British Consulate General New York

I had one of the worst customer service experiences imaginable with VFS Global at their Phoenix location. I booked my appointment three weeks in advance and arrived 15 minutes early, at 8:45 AM, exactly as their confirmation email instructed. Three other people were already waiting — yet no one from the staff acknowledged or spoke to any of us until 9:30 AM. When I was finally called in, I was led to a cramped room with only two employees, one of whom was clearly sick — visibly unwell, coughing, and with a constant runny nose. In the middle of cold and flu season, this is unacceptable, and frankly, it’s reckless given the potential for COVID exposure. After that, the incompetence continued. Their computers weren’t working for another ten minutes, so I had to wait while they tried to get them running. Once they finally captured my fingerprints, they attempted to write my address on a FedEx envelope — only to discover their marker was completely dried out. They asked me to wait in the lobby while they “typed it up.” That delay alone took another 15 minutes. Then, after confirming my address, they asked me to wait again — another 15 minutes with no explanation. By this point, it was already past 10:15, and I had to leave to teach a class of 60 students at 10:30. My appointment, which was supposed to last 15 minutes (9:00–9:15), had turned into an hour and a half of chaos and waiting. When I told the front desk I had to go, they finally handed me a receipt saying my application was complete — even though I hadn’t signed the form yet. When I pointed this out, the employee said, “It’s not necessary.” That’s an absurd response for an official visa application process. This level of disorganization, poor hygiene, and complete lack of professionalism is unacceptable for a company handling sensitive visa documentation. If the consulate cares about efficiency, safety, or basic service standards, they should seriously consider outsourcing visa processing to a different company.

It’s absolutely insane how this process works. My family and I paid for a trip to London to drop off my brother at school as he is studying abroad. Upon booking the tickets, we noticed we needed an ETA. We’ve heard from everyone who’s traveled recently that the ETA is quick and easy and usually takes minutes to obtain. We didn’t think much of it since the individuals that are traveling are US citizens and residents. A week before our departure, we all obtained an ETA except one person who, due to further research, needed a visitor visa because she held a passport that the UK deemed needed a visa, but she is a US resident. As we scrabbled calling airlines and the UK embassy, all gave us the runaround until we just decided to do more research and applied for the visa. The process fee was almost$200, and then the biometric wait time is 15+ days because we were leaving in a week. We paid $700 priority just for this person to obtain her visa, which was cutting it close, but also we would hear an answer within 5 business days. Nothing has changed. The flight leaves tomorrow, and when I called the UK embassy, they said it still could take days, so then why pay for priority? Why in the world would US residents plan to come to the UK to overstay ? This is based on the national passport, and it’s absolutely mind-blowing that the ETA doesn’t allow resident cards to be scanned. There needs to be some improvement. It’s absolutely ridiculous. Worst experience.

Stellar service from the Consulate. Honestly, it makes me quite sad to see such negative reviews. I believe individuals should improve their trip planning, instead of rushing to apply for a visa at the last minute and expecting a decision the next day. For those cases, use the premium service, which will cost you from $500 to $1000. Time frame for my visitor visa: 11/20: Submitted Biometrics 11/20: Sent Passport with UPS to VFS 11/21: Confirmation that they had my Package 12/10- Visa issued 12/11- Visa Received I used the standard service, and everything went smoothly! Thank you, UK Consulate!

"I recently applied for a Standard Visitor visa at the UK consulate in New York and had a very positive experience. The online application was straightforward, and the staff at the appointment in Philadelphia Support Center were professional and helpful. The whole visa processing time was unbelievablely fast, which was the most amazing aspect for me. It was the fastest visa service I have ever experienced. I provided my fingerprints and photo on Monday in Philadelphia Support Center and mailed the passport and the application to VFS in New York on the same day. They received my package (passport and printed application) on tuesday, and my passport was mailed back to me on Thursday. Essentially, they processed my visa application within 1-2 days, excluding mailing time. I believe VFS is also doing an excellent job in processing applications quickly. At first, I thought my application had been rejected because the processing was so fast! I must note that I ensured all my documents were prepared and uploaded correctly. This included a letter of intent affirming that I would follow all visa rules and not violate any entry conditions, as I always do in any country. Overall, I would highly recommend this consulate for UK visa applications."

My travel date is Dec. 8 and they received my passport on Nov. 2. It is Dec. 3rd now. I am hoping that I get passport and visa back in time. I am stressing a lot because the only response I have gotten from them is that my visa wasn’t “straightforward” and apparently many people are getting this email too. I have gotten my visa twice previously and had absolutely no issues. They were timely and quick. Not sure what is going on during this time. I’m sure it has to do with the re-location. I have emailed them today for the £5.48 that they charge, so waiting their response. Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly. I will update further when I hear back from them. Update - they responded the next day telling me to “wait.” Update - I got it over a week late. Glad I didn’t buy my plane ticket before getting my visa.

Disappointing and Overpriced Service I had a very frustrating experience with the UK consulate’s visa processing, particularly with their reliance on VFS Global. Not only are they outsourcing their services to this third-party company, but they’re also charging exorbitant fees that make the process unaffordable and frustrating. On top of the already high visa fees, I was shocked to learn that I had to pay over $2,000 just to expedite my application. To make matters worse, there was an additional fee simply for walking in without an appointment. The whole process felt like a cash grab rather than a service to assist with the visa application. I expected more from a country as reputable as the UK, but this setup with VFS Global is disappointing and predatory. If you plan to apply, be prepared to pay much more than you anticipate, or face long delays.

I paid for the premium service to get my visa within 15 days and it’s been 4 weeks without any response. There’s no way to get in touch, how can I know the status? Why do you charge premium and don’t execute in accordance with your own deadlines? How to contact you to understand what is going on? This is extremely confusing and disappointing. Please help! — Update: got the visa after 6 weeks of waiting instead of 3.

This was the just a fast & easiest way you can get a UK visa, everything is mentioned on their website, fill in the application attend the biometrics / send your application through UPS it hardly takes a week to get a visa, Great service.