CoE-RoA application for infant in Chennai, VFS options ?

[blacklabel69]

Hello everyone,

Please bear with me as the search is not turning up clear information (probably due to the new VFS-UKVI process) and the new VFS website is an omnishambles.

I am planning on apply for my 1 month old son's Right of Abode vignette in his Indian Passport (British Father, Indian mother, baby born in the UK and has a Indian passport) in VFS Chennai.

I have submitted my application and tried to purchase the Priority Visa plus a few services from VFS website but for the past two days they have had a 'technical issue' where the GWF application number field is disabled and contains some random string and they have asked me to buy the services at the application centre when we go there to submit documents. They have also said I have to pay cash which is confusing at this day and age.

My questions :
1. They offer a document scanning assistance service but very confusingly also say that documents have to be couriered to Sheffield.
2. The courier service they charge for seems priced higher than Fedex/UPS/DHL. Has anyone availed this courier via VFS or sent it directly yourself. How was your experience ?
3. They are heavily pushing the premium lounge service when I called VFS. Is it worth the extra Rs.2900 ?

Please let me know if you have any prior experience either in Chennai VFS or any other Indian centre.
They seem to have a document scanning service in Mumbai and Delhi where the documents need not be couriered but no such service in Chennai yet.

Many Thanks,
BL69

[blacklabel69]

When I manage to submit the application this week, I promise to update on the process for others applying in Chennai

[blacklabel69]

Here is the page about supporting documents : https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/in/en/vacs/ ... -documents

I applied via vis4uk but not sure if CoE-RoA comes under settlement (as my son is already British by descent)

[CR001]

No it is not 'settlement', which is a visa category. I hope you did not select this option. Have you paid a fee already??

You should have selected :

> Other
>>Other
>>>Right of Abode Certificate of Entitlement

[blacklabel69]

Hey CR001, Thanks for responding.

I did manage to get that bit right. I read other posts in the forum on CoE-RoA and chose Other->Other->Right of Abode Certificate of Entitlement and filled in the form as best as possible for this type of application and submitted it, paid the visa +priority appointment fees. It is when I clicked on the 'Register at Commercial partner' button that all this confusion started.

It looks like VFS is trying to do some 'digital transformation' but basic things like the GWF number cannot be entered. They have a separate appointment booking system where they try to upsell extra services but visa4uk also has an appointment booking system which I used.

My questions are more towards the VFS options to pick and if documents need to be couriered to UKVI in Sheffield for a CoE-RoA application. I will take another extra 10k INR cash in case I need to use their courier service for sending docs to the UK.

[blacklabel69]

Hello everyone,

We got the CoE-RoA for our baby in a week from date of submitting documents. Hopefully the info below will be useful for people in the same situation.

When you complete your application, you can book appointment using either standard or priority appointment. You cannot use the Super Priority Visa option for CoE-RoA applications.

VFS Chennai is using the scanning process so it took about 3 hours even with the premium lounge (Rs.2900) option as there are only 2 counters in the premium lounge.

The premium lounge is a small area with seating for 5-6 people and a biometric collection room and paying for this also includes SMS updates (we got only 2 in total) and courier service to return the passport. There was a small cooler with water and some soft drink cans. We felt that the normal queue/counters were finished with the applicants faster

We took the priority visa option (extra Rs 20194) and paid all charges directly at VFS in cash. They also accept card payments but I think it is only debit cards (not sure as I paid in cash). The current VFS website seems to be incomplete and at least for this CoE-RoA application, I wasn't able to book and pay for services (premium lounge, priority visa) as the form kept showing a random value and did not let me enter my GWF application reference and it wasn't resolved despite raising it with VFS customer and tech support, who admitted they were having a problem

There was no parking for applicants in VFS Chennai. Had to park on the side of the road, quite some distance down the road
Once you enter, you go to second floor. Security and staff were very courteous and allowed an extra person since the applicant was an infant.
There is a small enclosure for feeding, nearto the queuing area
When you are in the queue, a staff member asks for the documentation and arranges it and removes all clips/staples etc.
Once called into the seating area, another staff member arranges the documentation using the barcoded-separator sheets for different types of documentation.
In the counter, you handover everything and they scan everything. They returned all originals and colour photocopies but kept the baby's passport.

We did not courier any documents to the Sheffield office (one of the questions I had)


Timeline:
Application submitted online and visa fees paid : Feb 25, 2019
Documentation submitted at VFS Chennai : Feb 28, 2019
Email from UKVI stating that case is being considered : March 4, 2019
Email+ SMS stating passport is being returned : March 6, 2019
Passport returned via BlueDart : March 7, 2019
Approval date as per vignette : March 4, 2019

Documentation:
Please note that due to the scanning process, every single piece of documentation has to be in A4 size. These can be photocopied into A4 sheets but must be clear and readable.

