TLScontact / UK Visas & Immigration UKVI Review

We came to Edinburgh office . It was good experience.

Visa process is good and quick if we have all proper documents with all photocopies - Tls contact don t take any originals so need ALL DOCUMENTS PHOTOCOPIES along with Originals. (Even for dependants)

@Tls Contact

Dear Tls contact, Please remove "Messages" option in your website as it is no more useful to get answers from you. Even to speak to one of your customer service on call during application process is challenging.

@French Embassy

Thanks French Embassy for approving our visa although Tls contact scared us with Missing documents concept. Please try to combine with one more agency like TSL Contact as they cannot manage more and more increasing customers.

These people need to upgrade there system, they still want a "photocopy" of everything?

Only the applicants are allowed inside so friends have to wait outside and it can take up to 2 hours.
The visa itself seems to be very straightforward and processed in a few days.

The lady that sits in the window is SO rude and unfriendly. In the middle of serving me she started working on something else making me wait. Then she gave me the someone else's passport. She only checked the last name. She was so careless and hardly apologised. I have never experienced such rude customer service in London before.

Overall great experience. The process was quick and efficient despite the high number of applicants.

I'll like to start by saying a visa was issued. Hence not the reason for this poor review. Here is my experience at TLScontact Edinburgh in MAY 2016:

- website cluttered, information now well structured. It's a mess!
-- Not responsive to email and request
- ignored request for an earlier appointment even though there was availability
- delayed appointment without apology- An hour and half to 2 hours wait from time of appointment. On the other hand, one is not allowed in if late.
- unfriendly staff
- delayed sending off application by 2 days even though I was told it would be sent on the same day.
- un-informed staff- asked to wait for VIS when I didn't need to because it has been taken in previous application
- told cash is not accepted at point of payment without prior infomation
- misinformation through-out until collection
- understaffed, unmanned desk, not just on the day of appointment.
- time spent at the desks by all applicant filling travel plan form, further adding to waiting time. They could easily inform people to fill travel plan whilst waiting.
-Worse, I had to pay for this as if it was a previledge.
-Security was very professional in his role unlike the rest of TLS contact staff.

second time applying, good service, happy to receive my passport on time

Go without kids. If you go with kids, you would be forced to take the Premium Lounge charging 27 pounds each (even for the child). The visa process would take close to an hour if you have all the necessary documents in place (refer to the picture for the checklist for French Visa). The staff is very friendly and will adequately help you. There is no parking so you would need to park your car a couple of streets away and walk. There are photocopying, instantbpassport photo taking facilities inside for a plum cost. There are photocopying shops outside too (on the main road) for a pound each.

There is no order. The processing is very slow. Security guy on the door is rude. I'm waiting for an hour over my appointment time.

The experience in making the application and support given was great.

Horrible experience. They were just being captious and rude and trying to earn as much money as possible from us. They don't deserve the money I paid.

Thank you France and TLS contract - the reviews were very bad and I applied with missing documents - visa girl at centre told me it was my choice to apply or come again - I applied with the missing and I got my visa a!!! I think the staff was great when I went to visa centre - I did not wait long time and everybody smiling

How are they even in business is beyond me !!! They messed up me and my daughter's application. She's a student and I am her sponsor. I got granted a visa , my daughter didn't . I have left numerous emails to this place no replies . The whole experience was a nightmare. They messed up my biometric, it took the whole day the process to apply . I am so mad right now !!!!

Very good service. I was very scared after reading comments here. But in reality, I found the service excellent. I give them 5 . IGNORE THE COMMENTS just complete your application properly and attach required documents accordingly as mentioned on their website and you are done. Staff is very caring, polite and helpful. I came from Brighton all the way with my family including toddlers, knowing that the toddlers are not allowed in the visa centre, but they found a way and we managed to submit visa applications. I had couple of previous experiences with VFS global, but TLSContact shines. Thanks again for your cooperation and assistance. Keep it up.

the staff are very efficient and friendly. it only takes a week to finish all the process and receive the passport. the whole process went very successfully and it is a good experience.

