Warning about visa subcontractor VFS Global in Chicago
Jun 22nd, 2017, 05:43 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,898
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Warning about visa subcontractor VFS Global in Chicago
Many consulates now outsource visa processing in the US to vendors, including Norway and the UK who both use VFS Global, and Indian-owned company.
My son showed up at the subcontractor VFS Global in Chicago yesterday for processing his study visa for Norway. We live out of town so he flew in just for this purpose. Even though he had an appointment, was there a half hour early, and all the correct documents, he left 6 hours later and had the door locked behind him without VFS accepting the documents. They claimed he needed to show a receipt for paying for the visa processing fee ($385) even though this receipt is not on the Norwegian government checklist of things to bring and in fact the website specifically says, "Click here to print receipt for your use but you will not be required to show the receipt anytime during the submission process." Indeed, there is no way to bring up the application screen to access the required documents without paying the fee. Both the employees at the Chicago and New York Consulates told me over the phone that VFS Global was wrong to require this receipt. VFS Global did not finally see my son till 2-1/2 hours his appointment time and by then it was too late in the day to pull together alternatives on my end and start calling people to iron out the issues.
Upon leaving he said he could get the receipt and return in the morning but the employees refused to help him set up an appointment saying, "appointments can only be made online." There is a security system in placed such that a person cannot be admitted to the lobby without an appointment, so no chance of showing up without an appointment and hoping for a cancellation or opening and being processed. I checked and there are no appointments till Friday so he may be stuck in Chicago for 2 nights unexpectedly. Also he could not fax in or email the missing receipt (which he did bring up on his phone and showed them-- not good enough) but needed to find some offsite printer to bring back the paper copy which is the only way they will accept the document.
Unfortunately during this process the VFS Global employees teased and ridiculed my son for not bringing the right documents and wasting the money for the trip and their time, to the point that he was brought to tears.
Previously in the waiting room he witnessed groups of people refused acceptance of visa documents without being told a clear reason for it. A women came with her son, who had been refused acceptance of documents his first two trips to VFS Global for a study visa for the UK, and was told he was going to be refused a third time. They would not let her into the interview room to help out. It was only after she threatened to call the police that she was able to gain access to her son and she was able to work out the "issues" and get them to accept the visa documents.
Thank goodness a high school friend stepped in with no advance notice and put my son up for the night.
My son showed up at the subcontractor VFS Global in Chicago yesterday for processing his study visa for Norway. We live out of town so he flew in just for this purpose. Even though he had an appointment, was there a half hour early, and all the correct documents, he left 6 hours later and had the door locked behind him without VFS accepting the documents. They claimed he needed to show a receipt for paying for the visa processing fee ($385) even though this receipt is not on the Norwegian government checklist of things to bring and in fact the website specifically says, "Click here to print receipt for your use but you will not be required to show the receipt anytime during the submission process." Indeed, there is no way to bring up the application screen to access the required documents without paying the fee. Both the employees at the Chicago and New York Consulates told me over the phone that VFS Global was wrong to require this receipt. VFS Global did not finally see my son till 2-1/2 hours his appointment time and by then it was too late in the day to pull together alternatives on my end and start calling people to iron out the issues.
Upon leaving he said he could get the receipt and return in the morning but the employees refused to help him set up an appointment saying, "appointments can only be made online." There is a security system in placed such that a person cannot be admitted to the lobby without an appointment, so no chance of showing up without an appointment and hoping for a cancellation or opening and being processed. I checked and there are no appointments till Friday so he may be stuck in Chicago for 2 nights unexpectedly. Also he could not fax in or email the missing receipt (which he did bring up on his phone and showed them-- not good enough) but needed to find some offsite printer to bring back the paper copy which is the only way they will accept the document.
Unfortunately during this process the VFS Global employees teased and ridiculed my son for not bringing the right documents and wasting the money for the trip and their time, to the point that he was brought to tears.
Previously in the waiting room he witnessed groups of people refused acceptance of visa documents without being told a clear reason for it. A women came with her son, who had been refused acceptance of documents his first two trips to VFS Global for a study visa for the UK, and was told he was going to be refused a third time. They would not let her into the interview room to help out. It was only after she threatened to call the police that she was able to gain access to her son and she was able to work out the "issues" and get them to accept the visa documents.
Thank goodness a high school friend stepped in with no advance notice and put my son up for the night.
Jun 22nd, 2017, 07:17 AM
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,898
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Fortunately he went to the Chicago Norwegian consulate first thing this morning, explained the situation, and they graciously took all the materials directly so he's done. No need to return to that Delhi-by-the-Lake disaster VFS Global. Had to buy another ticket home, and late tonight, but the price of the new ticket is about the same as the fees VFS Global was going to charge to accept the documents so it's a wash. Now he gets to visit the world's best collection of French Impressionist Art this afternoon so that's something I guess.