1. Supporting letter (using a template in british-citizenship/roa-coe-for-a-briti ... l#p1299001), customised for our application
2. NHS records (colour photocopies of the entire booklet+scans+any attached reports from consultations)
3. Hospital records in India
4. Discharge summary
5. Pediatrician visits/records for baby
6. A few photos from babyshower until application (due to scanning process these were photocopied onto A4 sheets, in B&W, so not sure this helped)
7. Birth certificate for me, wife and baby in colour
8. Travel itinerary showing me coming to pick my wife and baby
9. Travel itinerary (one-way) for my wife+baby
10. Some documents showing cohabitation (driving licenses for us, utility bills, poll cards etc)
11. Passport photocopies for me and my wife
12. My wife's BRP
13. Printout of http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006 ... edule/made
14. TB certificate for the baby
15. Marriage certificate

The above was in addition to application copy, appointment confirmation etc.

Courier tracking

VFS used BlueDart and to track the passport once you get a notification, go to BlueDart's website, choose Ref number (not Waybill) and enter your GWF application reference as the value to track

[suhu]

Hello, that's great news Congratulations!!

I am in a similar situation and need to apply for my daughter's ROA.

The question I have is, once you get the ROA, is there any time limit within which you have to get into the country? Normally these days when you get other type visa, it says you have to travel with 28 days.

Did you use the visa4uk website to complete the application and book the appointment?

Regards
Suhu

[blacklabel69]

I don't think there is any time limit, except the expiry date given in the passport. This is a not a visa but a certificate saying they have a right of abode in the UK and the observation will say how they have right of abode (in my kid's case, British Citizen) so there shouldnt be a time limit. May be the mods can weigh in if I am wrong.

Did you use the visa4uk website to complete the application and book the appointment?

Yes, I used the visa4uk website to apply and book the appointment.

[suhu]

Thanks lot for responding blacklabel69

[LeoLibra]

Congrats ! @ blacklabel69

My query is regarding the VFS chennai centre.

When you are in the queue, a staff member asks for the documentation and arranges it and removes all clips/staples etc. - is this for premium service or for everyone ?

I guess these are for the Premium service -
Once called into the seating area, another staff member arranges the documentation using the barcoded-separator sheets for different types of documentation.

In the counter, you handover everything and they scan everything.


If we do not purchase these value added services do we need to arrange and scan the document ourselves in a scanner /counter.

I am planning on applying for Tier 1 dependent visa for my 4 yr old twins this month end.
Called VFS last week to ask & they asked me to walk in and find out

Any suggestions about which service to purchase or is it safer to do it yourself?

[blacklabel69]

The document arranging stuff they did for me before I bought the premium service. Even in the seating area, they called people one by people and did the same before they went to a counter. I guess this is for speeding up the process (One of the staff said the scanning is taking more time than the old process of just accepting submitted documents) I think.

[suhu]

Hello,

I am filling the application form for the Right To Abode for my daughter who is 10 months old.
There are sections about income/expenditure and these seem to be mandatory. What do we fill in these sections?
Also I am guessing the permanent address will be my (Father's) UK address.
I am filling the under 18 section as well.
Some sections seems not relevant but are mandatory.

Would love to hear how others in the same situation filled in the application form?

Regards
Suhu

[blacklabel69]

Based on other threads in the forum, I filled it up as it would apply for a child i.e.
Work status - Unemployed
Income and expenditure - 0
Is someone paying for your trip - Yes
Relationship with the person paying - Father
How much is being paid - 1000
Why they are paying - child is X weeks/months old and is legally prohibited from working for money

I think UKVI took a Visitor visa form and added a Right of Abode section.

Good luck !

[suhu]

Thanks blacklabel69!!

[suhu]

Hello,

Do we need a TB certificate for the infant? Some forums says it is better to have it and some say it is not needed.

If it is not needed, I don't want to get the TB certificate.

Any help please.

Regards
Suhu

[uk7592]

Hello,

Do we need a TB certificate for the infant? Some forums says it is better to have it and some say it is not needed.

If it is not needed, I don't want to get the TB certificate.

Any help please.

Regards
Suhu

If under 6 months then no

[suhu]

Excellent, thank you. I having some trouble with the site.

1. I have finished the application and paid the fees in Visa4UK website
2. Book the appointment through Visa4UK site
3. I have registered with Commercial partner (VFS Chennai)
Visa type - I can't find Right to Abode in there.. What do I choose?

Do I need to create a new application in here which is different from what I just did in Visa4UK website?

Also as part of the package, it says walk in appointment. Is that true, can I walk in without a fixed appointment?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Regards
Suhu

[blacklabel69]

The VFS site is very confusing and it looks like it is not set up from automatically transferring details from visa4uk for CoE-ROA to VFS.

In the type of visa you can find a COE as the option. That was the most appropriate one and one that I used.

