov 17 - I still don’t have my passport. I sent a request for withdrawal and it’s still not here... I will never ever apply for UK visa ever again. ——————— I made a mistake trusting the processed time advertised on the GOVUK website. My application arrived at the consulate on Oct 23. My flight is on Nov 8.... I keep checking the review everyday hopefully to read something positive but .... The whole experience is very stressful. This is the most expensive mistake. I should have read yelp or google review before applying. I’m hoping for the best and prepare to accept the worst. So frustrating.

It is impossible to gain entry into the British Consulate in New York without an appointment and guess what? In the appointment making portal there are never any available time slots. They do not offer passport services unless it's an emergency situation. I took a chance (because I was desperate) to walk-in and see what kind of treatment and help I would get and was actually surprised. I arrived there and the security personnel asked me if I had an appointment I said no so they called up to the Consulate and had me chat with someone on the phone about my case. That person patched me through to his supervisor (a gentleman by the name of Kevin) who was super nice and sympathetic towards my situation. He took all my details and promised to escalate the case with HMPO in the UK, then e-mail and call me back. I can't leave a bad review because compared to others written on here, my experience was not that bad at all. Fingers crossed.

My Timeline: Jan 19: Application received at new york office Feb 9: No communication for 3 weeks so I sent an email using their paid communication system Feb 10: Got a response that my case has been escalated and I will be contacted within 15 working days Feb 25: Got no response and sent an email at UKVINewYork.Corresponden… to inquire about the status (got this after reading other yelp reviews) Feb 26: Got a response that VFS hasn't yet forwarded my documents to the UK office and they are investigating the matter. March 1: I sent an application withdrawal email at the same id. An hour later, got a phone call from VFS that my visa has been approved and will be shipped in a couple of days so I should not withdraw. March 5: Received my passport with visa. Suggestion: Wait for 3 weeks. If you hear nothing back, inquire at UKVINewYork.Corresponden… and you should be good. Do not use their paid communication system.

Most horrible experience with this consulate. Applied one month in advance, they took more than one week to open a package, then another 10 days to process an application. Now I am waiting from last 4 days to receive a package as received email that package has been dispatched. No package until today no updates on UPS that they received it. Don't know what wrong with this consulate. they are about to ruin my trip. I have to leave in another 2 days and I do not have anything in my hand. They even did not open the package until last Monday for my husband. so had to put his application on priority, no updated until today (a week after of priority processing). I am not sure whether they are going to send us our documents by Wednesday else we are going to loose money, sleeps, peace everything. I have almost decided that I am not going to go through this consulate ever gain !

Don't panic over reading the negative reviews. They are only representative of the times when things go wrong, most of which won't happen if you follow all instructions closely. Here is mine ( no priority service used): 05/31/2017 Send Documents through UPS Next Day Air (Do not forget to include the UPS return label) 06/01/2017 Received by consulate and acknowledge email as well. 06/09/2017 Visa printing email (it takes them 7 workdays, which includes the period of UK election that can potentially harm their productivity). 06/09/2017 Immediately after the email, I can track their UPS return package 06/12/2017 Received on Monday due to the weekend Online it also says that, if you apply from US centers for general or tourist visas, more than half of the time visa processing completes within 5 workdays, 99% within 10 days. Hope it is helpful.

I read the reviews after I submitted my Tier 4 Student visa application and unfortunately I've had a similar experience. I sent my application overnight it arrived on (8/18) and they opened it two days later (8/20) telling me I needed an electronic waybill (the people at the UK Visa application center in my state did not have updated information). I resent it with the hour and I knew that insignificant thing will delay everything! Yesterday (9/4) I received an automated email telling me they received my new shipping label information, no further action is required. This is 10 business days after I submitted it!!! I have yet to receive any meaningful response and like others, I've incurred additional costs (flight change fees). I know absolutely nothing about the status of my visa and I've had such a nerve-racking experience so far.

My travel date is Dec. 8 and they received my passport on Nov. 2. It is Dec. 3rd now. I am hoping that I get passport and visa back in time. I am stressing a lot because the only response I have gotten from them is that my visa wasn’t “straightforward” and apparently many people are getting this email too. I have gotten my visa twice previously and had absolutely no issues. They were timely and quick. Not sure what is going on during this time. I’m sure it has to do with the re-location. I have emailed them today for the £5.48 that they charge, so waiting their response. Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly. I will update further when I hear back from them. Update - they responded the next day telling me to “wait.” Update - I got it over a week late. Glad I didn’t buy my plane ticket before getting my visa.

