hiccups sepanjang mengejar UK visa...

Dear earthlings,

This post is meant as a preventive measure, why do I say that? the things I'm going to share here are the small, menial details that people tend to overlook and then cause a lot of trouble in obtaining the UK visa..

Make sure you filled out the form CORRECTLY. Double check, triple check, heck quadruple check if you must, but make sure that all info are correct.

Make sure you filled ALL the required info before submitting you form..be it for the ATAS form, TB screening form, online VISA form or the self assessment form..This may seem like a ridiculous reminder, but trust me, it will save you a lot of heart ache later on.. 

Make sure you send your university the latest passport you will be using for your studies in the UK...this is uber important especially if you've recently renewed your passport..you might wonder why, well, hang on, I'm going to explain now..As you might be aware of from my previous post, your university will issue you a CAS letter..in this precious CAS letter, it will state your passport number, and it's important to get the correct passport number which means your latest passport number..as for me, I was browsing through the documents for my visa submission at 10.30PM on 28th Sept (I'm submitting on 29th Sept, 7.00 AM), that the passport number on my CAS was not the same as my current passport number and only then I remembered i did not provide my uni with my latest passport number...I was so worried but thank God, Allah gave me some ideas, on how to solve the problem..I emailed the international admission team in the UK (I think this is the ONLY time I've been thankful for the huge time difference between Malaysia and UK) telling them my problem and attaching my most recent front page of my passport along with that email..the next thing I did was I contacted my uni's representative in Malaysia, (yes, they are THAT EFFICIENT, answering calls at 10.30PM) told them about my problem and asked them help get in touch with the International admissions team in the UK to speed up the correction..they will not issue a new CAS letter bearing the new passport number, what happens is, the CAS number issued is unique and there's a whole folder online behind that CAS number..all the uni needed to do was write a little note stating that they are aware of my new passport number and updating it online..so, Alhamdulillah, problem solved...

I took the PRIORITY service for my visa therefore, from the website, they mentioned the visa could be completed within 3 working days..I submitted mine on Thursday (29.08.13) and I religiously checked my status online at the vfs website..On Monday, I got an email from the Manila visa processing centre stating that my visa is already shipped off to malaysia (yup, they do the visa processing all the way in manila)..On tuesday, I checked the status of my visa about every 30 minutes if not more...I decided that I could no longer wait because my sponsor wanted to issue my ticket to the UK and I needed to confirm with them latest by Tuesday...therefore, what I did was, I gambled..I just took a train to VFS with the hope that my visa would have arrived already..Please bear in mind that you have to queue even for collection of your visa...I gave the guard my receipt and waited patiently inside..I did not have a good feeling because all those who submitted their receipt with me have already been called...the guy at the counter finally called my name and said that my visa is not yet available, I put on my panicky face, and told him that I needed to book my flight tix and my sponsors are waiting for my visa clearance..I asked him again what is the staus of my application and he gave me the same answer as the one on the web...sheesshhh...so I finally asked him, 'yang hari ni punya visa dah sampai from Manila?' to which he answered 'baru je tadi sampai pukul 2. Kalau akak nak, kena tunggu like setengah jam untuk kami proses dan cari kalau akak punya visa ade ke x'...I was more than OK untuk tunggu setengah jam tu..I was constatntly reciting rabbi yassir wa la tu 'assir from the moment that guy went to search for my visa...Alhamdulillah, my visa already arrived and i could take it then and there..yippeee...

I think this post is too long already.

OK, bye.

Cara-cara Nak apply UK visa from Malaysia.

Dear earthlings,

After going through so many steps and procedures, alhamdulillah I finally got my UK visa today..yeay! So, let's see, what tedious process you need to go through before you can obtain your UK visa...this applies to a sponsored student bringing his/her spouse...if you are single, then you can just skip those docs that are irrelevant...

WARNING: THIS IS GOING TO BE AN EXCRUCIATINGLY LONG ENTRY.

