Rigmarole - Visa Application

We finished preparing for visa request, registered and booked an appointment online. But the offices are almost fully booked for a several months or you need to contact with them until a cancellation come up. But I booked the appointment for a month ahead, just a week before my current permission to stay expires. That's fine. So, do we need to just wait? No. Even though you finished filling application form, you had better not to let yourself get too relaxed. In fact, when my husband checked the website of UKBA, he found the application form of FLR(M) was renewed! Most of pages were the same, but some changed due to changing the rule came into effect on 9th July. The form I filled before was 'version 07/2012v2', but new one is 'version 09/2012'. I think it's a quite important thing, but there's no mention about it on the website, but just the new form is there in obscurity. I wanted to switch only the different page, but version number is printed on every page... so I rewrote it from the beginning. Remember? You have to fill this form by hand in the digital age.

Also I have to submit an original certificate showing that I have passed an acceptable English language test provided by a test provider approved by the UK Border Agency. I took Pearson Test of English Academic (PTEA) in Tokyo this February. According to the guidance, Pearson does not issue paper certificates, and scores must be sent to UKBA online via my account of Pearson and must also be submitted as print-out of online score report. I did as instructed last time.

Question is whether I need to send it online again? According to the officer of UKBA on the phone, he said I don't need to send it, because UKBA CAN NOT receive result online so just bring print-out score report. Wait a minute! So where did my score go last time? Another officer said I have to take an another test because they CAN NOT receive result online. When I heard that news, I felt the blood drain from my face and was frozen. Was my choice wrong? The new rule was adapted without knowing? If it was true, I can't stay in the UK and have to go back Japan to get the visa! Because it's impossible to take a test and get a new result within a few weeks and submit as a proof! I think she was wrong, because Pearson Test of English Academic is DEFINITELY APPROVED by the UKBA!

As a result, PTEA is acceptable (I believe) and I can't send the score to the same organisation twice in Pearson's system. Seems like verification is done by a UKBA officer logging into the Pearson website and viewing the score for the applicant. I guess some officers who don't have a responsibility to verify the score don't know how to log in the Pearson website and how to check it. That's why they can't have proper answer. Our resolution method is to submit the confirmation of score report as well.

How could she say that I have to take another test? If she didn't know the answer, I didn't want her to talk out of plain assumption. But this is the reality of the situation of UKBA Helpline. Is it the helpline? No, it's a trouble-line and they are genius to disturb applicants!

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