Well I've meant to write about this one for a while! Ever since I first travelled to the UK as a student, I can recall on one hand the number of times I haven't had trouble of some kind crossing the borders. I've been a few places in my time, and I can't recall anywhere (yes even the US) that has such needlessly strict and inconsistent border security.
The whole saga started around July 2008, I had plans of bike racing and camping in the European summer, then starting a year of student exchange in the UK that Autumn - not too much of a biggie visa wise, a quick call to the UK embassy in oz ($10 flat fee no less though!), and it was revealed that I could apply for the visa in Vienna or Paris in person - far easier than sending all the stuff to Canberra for 6 wks +! Besides It could not have been processed in time if I was going to race world champs on the bike and then make it to the UK.
Halfway through the summer though, things got a bit fishy - a few email, calls to both embassies, and even a visit to Vienna, I realised that these places had suddenly become like black holes - you could send your documents into them for an application, but no information would return out of them. Turned out that they also didn't take applications unless you resided in that country - contradicting the supposedly sound advice I paid for out of Canberra. Several years later, I found out that the whole UK Border agency / Forreign office / whoever was responsible, was in the process of being privatised for visa applications .
Unable to make sense of the situation where information was not freely given up, I chanced the border at the Eurostar terminal in Paris, knowing I'd be able to get a 6 month student visa there. Or so I thought! I got as far as having my passport stamped, but just as it was about to be handed over they questioned why I had 9 months worth of courses on my offer letter from Uni- I reiterated that It was my original intention to stay for 2 semesters worth of study, and that the only reason I didn't have the proper visa was that I had been fed a load of crap by the embassy in Canberra, and hey it's not every year you qualify to race at world champs is it? My finger prints were taken, and I was assured the consulate in Paris would process my application. With this, I set off, unsure of pretty much anything - I'd already had all my bikes shipped off to the UK and dropped off my rental.
Arriving at the address of the consulate, I found that it had not been there for sometime, I was given another address, and the search continued. At the supposed consulate I found that it was merely a place to submit visa applications for those in the country - It was little wonder then that my attempts to get in touch with them were unsuccessful! Distraught, I had uni doctor up 6 months worth of paperwork. Just in case I was barking up the wrong tree, I went and asked at the border what they'd need - apparently they wanted a full letter couriered over from the University! I retired for the night - it had been a pretty average day to say the least. Finding a hostel would be easy I thought , at least that would go my way. It didn't, and I travelled to 2 before I was successful.
The next day I took my chances printing an online version, and I was through. Happily I didn't pay for my attempts, as a fire in the Eurostar meant they were handing out replacement tickets and refunds more readily than an oversubscribed American commuter flight. Sadly though this is not where the trouble finished. Travelling to Belgium a few months later, I was taken aside at the border - my visa had been backdated 6 months rather than forward - rookie error on their behalf! After this hassle, I wrote, explaining the whole lot to the home office in the UK, and even offered to come down and have the whole lot verified - no chance, If the good times were to continue, I'd be going home for christmas. This was far from straightforward, with my application returned for not signing it (after it head sat in the que for 3 weeks on someones desk no less, no phone call no nothing!), Getting it back, and a few weeks later, I find out my passport has made it's way back to the very office in London I had offered to visit! 7-8 weeks after returning home, I was on my way back to the UK.
18 months later, and I had my YMS visa in my hand, this time ready to go before leaving Oz. Entering though the same border in Paris, there was not a single problem! But that was only temporary - Some nasty prick in Manchester decided that my student visa (which I was clearly no longer using!) had not been verified properly in 09' by stamping it - clearly not my problem! Several months later, and one of his colleagues tells me that my current YMS visa is not verified properly since it never got stamped - talk about inconsistency - they were probably even colleagues! Somewhere between these two inconsistencies, I was questioned about my work - the bloke reckoned that I was only allowed to work for 12/24 months on my visa - I called his bluff and asked for the proof - when you have had as much shite as I have you don't skim over the fine print! I was allowed through…. only if I was careful about how long I worked! I later looked at the legislation, and it was another case of this being true …. about 07/08' - once again the border security people are out of date!
So lets look at the list of blatant errors from the British Border Agency and Consulates:
The whole saga started around July 2008, I had plans of bike racing and camping in the European summer, then starting a year of student exchange in the UK that Autumn - not too much of a biggie visa wise, a quick call to the UK embassy in oz ($10 flat fee no less though!), and it was revealed that I could apply for the visa in Vienna or Paris in person - far easier than sending all the stuff to Canberra for 6 wks +! Besides It could not have been processed in time if I was going to race world champs on the bike and then make it to the UK.
Halfway through the summer though, things got a bit fishy - a few email, calls to both embassies, and even a visit to Vienna, I realised that these places had suddenly become like black holes - you could send your documents into them for an application, but no information would return out of them. Turned out that they also didn't take applications unless you resided in that country - contradicting the supposedly sound advice I paid for out of Canberra. Several years later, I found out that the whole UK Border agency / Forreign office / whoever was responsible, was in the process of being privatised for visa applications .