1) Make sure you have these documents ready beforehand.

    i) TB screening result (original and photocopy) - untuk diri sendiri & spouse

   ii) original marriage certificate (and a photocopy) - untuk spouse

   iii) translated marriage certificate (and a copy) - untuk spouse 

   iv) IELTS result (photocopy) - untuk diri sendiri

   v) ATAS clearance - untuk diri sendiri..for those yang nak amek phd in the         engineering field mmg kena ada tapi, boleh check balik dengan uni                  masing2. please be reminded that it takes at least 20 working days or

    or more especially during peak periods contohnya September intake, so sila     lah apply awal2 untuk mengelakkan sebarang delay..bole apply kat                   sini: https://www.atas.fco.gov.uk/public/welcome.aspx

   vi) CAS (confirmation of acceptance for studies) - yang ni akan di issue by           your university once you have obtained your ATAS clearance.

   vii) passport - untuk diri sendiri & spouse (renew siap2)

  viii) gambar berukuran visa dan background putih/ off white - diri sendiri&             spouse

2) Bile semua dah in order, boleh lah mula isi borang UK visa secara online kat sini: http://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/

Nak isi borang ni amek masa sikit, so sila lah set aside some time to do it supaya tak key in wrong info. This form is pretty straightforward so xde masalah insya Allah. Kalau anda pergi under tajaan then sila pilih category General Sponsored Student dan untuk spouse General Student Dependent. So kalau pergi berdua, maknanya, ade 2 lah borang online visa yang perlu di isi.

3) Ade satu lagi borang yang perlu diisi secara manual, boleh donlod kat sini: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/visas/vaf9-app81.pdf

yang ni agak leceh dan banyak info bergantung kepada info dalam CAS letter..will go through in detail sekiranya empunya blog ini ade masa later.

4) Bile dah selesai isi semua borang, then boleh lah proceed dengan bayaran. I'm not sure if debit card is allowed, but credit card kompem boleh guna to pay. Seorang applicant perlu membayar USD492 untuk UK visa ini..kalau dua orang, darab la dengan dua...perghhh..memang mencekik darah...

5) Once your payment is made, only then you can book an appointment to submit all your docs to VFS. Nak dijadikan cerita, masa nak book for the appointment, bile nak click tarikh je die cakap not available..turns out that appointment for august mmg dh habes..so kalao nak jugak terpaksa amek PRIME TIME service..which means that the appoinment will be made as early as 7.00 AM in the morning, and to add salt to injury, kena bayar extra RM160.00 per person...memandangkan masa untuk start pengajian dah sgt suntuk, terpaksa juga amek PRIORITY SERVICE which means another extra RM392.00 per person...wah wah wah...kuyuss walletku...

6) On the day of the appointment, sila bawak segala dokumen ke: Suite 19.06 19th floor, Wisma MCA, 163 Jalan Ampang...Kalau tak nak drive sebab jem macam hape je kat jalan ampang tu, boleh la naek LRT and stop kat Stese Ampang Park..then just cross the road and jalan sikit je, dh jumpa WISMA MCA ni...Take note that sekiranya anda amek yang PRIME TIME service, teros sahaja ke Level 19, xperlu ke Level 3..Level 3 adalah untuk appliants yang tak ambil PRIME TIME service..Pembayaran untuk PRIME TIME service serta PRIORITY SERVICE dibuat di kaunter penyerahan dokumen..Sebelom masok, nanti ade guard yang akan suh put all your bags and belongings kat almari kat luar, henpong takleh bawak masuk katanya, yang boleh bawak masok cuma wallet...ye ar, kang kalo tinggal wallet kat luar nak bayar dengan ape plak semua service2 top up dieorg kan..then guard akan bagi nombor..dok diam2 sampai la nombor kena panggil...bile dah kena panggil, pi kaunter, serahkan semua dokumen yang berkaitan...then duduk sat, tunggu plak nombor dipanggil untuk buat biometric scanning...the masuk bilik biometric scanning untuk scan all your fingers...the person incharge will then issue you a receipt yang perlu disimpan rapi sbb nanti bile nak collect visa perlu tunjuk receipt tersebut...

7) Bole balik umah, dan kalau rasa nak check status visa anda, boleh lah ke website ni: http://www.vfs-uk-my.com/ dan pilih track your application. kat sini lah receipt tadi memainkan peranan penting sebab atas receipt tu ade tulis application reference number yang perlu diisi untuk access info about the status of you UK visa application..

tu je lah for now, nanti kalau ade ingat lagi akan ditokok tambah..