Applied for DATV through standard processing to india for my family and it took exactly 15 working days from the date of submission. Was little nervous after reading the negative reviews. My visa in passport got expired and had I-797 approval document,only send original passports new and old, no other originals docs send except photo copies. Hers is the timeline for my transit visa approval 04/04/2018 -- Biometrics 04/04/2018 -- Submitted all the documents on same day 04/04/2018 -- Received acknowledgement receipt (Saturday morning weird) 04/25/2018 -- No update until now,Didn't call or email their customer service,thought of waiting couple more days!. 04/25/2018 -- Yay!.Visa has been printed email. Note: Send all the documents 1 month before the travel, Please have patience until 15 working days!.

I applied for a visitor visa over a month ago, and there's no update on it still. The so-called "Customer service" is a scam and an absolute joke. Don't even bother to call them and spend your money (0.69 a minute). For every question I asked, the response was - I'm afraid I don't have this information. Now, as I already missed my trip to the UK, I just need to get my passport back. And so far, all my attempts to retrieve my passport haven't been successful. This kind of behavior from a government organization should be made illegal. AN UPDATE: I followed an advice from one of the earlier reviews and just showed up at the UK Visa processing hub. The security guards were so nice and helpful and helped me to resolve the situation.

Absolute trash. I paid an extra $300 to get my visa looked at and accepted/denied within five days. It ended up taking about twelve. They have come to a decision regarding my application and it has been in their hands for about three days and they won’t send it out to me. I am going to have to spend another $500 to change my flight because they kept my visa and passport in their possession. Overall, start doing your paper work more than six months before you have to leave because it will take about that long. Not to mention, there is no easy way to call them to talk about the status of your application. The agents over the phone however and really nice and knowledgable, but unfortunately for me, there is nothing they can do.

Hi there! I have done my biometrics on June 27th at USCIS Philadelphia, USA and did submit my application for tourist visa in UK. I also did purchased the VFS priority service because my trip is urgent. It guarantees a visa decision within 5 business days but the wait took a month so far and no response I have tried to contact to them to get a decision. you know what ??? It cost $3.03 to email them. I don’t mind to pay for that but the answer is “my application status is awaiting a decision”. It is very disappointed and anxious. My trip is coming on December 9th . I am really need a decision from UK embassy ASAP to get my passport back to apply for Schengen visa as well. If not, I must to cancel my whole trip.

I wish I could put 0 stars in the review because my experience with this consulate has simply been awful. After submitting my visa application in mid July and paying an exorbitant amount for priority service (which is supposed to mean 5 day processing of the application), I am still waiting on a decision or any news whatsoever regarding my application. I've already missed my intended arrival date and will be missing university orientation if my application doesn't get processed in the next week. I have tried contacting just about every email and phone number possible and gotten nowhere. Today marks the 22nd working day since my application was received and I'm still waiting to hear something.

I applied for a standard visitor visa (6 months). I submitted my application online and prepared the documents for the checklist. I bought the roundtrip shipping with VFS for $70 which you don't have to do that. (Go to UPS or Fedex and buy from them directly will be a lot cheaper) Here is the timeline 9/7 : Biometrics and shipped the paperwork. 9/12 : Got an email that they received my application. 9/18 : Got an email that my visa had been printed 9/20 : Got my passport back I got my visa within 15 days. It was easier than I expected, especially after I read a lot of bad reviews here. I think if you followed the instruction from the website step by step. You should be good!

If you have alternative options, do not ever apply for a Transit/Visitor Visa to UK. Their process takes a lot of time, they charge you additional fees for every inquiry and they don't even provide you with decent information. I will only stay in the airport in between flights but even for that they haven't send my passport back. My application is approved at the very end of the 15 business day waiting time, but still I don't have my passport. The scanning hub is in New York and I live in Boston. It should be easy to send it and I provided a shipping label between my documents. I am really frustrated with their service. Do not even try to apply unless you really have to.

Yes, Hated it. The total waste of time and money to apply UK visa from New york. I have been waiting for my visa for the past 30 days and no news yet. Have been emailing them and calling them (paid calling) but no news at all. I am going to withdraw my application. After initiating my withdrawal of application, no one told me the right way to do it. The inquiry service is extremely pathetic and disgusting. I was given the right email address to withdraw my application after 6 days of non stop emailing. I have not received my passport or any news about visa after 40 days, even after the request of withdrawal of application. Such a pathetic service.