As for package, choose what you like. I didnt choose walk-in for CoE-RoA but I did choose the Gold package for a different visa and went for walk-in. You can walk-in but you need to choose an indicative date before you pay. I would also suggest to give a full working day gap from date of submission to date of appointment.

My money was wasted on Premium Lounge though. Took 3 hours for CoE-RoA and the next time (for a different visa) took 4.5 hours and the concerned person had to wait in a queue to get into the lounge !

For peace of mind, I paid for priority service and that was worth it. I highly recommend that option.

[suhu]

I have chosen the Gold Platinum package which is 25k. It says it includes the priority service. Is that what you are referring too? Thanks for the reply. Can't appreciate more.

[suhu]

Even when I choose the Gold Platinum service which says the priority visa is included, again it asks for priority visa. If I choose that, the total comes to 25k + 21k

This makes me question does the gold platinum package include the priority visa?

[blacklabel69]

Hey Suhu,

Apologies for the delay, I hope you have applied by by now. I am not sure of the packages, IIRC there was a gold package and a platinum package. I didnt choose any of these, I went to the VFS and mentioned I wanted the priority service and paid in cash there directly. If the package says it is included, then there is no need to choose it again (their booking system is not the best!) and if in doubt, you can always pay at the VFS centre like I did.

[dreamweaver]

Hi Blacklabel,

Thanks for putting all the details.

When you go to VFS, Is it mandatory to carry the original document or just the photo copy is sufficient. Or Is there any option to upload the the scanned document by yourself.

Thanks in advance

[blacklabel69]

Hi there,

Due to the new process, anything you take has to be in A4 paper size. Can be originals or photocopies.
But please make sure that everything you submit is in A4 size, is single-sided and not back-to-back.
Please make sure that there are no staples or clips in the documents as this will make the submission slow.

The staff at VFS (Chennai at least) tend to re-organise the documents before scanning.

Short answer : Yes, there is an option now for visitor visas but not sure for CoE-ROA. But I feel the VFS process is new and buggy (have seen it evolve from no option to disabled to enabled in a space of 2ish months) so for I always request family members to take documents and get them scanned at VFS.

[Londoner001]

Hello everyone,

Please bear with me as the search is not turning up clear information (probably due to the new VFS-UKVI process) and the new VFS website is an omnishambles.

I am planning on apply for my 1 month old son's Right of Abode vignette in his Indian Passport (British Father, Indian mother, baby born in the UK and has a Indian passport) in VFS Chennai.

I have submitted my application and tried to purchase the Priority Visa plus a few services from VFS website but for the past two days they have had a 'technical issue' where the GWF application number field is disabled and contains some random string and they have asked me to buy the services at the application centre when we go there to submit documents. They have also said I have to pay cash which is confusing at this day and age.

My questions :
1. They offer a document scanning assistance service but very confusingly also say that documents have to be couriered to Sheffield.
2. The courier service they charge for seems priced higher than Fedex/UPS/DHL. Has anyone availed this courier via VFS or sent it directly yourself. How was your experience ?
3. They are heavily pushing the premium lounge service when I called VFS. Is it worth the extra Rs.2900 ?

Please let me know if you have any prior experience either in Chennai VFS or any other Indian centre.
They seem to have a document scanning service in Mumbai and Delhi where the documents need not be couriered but no such service in Chennai yet.

Many Thanks,
BL69

Hello BL69,
I am in a situation applying RoA CoE for my daughter. Both parents are Indian Nationals with ILR granted in 2013.
We have a daughter born in 2018 holds an Indian passport issued in the UK. Her birth has been registered in Birmingham, UK and so assume that she is a British citizen by descent. However, we did not apply for her British passport. The baby and the mother traveled to India and now they want to return back to the UK.

As we do not have any kind visa nor have applied for her British passport, We need to get the Certificate of Entitlement for Right of Abode (CoE-RoA) stamped on her Indian Passport to avail the entry to the UK.

I am applying her application for ROA online and am stuck at a few questions. I kindly ask if you can help as you have successfully received RoA for your son. and my situation is very similar.

1) Do I need to fill Your other nationalities as she is also a citizen of the UK as she is a citizen by Descent or Just fill it as Only holding Indian Nationality?
2.1) Have you been to the UK in the past 10 years? Yes / NO
2.2) How many times have you been to the UK in the past 10 years? She was born here and never traveled out. What to answer for this?
2.3) Select why you were in the UK: Other reason
2.4) Provide details about why you were in the UK: Birth in UK
2.5) Date you arrived in the UK: She was born here. Is that ok to mention as Born in UK and provide her DOB?
2.6) How long were you in the UK? Since Birth (15 Months)
3) Have you ever been given medical treatment in the UK? Yes/ No? IF Yes what to include as such she did not have any special medical treatment as apart from GP visit and birth at the hospital, and usual health visit checks.
4) Have you received any public funds (money) in the UK?
If yes do we need to include the receipt of child benefit?