Unable to make sense of the situation where information was not freely given up, I chanced the border at the Eurostar terminal in Paris, knowing I'd be able to get a 6 month student visa there. Or so I thought! I got as far as having my passport stamped, but just as it was about to be handed over they questioned why I had 9 months worth of courses on my offer letter from Uni- I reiterated that It was my original intention to stay for 2 semesters worth of study, and that the only reason I didn't have the proper visa was that I had been fed a load of crap by the embassy in Canberra, and hey it's not every year you qualify to race at world champs is it? My finger prints were taken, and I was assured the consulate in Paris would process my application. With this, I set off, unsure of pretty much anything - I'd already had all my bikes shipped off to the UK and dropped off my rental.
Arriving at the address of the consulate, I found that it had not been there for sometime, I was given another address, and the search continued. At the supposed consulate I found that it was merely a place to submit visa applications for those in the country - It was little wonder then that my attempts to get in touch with them were unsuccessful! Distraught, I had uni doctor up 6 months worth of paperwork. Just in case I was barking up the wrong tree, I went and asked at the border what they'd need - apparently they wanted a full letter couriered over from the University! I retired for the night - it had been a pretty average day to say the least. Finding a hostel would be easy I thought , at least that would go my way. It didn't, and I travelled to 2 before I was successful.
The next day I took my chances printing an online version, and I was through. Happily I didn't pay for my attempts, as a fire in the Eurostar meant they were handing out replacement tickets and refunds more readily than an oversubscribed American commuter flight. Sadly though this is not where the trouble finished. Travelling to Belgium a few months later, I was taken aside at the border - my visa had been backdated 6 months rather than forward - rookie error on their behalf! After this hassle, I wrote, explaining the whole lot to the home office in the UK, and even offered to come down and have the whole lot verified - no chance, If the good times were to continue, I'd be going home for christmas. This was far from straightforward, with my application returned for not signing it (after it head sat in the que for 3 weeks on someones desk no less, no phone call no nothing!), Getting it back, and a few weeks later, I find out my passport has made it's way back to the very office in London I had offered to visit! 7-8 weeks after returning home, I was on my way back to the UK.
18 months later, and I had my YMS visa in my hand, this time ready to go before leaving Oz. Entering though the same border in Paris, there was not a single problem! But that was only temporary - Some nasty prick in Manchester decided that my student visa (which I was clearly no longer using!) had not been verified properly in 09' by stamping it - clearly not my problem! Several months later, and one of his colleagues tells me that my current YMS visa is not verified properly since it never got stamped - talk about inconsistency - they were probably even colleagues! Somewhere between these two inconsistencies, I was questioned about my work - the bloke reckoned that I was only allowed to work for 12/24 months on my visa - I called his bluff and asked for the proof - when you have had as much shite as I have you don't skim over the fine print! I was allowed through…. only if I was careful about how long I worked! I later looked at the legislation, and it was another case of this being true …. about 07/08' - once again the border security people are out of date!
So lets look at the list of blatant errors from the British Border Agency and Consulates:
- Canberra Consulate 08 - Advises that student visas can be applied for in-person anywhere - despite the process changing several moths before to outsourced processing, and only being done from the applicants home country or regional centre.
- Paris Sept 08 - Advised that I could apply for a visa at the consulate - it had moved, and definitely would not process my application due to the above outsourcing.
- Paris Sept 08 - My visa is stamped with the wrong year - making it expire 6 months prior to the date it's validated
- Aug 11' - I'm told I cant work for more than 12 months on my 2 yr visa - these conditions expired on the YMS visa ~ 3 years ago
- Nov 11' the border people can't work out if visas are DEFINITELY supposed to be stamped or unstamped.
Clearly all these errors point to a few basic things that need to be verified. Border staff need better training on what is and isn't current legislation - particularly since this is the legislation that they enforce! Secondly - don't privatise a government function, and if it is done, at least make sure everyone is on the same page, so they don't give false information to applicants.
Finally, I thought we as Australians were part of the Commonwealth? I reckon the above is pretty excessive given we still have the Queen as our head of state!
As a postscript, a quick search of t'internet did not reveal too much - It appears that sometime in Feb 08' that visa applications started to be outsourced for the UK, but naturally the Border Agency has no information on this! I did however find this - seems i've got plenty of company!
Finally, I thought we as Australians were part of the Commonwealth? I reckon the above is pretty excessive given we still have the Queen as our head of state!
As a postscript, a quick search of t'internet did not reveal too much - It appears that sometime in Feb 08' that visa applications started to be outsourced for the UK, but naturally the Border Agency has no information on this! I did however find this - seems i've got plenty of company!