I had applied for a transit visa (part of the Visitor visa) to pass through LHR and go to my home country as my work visa in the USA had expired. The process for me was extremely smooth from biometrics (10/14/2022) to getting my visa (11/17/2022). All of this happened in 35 days even though the average time on the UK website is 7 weeks as of now. Initially I was extremely worried seeing all the negative reviews but trust me the UKVI is doing their best and they are working as fast as they can. So all I want to say, please ignore the negative reviews and as long as you have given all the documents properly, the visa should come on time.

This is the best experience I have had. The whole process took less than 15 days as stated. Please, pay attention to the instructions. As long as you follow it and submit the right documents, you should be fine. I did so by submitting everything via UPS and also included a return label. Once they received my application along with my passport, I received an email confirmation. A few days later, I got another email stating my VISA was ready and the next morning at 9am EST, the UPS was promptly at my door delivering my passport. I highly recommend this location. 5 stars. Thank you for a great service.

After having read the reviews here I was more than nervous to send off for an emergency passport. However, I could not have been more wrong! I sent off the online application and fee and heard back from them less than 12 hours later. I got my appointment, found myself in a lovely office and was seen by a very friendly worker who had my passport ready and waiting! What I thought was going to be a stress filled experience was a seamless and friendly time. Especially as an ex-pat, it fills you with such relief that you have a reliable and on point service. Thank you so much, British consulate!

This is the absolute worst visa service that is offered. If you want to still have your passport, DO NOT trust them to send it back in time. They charge for phone calls while providing no useful information. They suggested voiding an application that they should have processed a month ago in order for me to get my passport back, but still not assuring to mail the passport back in time even though there is a pre-paid next day UPS label included. I might not be able to leave the US in time because of this utter disgrace of a service. DO NOT WORK WITH THEM OR VFS GLOBAL!

Well, my employer spent $2000 on TWO DAY processing. It’s been well over a month since the passport has reached this location and absolutely no way to track it besides the UPS tracker they provide, and it clearly hasn’t been shipped back. There’s no way to call and even retrieve my passport. I have already missed my UK trip, if all they do is collect $2000 for ‘premium processing’ they should at least be able to provide updates. My life has to be on pause because of this unprofessional service, it is honestly an embarrassment to them.

The application of regular visitor visa process was very smooth. Had biometric appointment on 8/28. Mailed out all the documents on 8/29 afternoon through UPS (Didn't purchase the service online just walked into the UPS store nearby). Got the email notice that the documents were received on 8/31. And got another email about application approval on 9/1. Got the passport back with visa printed through UPS on 9/5 (delivery was delayed for one day due to labor day weekend). Overall very simple and convenient procedure to get the visa.

Non-communicative and the worst visa experience ever. It's like a money-extortion scheme. Do not expect any help from the helpline since they have generic and often incorrect information. Applied for my visa through regular service and no update or response in 12 working days. Requested in-person pickup of the visa but to no avail and ended up missing my flight. Simply told time and again that paying $400 for priority service is the way to go. Apply a month in advance to ensure you do not have the same issues as me.

The visa service is a rip off.Worst I have experienced. Don't ever pay priority, it is useless. Don't trust the timelines on their website, they are all misleading. We applied using priority service, supposed to be 5 business days, but took them a month to decide. Even worse, two weeks after decision already made, they still do not send my passports, probably lost. please do make copies of your orignal documents, based on multiple reports, they routinely lost thousands of precious documents.

Super easy and fast. My husband applied for a London vacation, he is a green card holder and after sending it with USPS MAIL we got a confirmation after 2 days that they got our applications, then after 3 days he got an email saying his visa is accepted. I got scared at first reading all the bad reviews but in our experience It was a easy process fill put the application $130 plus the shipping for return which was $41, then just follow the directions on the application you will be all set.

Applied for a UK visit visa. Usually it takes approx 4-6 weeks and this time it was super fast (applied the regular self uploading option and not any premium options) Finger prints on Dec 7th and shipped same day. VFS New York received on 8th and UK Visas got on 9th and I got the passport back on 21st means in 10 working days I got my visa and passport back! If VFS is having some options to contact via email that will be great, rest everything is perfect in my case!

A disgraceful service for Visas, as all the reviewers said below. Don't bother paying for priority service, because that means nothing, and you won't get an answer by that timeframe. Don't bother attempting to reach anyone by phone, because your automated options keep bringing you back to the original message. Don't bother booking a trip, because you'll have to cancel it. Just sit back and hope and pray you'll one day get your passport back with a useless Visa.

