Shipping, UPS vs VFS for Spouse Settlement Visa

If I do 2 day shipping estimate using ups.com it comes out to be about $105 round trip (38 pounds each way x 1.4 $ convert).

Does my UPS quote seem really low, am I missing something?
Using their envelope and assuming weight of 1kg.

Can I avoid VFS entirely for shipping? From what I read here they use UPS, why the $120 upcharge?

Can anyone verify envelope shipping charges?

The VFS charge is for a package weighing up to 5lbs (2.3kg), so it depends on the size and weight of your package as to whether VFS will be cheaper or more expensive than doing it yourself.


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You also cannot purchase an international return label before you ship it.

If you do it yourself you have to do the following:
- create an online account with UPS
- include your online UPS account number with your documents
- ship your documents to Sheffield using one-way UPS shipping (usually $80-150)
- when the visa has been processed, Sheffield will use your online account number to charge the return shipping to your account.

Or you can just ship it to Sheffield yourself and purchase the VFS return label for $141 and not worry about the online account.


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when the visa has been processed, Sheffield will use your online account number to charge the return shipping to your account

Where does UKVI state that they will do this?

Only guidance I received during the process is a hard direct to:
"To purchase required shipping labels, please go to: https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/usaShoppingCart/Pages/Authorization.aspx"

Where does UKVI state that they will do this?

Only guidance I received during the process is a hard direct to:
"To purchase required shipping labels, please go to: https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/usaShoppingCart/Pages/Authorization.aspx"

It doesn’t but we know from years of experience that it is not possible for UPS to generate return labels from another country. They have to be created in the country where the package is being sent from.

What you were directed to is the VFS Global service offered by UPS which is specifically for visa applications in Sheffield. It’s a pre-paid, fixed-price UPS shipping label that you can purchase so you don’t have to go through UPS or DHL yourself.

However, the OP is looking for a way to purchase shipping labels without using the VFS shipping option.


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