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External agencies are not unique to China. They are used by embassies all over the world. For Schengen ones, embassies are not allowed to force EU national family members to use them, but if the applicant chooses to, then a fee can be applied.chaoclive wrote:I personally have only had experience of the Danish Embassy. The fee was fully refunded.
Graham also has the visa fee refunded, so the German Embassy is fine also.
This fee would be hard to get around as (in some Embassies) all applications have to go through the external provider. The external provider will not accept the application if the fee isn't paid.
I don't see this as a problem, as the fees charged are insignificant and are refunded.
First sorry Directive the quoted text was from the O.P.,s linkJambo wrote:I'm not sure what you are preparing but quotes from the HO are not required as part of the application. The caseworker knows the rules. He doesn't need to be reminded of them.euroguys wrote:Im getting all my evidence prepared for Singh application
Very interesting. Hard to know exactly what this means.
.Directive/2004/38/EC wrote:Technically they should not be charging any fee. You could imagine that charging a $1000 fee (and then refunding it) would make it harder to access the visa, or force you to have a credit card to pay the fee.chaoclive wrote:Many of the Embassies in Beijing (due to high volumes) use an outside processing company (in this case TLS).
These providers charge a fee and will not (generally) accept applications without this fee. In this case 60 kuai (the informal name for 'yuan' or 'RMB', the Chinese currency) was charged.
But it was returned to Graham later.
This also happens with the Norwegian Embassy in Beijing.
At the end of the day, these Embassies still provide a free service...
So in all cases the fee is fully refunded by the time the visa is issued?
It just means that people need to do their homework and do the SS route properly. Staying in a hotel and working remotely will not work. The work and residence need to be genuine and effective.dalebutt wrote:This is an area of law which should be taken with total seriousness, on reading this, I have immediately written to the commission, seeking clarification of that statement, this is something that might throw in jeopardy efforts of many hoping to return to the UK using SS.
I suggest you put a link to your web site in your signature. I am not sure what it is...BritCits wrote:and we're the ones who made the FOI request above to ask the Home Office on reasons for removal of the wording in question.
There is more information on our website too around Surinder Singh. Best of luck!
Congrats GWGraham Weifang wrote:Hi all,
Just a short update, to effect some sort of closure on this thread.
Applying for the visa at the German embassy in Beijing was quite easy, the £6.00 was refunded the following day.
You can not submit the application without the payment reference.
It's not right, but that's how it is.
We arrived in Germany, without any problem, and registered at the Rathuise, with bank accounts etc, and I started work.
Then 3-4 months later we applied for a EEA-FP for my wife, which was free.
Refused the first time, as I did not stipulate what currency I was earning in Germany.
We applied again, the day of the refusal, with all the same documentation as before, but this time, indicating that the earned currency was indeed the Euro.
After 5-6 working days, we got the call to return to the World Bridge offices, and a UK Entry Clearance visa gained, and we entered UK the following day.
Entry at Dunkirk took about 20 minutes, while the immigration official, verified her visa.
A short while after entering UK, my wife applied for a NI number, received about 2 weeks later.
Then I bought her a car, just a cheap one, for her to get to work and back every day.
Car insurance was a bit steep, but that's expected.
She is able to drive for 12 months on her full Chinese car licence.
Then she got a full time job, and then I got a full time job, soon after.
Then she applied for a UK health card, which was received.
Then registration at the local doctors.
Then bank accounts, etc.
Then She applied for a "UK Learners Licence".
She learned the Highway code, and passed the theory, and the hazard perception tests, first time.
Then we applied for the EEA2, Residence Card.
This entailed sending off all the information that was required for the EEA-FP, off to Durham, with a £55.00 postal order, and some 2 weeks later, she received a Certificate of Application, stating "Right to Work"
Then some 12 weeks later, we received all our documents back, with our passports, and the residence card which is actually, a vignette, in her passport, this is valid for 5 years until 2019.
So for now, we are both working hard, both fully employed, in full time jobs.
Now she has her UK driving test booked for early September this year.
I expect in 5 years time, circa 2019, the next step is permanent residence.
GW