Visa documentation - scan or send?

The process for clients as to what to do with supporting documents in a visa application appears to be in a state of flux.

The much vaunted new scanning process - where applicants turn up at a Visa Application Centre with all of their original supporting documents and everything is scanned and then sent to Sheffield for processing - does not yet appear, at least at some major Visa Application Centres, to be operating as it should.

We are aware of at least one applicant attending an appointment at the Visa Application Centre in Moscow with original documents, ready for them to be scanned, following the very clear instructions on the TLS website about the new process, only to be referred to the old procedure where clients are required to send their documents directly to Sheffield themselves.

This is extremely frustrating, with costs incurred ferrying documents back and forth via secure courier. The issue has been raised with the Home Office, and we are aware of colleagues experiencing similar issues and Edgewater Legal will be raising the issue with ILPA.

It will be important for any clients (and/or their lawyers) making these applications in future to double check as far as possible the correct procedure for their particular visa application centre, and for the particular route in which they are applying.

It appears that relying on crystal clear instructions on a website may not be enough.

Main image: Photo by LJ at Google