I was misinformed that biometrics were required for this visa, so in the end a visa service was the way to go but we didn't know it.
I was misinformed that biometrics were required for this visa, so in the end a visa service was the way to go but we didn't know it.
Jun 22nd, 2017, 07:19 AM
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,898
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Also didn't mention that the mother of the student going to Scotland offered her home for the night to my son right there in the lobby of VFS Global so that's something else good that happened.
Jun 22nd, 2017, 08:05 AM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 17,801
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, it's all sorted now, so all's well that ends well, but if he could have gone to the consulate in the first place, why did he choose to go the VFS route?
Also, what's with this racist remark:
<No need to return to that Delhi-by-the-Lake disaster VFS Global.>
Either the employees were thought to be Indian, or "Delhi" is shorthand for chaotic, but either way, not cool.
Also, what's with this racist remark:
<No need to return to that Delhi-by-the-Lake disaster VFS Global.>
Either the employees were thought to be Indian, or "Delhi" is shorthand for chaotic, but either way, not cool.
Jun 22nd, 2017, 08:18 AM
#8
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 17,801
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I still don't understand why the fact that it is Indian-owned is relevant, except that it sets up the opportunity for a racist slur. Honestly, that's just unacceptable. Assail them for their many failures, but their country of origin is irrelevant.
Does the "outsource" situation mean you have to use a contractor? Apparently not, But some clarification for future seekers of advice would be helpful.
Does the "outsource" situation mean you have to use a contractor? Apparently not, But some clarification for future seekers of advice would be helpful.
Jun 22nd, 2017, 08:47 AM
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,898
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes it's a sole-sourced contractor so documents are not taken at the consulate anymore, just the 4 VFS Global locations nationally. The consulate taking my son's documents directly was a special case. I appealed for help directly to the woman in New York who manages the VFS Global contract for Norway and she made the exemption for us so our son did not have to spend a second night in Chicago.
Anyone familiar with the we-will-do-everything-in-our-power-to-make-it-not-work-out mentality of the bureaucracy of India will sympathize. They know you have no recourse but to jump, sit, beg, roll over because you have to go through them (at least unless you know a way around it).
Did I ever tell you the time I refused to bribe an Indian official so he refused to give my passport an exit stamp? I went ahead and crossed illegally and was treated as a celebrity by the Bangladeshi officials, apparently the first in recent memory to exit India without paying baksheesh (bribe).
Anyone familiar with the we-will-do-everything-in-our-power-to-make-it-not-work-out mentality of the bureaucracy of India will sympathize. They know you have no recourse but to jump, sit, beg, roll over because you have to go through them (at least unless you know a way around it).
Did I ever tell you the time I refused to bribe an Indian official so he refused to give my passport an exit stamp? I went ahead and crossed illegally and was treated as a celebrity by the Bangladeshi officials, apparently the first in recent memory to exit India without paying baksheesh (bribe).
Jun 22nd, 2017, 08:52 AM
#11
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 17,801
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Oh, so you're defending being racist. Cool. Noted.
(You do know that being racist based on negative personal experience is not a better category of being racist, right?)
I have an irrelevant but burning desire to know the age of the son in question, and whether he is neuro atypical or has special needs. I have difficulty understanding how he can travel abroad alone if the dopes at VFS reduced him to tears so easily.
(You do know that being racist based on negative personal experience is not a better category of being racist, right?)
I have an irrelevant but burning desire to know the age of the son in question, and whether he is neuro atypical or has special needs. I have difficulty understanding how he can travel abroad alone if the dopes at VFS reduced him to tears so easily.
Jun 22nd, 2017, 08:54 AM
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,898
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
>>But some clarification for future seekers of advice would be helpful.
I literally don't have any other than use a service if possible, even if told biometrics are required ask again of someone else. If not, do not send the child alone and do not expect it to work out in one day, just as if you were in India and needed something from an official. If going to the UK keep it under 6 months, then visa issued on arrival, but that wouldn't work out Schengen. Don't know how many countries use this vendor.
I literally don't have any other than use a service if possible, even if told biometrics are required ask again of someone else. If not, do not send the child alone and do not expect it to work out in one day, just as if you were in India and needed something from an official. If going to the UK keep it under 6 months, then visa issued on arrival, but that wouldn't work out Schengen. Don't know how many countries use this vendor.
