Pulling Back The Curtain
When I started in this industry, nearly two decades ago, the process to file a visa application was very different - everything was paper-based and the thought of lodging an application for any sort of visa online was the stuff of science-fiction. There was always a nervous wait as the courier picked up your client’s application, whilst you waited for it to make its way by air, land and sea to it’s final destination. Then, you had to wait for INZ to open the parcel and scrutinize the documents, before finally sending you confirmation that what you had offered up was acceptable - almost like a reverse Christmas morning, without the fun and excitement.
Preparing any sort of application was a mammoth exercise in logistics, coordinating the client, INZ and yourself to ensure that the final product was perfect. If anything was missing, INZ could return the entire parcel to you, unactioned and that timeframe could spell disaster for your client, if there was a deadline involved. I have had my fair share of close calls.
Thankfully the current system relies on the click of a button and whilst the same degree of care is required to pull together the right documentation and file the application correctly, first time around, the actual process is a lot more efficient. Almost all visa applications are now filed electronically and the ones that aren’t are heading that way very quickly. Documents usually dont have to be certified copies or originals any longer and the most perplexing part is trying to navigate INZ’s myriad of different online systems and rather clunky online forms. Once your application is ready to go, all you need is a steady finger on the mouse and a credit card to pay the fee.
But what happens when that loading pages finishes and the words “application submitted” flash across your screen?