NEW SETTLEMENT GOLD PREMIUM SERVICE in US starting 15th November

I've just seen this on the VFS Global website:

It looks like they are introducing a SETTLEMENT Gold Premium Service package for US settlement (fiance/spousal) visa applications, starting on November 15th (this Wednesday).

Main features:
- it costs $1,600 (on top of the £1,464 visa fee and any IHS surcharge)
- it includes Settlement Priority Processing
- it's available at any of the 10 Premium Service Centres in the US (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami ,New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC)
- it's by appointment only
- appointments will only be available between 12:00 and 14:00 on a Wednesday
- you give biometrics at the appointment, so you can't use it if you have already given biometrics at a USCIS center.

See: https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/usa/user_pay_services.html#15
and
http://vfsglobal.co.uk/usa/applicationcentre.html#3

What is it exactly?

I've read the page in your link and I'm still none the wiser.

Honestly I'm not completely sure how it's going to work.

Settlement visas are still processed in Sheffield, so this is what I imagine will happen:

- you make an appointment at one of the 10 premium centres between 12:00 and 14:00 on a Wednesday
- you give biometrics and hand over all your documents to them
- they then send the documents to Sheffield for you, with priority processing
- they contact you when your visa has been processed and it's ready to pick up
- you go back to the centre and pick up your passport with visa vignette inside

What's confusing me a bit though is the box that says:
Keep my Passport While Applying   Included

It's N/A for the other services, but 'Included' for the settlement one... so I don't know if that means they keep your passport, or you can keep it and then you take it back to the centre for them to put the visa vignette in.

Very interesting.  The link that explains what all is included says that the package includes 'keep my passport while applying.'  I wonder how that will work.

Just saw your response, ksand.  Perhaps they will have the ability to print the vignettes at the Service Center and will place them in successful applicants' passports upon collection?  It will be interesting to find out.

Just saw your response, ksand.  Perhaps they will have the ability to print the vignettes at the Service Center and will place them in successful applicants' passports upon collection?  It will be interesting to find out.

Yeah, it could be that - I'm just curious as to why it's an option for settlement visas, but not the other visas.

I love the availability they have 2 hours per week at 10 centres in the US.

Pushing the boat out a bit I think

I would hope this is a same day decision but seems clear as mud...  we need a guinea pig!

I would hope this is a same day decision but seems clear as mud...  we need a guinea pig!

Well, it says it includes settlement priority processing, which implies it's still processed in Sheffield.

And the premium service page says:

Our Premium Application Centres staff will enroll your biometrics on site and submit your documents to the UKVI Decision Making Centre on your behalf.

and it says return courier service is included, but you submit your passport and pick it up in person, so a courier service wouldn't be needed if it was processed on-site.

It also says that the following is included:

Delivery of Application and Documents to UKVI
(Includes application submission and secure storage of passport on site)

Wow, how much more money are they trying to strip out of family immigrants? This makes me angry when they can't even post realistic timelines or provide updates on the $700 service.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It seems like a lot of money for not much value unless i'm missing something

So you pay an extra $1,600 on top of your visa cost plus the NHS cost and get what ? A speeder process?

 So that's almost 4 grand in US dollars

They should do everything on site for this kind of money ... 

So you pay an extra $1,600 on top of your visa cost plus the NHS cost and get what ? A speeder process?

 So that's almost 4 grand in US dollars

They should do everything on site for this kind of money ... 

Yeah, that's why it seems odd to me - unless we don't have all the details yet? Maybe the bonus is being able to keep your passport and get help with submitting the application?

If you don't use this service but do use priority, you are paying:
Visa fee = £1464 ($2001)
IHS surcharge (for spousal visas) = £600 (about $820)
Priority processing = $771
Shipping labels = $141 or $227
Total = $3,733 or $3,819


If you do use the service, you are paying:
Visa fee = £1464 ($2001)
IHS surcharge (for spousal visas) = £600 (about $820)
Gold premium service = $1600
Total = $4,421

So, that's $602 or $688 more to use this new service for a spousal visa application.

So I just got a hold of the  satellite consulate in Philadelphia and the guy said he's going to look into for me and give me a call this afternoon Eastren standard  time US to try and find out more details !!! Here's hoping

Because these prices seem a little ridiculous if you do not really get much out of it but then again who knows maybe it's worth it if it saves you the hassle ..

This sounds similar to the way my husband and I got our visas at the UK Los Angeles Consulate back in 2007.  It was same-day service.  We talked to the visa officer in the morning and gave her our documentation, were instructed to come back after lunch, and by then they had already put the visa vignettes in our passports.

We didn't pay anything extra for that kind of service.

This sounds similar to the way my husband and I got our visas at the UK Los Angeles Consulate back in 2007.  It was same-day service.  We talked to the visa officer in the morning and gave her our documentation, were instructed to come back after lunch, and by then they had already put the visa vignettes in our passports.

We didn't pay anything extra for that kind of service.

That's interesting - I joined the forum in Jan 2007 (when the visas were processed in LA, Chicago and NYC) and as far as I remember, it was not possible to go to the consulate yourself - you had to use a visa courier to do it on your behalf.

For priority/expedited processing, I remember you had to hire a visa courier to deliver your documents and then pick them up again later that day (or the next day)... which cost about $100-150.