Hello everyone, I am a Chinese citizen who is currently live in the United States and has the U.S. permanent residence card (green card). I am planning a trip to U.K to visit my friend this summer. I got my visa application done, all the fees were paid, and got my fingerprint taken.
I got the e-mail from them after I summit my online application:
The cost of your application, which you have already paid, is: USD 111.00 plus USD 12.00 postage..A Transaction Confirmation will be sent by the payment authority to the e-mail address you gave when you completed the Card Holder Details section. Your payment reference is: 9*********5
The following supporting documents are required:
* completed online application form
* your current passport
* your old passport or a copy of it
* One recent colour passport photograph (not more than six months old) Please note: scanned or copies of photos are not acceptable
* evidence of funds available to you, in the form of detailed bank statements covering at least the last three months
* either a letter confirming your period of employment from your employer together with salary slips for the last three months or a certificate confirming you have continuing studies or if you are self employed, evidence of your business for example company
* a written invitation from your sponsor in the UK (if applicable) and a copy of their British passport/EU passport or UK residence permit
* After you have attended your appointment please send your documents to: British Consulate General, Chicago, The Wrigley Building, 13th Floor, 400 N. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
* Your US immigration status (if you are not a US citizen), for example, a green card, an Advanced Parole document, F1 visa with an updated I-20, H1b, L1, J1 with updated DS2019, B2 or other (note: this is not an exhaustive list)
* Flight reservation/itinerary showing your intended dates into and out of the United Kingdom. Do not purchase your ticket before the visa is issued
* NOTE: If you have selected to use the Chicago Drop Box option, please note that this facility is limted to the following timings/date: 09:30 to 11:30 every Wednesday. Applications received outside of this time frame may not be accepted.
Now, I am kinda confused: Should I send them my original documents? such as my green card, my passport, and my SSN card? or just the copy of them? I am kinda worry about what if they lost my documents? They are pain in the butt to get them back…. Is it any phone number I can call and talk to them about this?
P.S. how long it usually take them to approve the visa? I am planning stay in U.K no longer than 2 weeks.
Thank you so much for your time!!!
They will need you passport to affix the visa into ..but the Green cards etc should be just copies sent
Original documents are required unless it is specifically stated that a copy is acceptable. You absolutely must send them your passport as the visa will be stuck into it, and you cannot have the visa otherwise. Note that their email doesn’t mention an SSN card, so you don’t need to send it. If you have an appropriate US visa in your passport showing that you are legally resident in the USA, then you shouldn’t need to send the green card as well – as it states in that email, what the Consulate wants to see is proof of your US immigration status, and any document that shows that will do.
Visa processing times for UK visitor visas issued by British Consulates in the USA are currently less than 30 days, with 95% of visas being issued within 10 days.