There seems to be more to the visa matter than meets the eye, I suspect
Jun 05, 2005
SIR — Two letters appeared in the New Vision last week protesting the treatment the British High Commission in Kampala metes out to visa applicants.
SIR — Two letters appeared in the New Vision last week protesting the treatment the British High Commission in Kampala metes out to visa applicants.
The letters contradict talk I have heard that the process had been streamlined.
I have heard official reasons such as unprecedented numbers of visa applicants, the terrorist threat (hence requirement for scrutiny) and fraudulent applicants (including those likely to go underground or overstay their visa).
Reasons for applying for visa include study, conferences, visit, marriage, and children joining parents who are settled in the UK. Being a good believer I would give the British High Commission the benefit of the doubt. I would find it difficult to believe that they are disorganised or hire incompetent people.Why?
They lose your original documents. They ask for a group of original documents but afterwards ask you to send them the same original documents that are already in their possession!
If you apply for a settlement visa for a child – the process may take up to eight months — they could sign the child in as ‘male’ when she is ‘female’ (even if her Ugandan passport says female) and then you have to queue up for several hours to get the error rectified.
They may ask for all sorts of evidence that an applicant was not required to present when they applied — and more! There is a populist outcry in Britain about ‘immigrants’ — a subject exploited for political and racists ends and one is tempted to believe that this negative mood is dominant in British visa sections abroad.
Rev. Amos Kasibante
Leicester, UK
The letters contradict talk I have heard that the process had been streamlined.
I have heard official reasons such as unprecedented numbers of visa applicants, the terrorist threat (hence requirement for scrutiny) and fraudulent applicants (including those likely to go underground or overstay their visa).
Reasons for applying for visa include study, conferences, visit, marriage, and children joining parents who are settled in the UK. Being a good believer I would give the British High Commission the benefit of the doubt. I would find it difficult to believe that they are disorganised or hire incompetent people.Why?
They lose your original documents. They ask for a group of original documents but afterwards ask you to send them the same original documents that are already in their possession!
If you apply for a settlement visa for a child – the process may take up to eight months — they could sign the child in as ‘male’ when she is ‘female’ (even if her Ugandan passport says female) and then you have to queue up for several hours to get the error rectified.
They may ask for all sorts of evidence that an applicant was not required to present when they applied — and more! There is a populist outcry in Britain about ‘immigrants’ — a subject exploited for political and racists ends and one is tempted to believe that this negative mood is dominant in British visa sections abroad.
Rev. Amos Kasibante
Leicester, UK