OK, bye.

masalah nak dapatkan ATAS certificate

Dear earthlings,

Siapa yang nak pegi UK for PhD mesti tahu yang kita kena isi borang ATAS untuk dapatkan ATAS certoficate tu kan..

1) Sila isi borang kat sini https://www.atas.fco.gov.uk/public/welcome.aspx
2) Tunggu la bulan jatuh ke riba untuk dapatkan clearance. (die cakap 20 hari bekerja masa yang diambil untuk dapatkan clearance)

As for me, saya kena tunggu dari 16.06.2013 sampai lah 21.08.2013 untuk dapatkan clearance...2 BULAN!! memang dah tak keruan sangat dah masa tunggu tu..yelah..kita kan nak dapat CAS letter dari university lagi, pastu baru bole nak apply visa...homaiii...depa semua ni tak pikir ke yang kite banyak urusan lagi nak settlekan? Nak stat 2.09.2013..alamatnya delay lah..ape lagi...

Yang paling haru lagi adalah, they dont have any contact number..x ade telepon number!! yang ada hanya lah alamat email yang mereka tak reply...pffftttt...baik tak yah bagi contact details kalo mcm tuh...

walau bagaimanapon, kite try jugak la contact dengan cara yang ade tu..iaitu email..nak tunggu depa reply memang orang kampung sy kata, don't hold your breath...bile email sendre tak jalan, mintak university representative intervene untuk pihak kita..try je la ape cara yang boleh nak dapatkan attention depa..last skali, sy email, cakap tolong lah reply sebab saya dah nak start 2.9.2013 which is like 9 hari bekerja lagi yang tinggal..lepas tu, baaaaaaaaru lah depa reply, cakap ade masalah technical (pffffttt banyak2) and akan issue the cert esoknya...boleh pulak nak issue cecepat kan..
ape2 pon, alhamdulillah dah dapat cert tu..this post will remind me of the times when hoping was the only option despite that hope being crushed day after day..stay strong!

OK, bye.
Adventure Addict

TB screening for UK Visa in Malaysia

Dear earthlings,

For those of you who are going to the UK, you must know by now that in order to get a UK visa, you have to undergo the TB screening test. Now here's the catch, there are only a few places that is authorized to perform the TB screening test. If you happen to be in the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur/ Lembah Klang area there are 2 places where you could go:

1) Gleneagles (03-41413282)

2) Life Care Diagnostic Medical Centre,
    1st floor, Wisma Life Care,
    No 5, jalan Kerinchi,
    Bangsar South, 
    59200, KL
    (1300222369)

Hubs and I chose to go to Life Care in Bangsar because according to a trusted source, their service is tip top..here's what you'll need to bring along with you:

1) Original Passport
2) A passport sized photo  (bring extra, just for safety)
3) A fee of RM210.00/ person
4) Your UK address. If you don't have one yet, no need to worry, just put down your university address.

We arrived quite early, despite having some detour due to following instructions from Waze, but that's a whole different story..Now, here's what you do when you reach Life Care.

1) Go to the receptionist at Level G. Tell them you are there for your TB screening. They'll ask you to fill in the necessary forms. Now, mind you, be extra VIGILANT when filling out the form. You have to make sure all are in capital letters. NO MISTAKE whatsoever (I looked up my university address and there's like 3 addresses on the webpage and I just happen to choose the wrong one..instead of Byrom, I wrote down Bryom..So hubs and I needed to fill out a fresh new form)..Your handwriting must be neat and readable. 

2) You go up to Level 1 and take your number. Wait while they call your number. They'll attach a cute pink tag to your wrist.

3) You need to pay the RM210.00 fee per person.

4) Wait for the radiologist to call out your name.

5) Once you are done, wait outside to see a doctor. Don't worry, the doctor did not ask tough questions.. He only asked what I was going to study, when I plan to leave for the UK..Do I have a tattoo? In which he himself answered, "No lah, mesti x ade"(I mean, do I look like I have a tattoo?)..are you experiencing any cough right now..He then said, your X-Ray is normal so nothing to worry about..

6) After coming out of the doctor's room, a nurse called out my name, asked me to sign indicating I have already receive my report form back..once she hands you the form, you can now cross off TB screening off your list..yeeehaaaa....

I hope this helps for those of you who have yet to do the TB screening. Good luck everyone!

Yours Truly,
Adventure Addict