Amazing service! We applied on 8/31 by completing the app, paying the fee & prepaying for the UPS shipping label...all online by the click of the mouse. We had the fingerprint on 9/2 and we got our visa on 9/12/16. We used the standard process for $118 you can purchase the expedite service to get your visa in 1-3 days in you're in a hurry! This is the easiest visa process I've never experienced as a frequent traveler. Thanks to the British Consulate in NY & DC

Received passport back with tourist visa 6 WEEKS after sending it in! Definitely NOT what the website timeline says ("5 business days")! Check out reviews on Yelp ("British Consulate General") for more information, very helpful timelines there but this was an extremely stressful process overall. Trying to call their phone lines or email them is a complete waste of money! Apply as early as possible and expect the worst, sorry to say. Good luck!!

I applied for the 3 to 5 day priority visa decision. Now its day 12, and no visa. I spent more than $1200 in total (including $100 in international fees to contact the UKVI helpline, which was never even taken off of hold). I've also had to reschedule 4(!) international flights. It's impossible to contact UKVI and it feels like a complete and utter scam of a service. I'm shocked that any government service could be so incompetent

The service is actually pretty quick. They started processing on Friday and I receive the passport the next Thursday as priority service. But I didn’t get any email saying that my visa was approved... I was so worried since my flight will leave Friday, one day after I received my passport. Update: I have returned from UK and still didn’t receive the email...

They have now had my passport for 3 weeks. I have even withdrawn my visa application so I can get my passport back but still haven’t heard back from them. It’s so hard to get hold of them. I have already had to cancel my flight and it seems like my second flight will have to be canceled too. They are probably understaffed but that’s not my problem.

I purchased the VFS premium service because my trip is urgent. It guarantees a Visa decision within 5 business days. Guess what??? On the 6th day of my biometric appointment, I received an email saying that UK Visa received my applications and will process it!!! Absolutely worst of the worst, these people are shameless.

Vsf is a scam!! I applied for Uk visa since January 1 paid 125 for the visa fee. I took my biometric February 3nd, up till now I haven’t heard anything from them no decision, their phone number not going through, no representative to talk to . This people are scam!!!!!! Thieves!!!!!! ‍♂️ …

After reading all these reviews I became anxious but my application went smooth. I did fingerprints on 6/14, mailed them passport same day, they sent me a notification they received it on 6/16. On 6/29 they put a visa in it and mailed it back to me. I did not do expedited option.

Worst service. Been more than 4 weeks since my biometrics. They will not reply to your emails neither will they give you a proper answer over the phone. Waste of time and money. Had to cancel my flight twice just cuz of selecting the worst VFS service.

My application for a tourist visa was received by them on September 30th, it's Nov 7th and I'm yet to get my passport back! How is this possible? In NY? Update: 8 weeks and two 2 escalations later I’m yet to get my passport or hear anything back.

Where do I begin? Let's start with the lack of clear information on the website. One is led to believe that after applying online and making payment, you are granted an appointment in which you have to take your documents. Online, it makes

DO NOT GET A VISA FOR UK!! WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!! I planned a trip to see the Christmas Markets in some places around Europe and UK. I reviewed that the visitor visa processing time was 15 days. I went to my biometrics and submitted my

none of British consulate take calls on there local number when you call system direct your call to England passport office this means British consulate don't offer service on phone by asking question this is none since service

I thought I would wait until I got my passport back before I wrote a review of my experience, hopefully this helps anyone in my situation. I am a Colombian citizen, US Permanent resident, undergraduate student who is

The WORST embassy ever. Do not waste your money or time. They do not care about people. Waited 6 weeks for a 6 month visa. Eventually had to cancel my application. Never in my life!! Embarrassing for the UK actually.

Absolutely a waste of time calling their offices. All calls are not answered by real persons, but funneled to automated announcements to visit websites that are confusing to navigate and offer no return responses.

Do not use USPS for the return service, they do not accept it. I had my visa approved in 6 days. Their shipping service did not work for me, so I just used UPS.

I had one of the good experiences applying for the UK visa. I sent my application using UPS on Monday 25 April 2016 Package got there Tuesday 26 April 2016

I applied for my visa in October, and had my biometrics taken on October 30. I mailed my documents immediately, using an overnight shipping service.

If applying for a visa in US, please read this carefully before you apply. Had I read the reviews here, I would never apply for a UK visa.

15 working days also known as 2 months! And you have to pay to talk to someone about your case! Incredibly unprofessional and unreliable

Giving details of my experience, please stay calm until 15 working days have passed (don't panic like me ha). It all worked out!

They don't give a damn about uk citizens in USA Maybe because usa is not a democracy now and embassy staff now Know there place

My timeline was as follow: 25/03/2015: Online application completed. Fees paid. Biometric appointment made

Absolutely Fantastic!! I was really nervous about the whole process as I had booked my flight tickets