Jun 22nd, 2017, 08:58 AM
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,898
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I really shouldn't dignify the "racist" comments but literally no one born and raised India would disagree that these types of experiences with Indian bureaucrats are common, and there's no racial component to my noting it anyway.
Jun 22nd, 2017, 09:15 AM
#17
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 17,801
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wow, you are really offensive! I used to live in Minnesota, and your attitudes kinda shock me.
Racists often defend their comments by saying "the ethnicity I am insulting would insult itself the same way". Which is not a defense!
Your attempt to use the terms "neuro atypical or has special needs" as a slur against me says a lot about you.
My question was serious, however. The son in question seemed unable to handle the obstacles described, and it occurred to me that there might be a reason. But I admit, again, it's not a relevant question, so you don't have to answer it. Even though you sort of did.
Racists often defend their comments by saying "the ethnicity I am insulting would insult itself the same way". Which is not a defense!
Your attempt to use the terms "neuro atypical or has special needs" as a slur against me says a lot about you.
My question was serious, however. The son in question seemed unable to handle the obstacles described, and it occurred to me that there might be a reason. But I admit, again, it's not a relevant question, so you don't have to answer it. Even though you sort of did.
Jun 23rd, 2017, 04:18 AM
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,898
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wrap up: Son arrived home about 1 am last night but avoided another night in Chicago. Consulate accepted the documents as my son submitted them to VFS Global without any addition or change and said they were perfect.
Tonight will order pizza and congratulate son on surviving his first brush with non-functional developing world bureaucracy. I will point out to him that this is a big part of the reason why developing countries stay poor and bright people emigrate from them. What he went through is a part of what people around the world deal with every day. Also will bring up times in my life when dealing with a non-functioning bureaucracy caused me to break down.
Complete irony in this equation:
$93 VFS Global visa fee (not paid) - $7 consulate visa filing fee (paid) = $65 new airline ticket to replace forfeited one + $21 student fee for Chicago Art Museum admission
After horrendous experience loved getting texts all yesterday afternoon with pictures of famous works of art like, "Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte."
VFS Global just opened new offices in Seattle and Atlanta to process UK visas-- good luck to all the future customers!
Tonight will order pizza and congratulate son on surviving his first brush with non-functional developing world bureaucracy. I will point out to him that this is a big part of the reason why developing countries stay poor and bright people emigrate from them. What he went through is a part of what people around the world deal with every day. Also will bring up times in my life when dealing with a non-functioning bureaucracy caused me to break down.
Complete irony in this equation:
$93 VFS Global visa fee (not paid) - $7 consulate visa filing fee (paid) = $65 new airline ticket to replace forfeited one + $21 student fee for Chicago Art Museum admission
After horrendous experience loved getting texts all yesterday afternoon with pictures of famous works of art like, "Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte."
VFS Global just opened new offices in Seattle and Atlanta to process UK visas-- good luck to all the future customers!
Jun 23rd, 2017, 05:03 AM
#20
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,464
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Glad everything worked out for your son.
I applied for a US VISA a couple of years ago. I was flying with Virgin, and clicked on the link they provided to apply for the ESTA Visa - a third-party company (VisaCentral) rather than Homeland security . Don't ask me WHY I used third-party rather than Homeland Security ... just a momentary lapse in common sense. They rejected my application with NO explanation two days later. It could have been that I have two passports (European and Canadian) and duel citizenship. Applied to Homeland Security and it was approved within two days.
I assume you will put in complaints to the school, so they can inform other students.
I have been involved in off-shore (IT) outsourcing for 25 years. Most organisations in the UK (particularly Banks) have brought their customer-facing activities back on-shore in the past few years (Aales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Northern England , or moved to near-shore locations such as Poland. While the off-shoring experiment was wonderful in the beginning, where companies had access to well-educated, service-orientated and articulate individuals, it went down-hill. The issues were both cultural and language based.
I applied for a US VISA a couple of years ago. I was flying with Virgin, and clicked on the link they provided to apply for the ESTA Visa - a third-party company (VisaCentral) rather than Homeland security . Don't ask me WHY I used third-party rather than Homeland Security ... just a momentary lapse in common sense. They rejected my application with NO explanation two days later. It could have been that I have two passports (European and Canadian) and duel citizenship. Applied to Homeland Security and it was approved within two days.
I assume you will put in complaints to the school, so they can inform other students.
I have been involved in off-shore (IT) outsourcing for 25 years. Most organisations in the UK (particularly Banks) have brought their customer-facing activities back on-shore in the past few years (Aales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Northern England , or moved to near-shore locations such as Poland. While the off-shoring experiment was wonderful in the beginning, where companies had access to well-educated, service-orientated and articulate individuals, it went down-hill. The issues were both cultural and language based.
