UK VISA

One experience:

I'm preparing for a third visit to the UK. For the first visit, in 1995 (wow), there pihak2 who kindly arrange my visa. And for a second visit (2000), I was able backing from the British Council, so it could be visa free and easy, although it should dicereweti clerk behind the glass counter at the UK consulate in Jakarta. For this third visit, I had to take care of itself. But I was lucky:).
2000 showed the atmosphere was different to 1995. Mudah2an not only because since 1997 the Labour Party took over the administration of the Conservative Party, but because the UK feel the need to present themselves more friendly and empathetic to the new world. Gate immigration in 1995 looked haunted, in 2000 a very friendly impression. Consulate which in 2000 still looked haunted, now no longer need our visit.
UK hand over the administration of visas to third parties. Also recommended (in Indonesia: REQUIRED) to visit the website UKVISAS.GOV.UK before starting the visa. For Indonesian citizens living in Indonesia, the management of visa must go through PT VFS Services Indonesia. Many third-party benefits administration through this. From the perspective of citizens, we will face the customer service of a private company, no longer have to deal with employees of a bureaucracy. From the consulate, they work more efficiently and safely if it does not have much to receive guests directly.
In Jakarta, to begin to take care of this visa, you must visit the VFS web Services. We have to fill out visa application form online. Blank form is provided, and can be downloaded to be filled. However, to reduce the possibility of misreading, etc., we may not enter this form. We have to fill out a form online, then print it and sign it. This form is long:). And the length varies according to the needs of our visit to the UK. But we can have payments of up to 1 week. Filled, saved, loaded another time, filled forwarded, saved again, and so on. To be faster, I fill out this form on a holiday, without interruption, while listening to march from Wagner's Rule Britannica. Hey, it's for motivation!
Next is a companion document. Photographs in color with light gray or cream background, and a face without a smile - haha:). Size 3 ½ x 4 ½ inches - this strange figure, even if used as an inch. Companion document may be filled as completely as possible, plus copies of: passport (including previous passport), pay slips, bank accounts, deposits, letters of land, decree or letter from the company, family cards, etc.. This is not a joke loh:). Because I collected documents nookie mood again, I copied all the papers with a uniform size A4, trus me enter the binder, which makes it look like a collection of documents biographies. Britain's colonial nations who always want to change our lifestyles to be regular like a nation that should be regulated. But I won, I could be more insane:).
Finished collecting the documents, we must return to the site VFS Services to make an appointment to submit dokumen2. VFS at Plasa Abda in Sudirman, Jakarta. We should be present on time. Bring your original identity card or driver's license, to be submitted to the receptionist bulat2 at Ground Floor, exchanged tickets for speeding MRT to Lt. 22, and there queued again. Antrinya long enough, because the officers memeriksai these documents carefully enough - to ensure completeness. We should not turn on your notebook or mobile - so no benda2 Twitter and other cool stuff. Bringing the book in paper form is highly recommended:). And at the end of waiting, officials familiar with our past with a friendly call to discuss the documents that we enter.
All documents will be submitted to the Consulate of the UK, and the only passport will be returned. So make sure no important documents carried by - other than photocopied. Once declared complete, we should pay the visa fee. Quite expensive. For short-term tourist visas, approximately USD 1.005 million, - and for a student visa to Rp 2.6 million, -:). This cost is taken as the UK consulate visa processing fee. Even if a visa is rejected, processing fee is not refundable. VFS itself picked Rp 25.000, - for the service given to us. But VFS kind enough to tell us to complete the incomplete documents or etc. if it is felt could lead to visa rejection. So this is better than when we submit directly to the Consulate, and can be rejected (plus loss of money) just gara2 incomplete document.
Then, the biometric checks. This means we cuman photograph and fingerprints taken at the scenic space. Wow, we can see almost Istora from above. But it may not lama2. We immediately thrown back by the officers, before they could set up tents in this room.
VFS will send us an SMS and mail. First is the visa notification when we've sent to the Consulate. Second, the notification when the passport is allowed to take. I myself quite lucky: visas can take less than 2 days after the documents submitted to the Consulate.

Of course we take the passport at VFS again at Plasa Abda. Visa version of 2010 is different from the previous visa. In 1995, little red visas. In 2000, visa-page passport-sized brightly colored. In the year 2010, Visa Europe Visa similar dark, but with photos.

Once the passport is completed, send SMS VFS still third, stating that a visa has been taken. Haha:). It may need a visa for her niece diambilin ask:).
In the meantime, there is a Northern Echo reporter who read my blog in English. He went on making assessments for the interview in Thirsk, and also makes foto2. Read the Northern Echo website, I was living in an age bener2 Herriot: a local newspaper that preaching about local residents who have problems with horses, dogs, etc.. Perhaps bloggers tourist arrivals from producing countries tweeters most of Asia is considered to be news worthy as well. I have read the Herriot books again to try to answer the questions the reporter with the Yorkshire-style pronunciation:). Reckon it's allus a piece o 'nonsense t'awd, Sorr.
Plus this time listening to one another march from Wagner: Kaissermarsch. It is a moot point composition James Herriot and Siegfried Farnon in the beginning of their conference in Skeldale House, Darrowby (Thirsk).