The process is good and the security guard is did a good job.

Bad communication skills of staff the site itself is troublesome and less user friendly..

RUDE staff and terrible environment. The staff shouted at us not to use mobile phones otherwise she would THROW your application away, while she herself KEEPS using it.

The person at the centre said I don't need to submit certain documents and refused to submit them. Later on, they contacted me telling me to submit these documents

I'm happy with the service. Very professional

Thank you
Sanjaya

Very bad experience I lose my hotel and airplane ticket I deposit my passport 3 weeks ago and still no answer from them I m wondering why they ask for flights and hotel booking if they know they are not stable in the timing and make ppl lose they re money that s not fear the staff super rude I just hope they don t lose my passport like I read in some reviews happens to some costumers ... Please stop playing with peoples money and time what a waste !

Security guard and receptionist were disrespectful to people waiting.
Not to mention they subcharge 3 pounds, if you pay the application and service fee with a credit card.

Unbelievable place, try to ignore if you can.
Really unfriendly, helpless and rude place, people are unwelcoming and unprofessional there. I went there to apply a visa for me and my wife. My wife's T2 dependent visa are only 5 months length(which don't have a BRP card, and we will extend the UK visa next month), then we were told she can't apply a schengen visa because of the wrong UK visa type. Actually when I checked the egilibility on other Schengen country like Holland and Italy, even UK visiting visa can apply for a Schengen visa here. Ridiculous!
Then I decided to apply a visa for myself. The register definitely are the first time working there, took me ard 5 mins to finish the registration. Then I wait in that area for 20 mins, while the screen never show my number. I ask one senior staff to check whether my info have been enrolled to the system, and he told me to wait and didn't want to check the system. 10 mins later, the waiting area is empty, and the screen is empty too, I am still waiting in the area. I asked the staff the third time to check the system, and be rejected again. Then I ask: can i leave? He directly pointed to the exit.
I have applied two Schengen visa in London last year, one for Holland and one for Iceland. VFS service is much better than TLS

Really loved the experience. Was able to complete the form get i t verified by dedicated person before submitting the documents. Its really the best way to make sure you dont miss any documents which could force you to withdraw your application. To top it all i was able to get the photocopies and printouts of the documents which i had missed to take.

The bad reviews are basically self-death, people have written that they can't play mobile phones with children, he will give bad reviews. At least I think these two points are a good guarantee of order inside. In addition, the person who bought the insurance insurance must have not bought winter sports. It is very likely that the visa is refused.

One of the poorest service waited 2 hour just to get inn, and it was bloody freezing. Avoid

Worst experience ever!
I am a Tier 4 student in UK who just completed and sent the short stay tourism visa application to France through TLScontact, London yesterday (12th of March, 2018)

However, I forgot to print one document which is the return flight ticket from my last destination,Barcelona, to London.

I explained my situation to the reception staff in TLScontact yesterday and I was asked to upgrade my service to premium service therefore they could help me to print the missing document.

However, one of staffs in the premium-service office rejected to upgrade my service and asked me to reschedule my appointment while the latest available appointment will be in April. And he told me that the premium-service office was shutdown already at 12:45pm while in their website they stated the premium-service closes at 15:00 from Monday to Friday. For this reason, I had to send my application without the return flight ticket while my problem could had been easily solved in five minutes by simply logging in my email and printing the flight ticket.

I am really disappointed with the service at TLScontact centre, London and I do think there is lack of communication between their staffs and misleading guidance. They admitted their mistake afterwards but they told me they could do nothing but send my application without the printed return flight ticket.

Good staff, it is very good for Chinese students because some staff can speak Chinese, and they are very patient. Good service as well. Edinburgh

The process is clear and efficient. Although I live in Cardiff and needed to submit additional documents, and the problem is you don't accept emails/fax. That makes it tough and expensive for uni students specially to come all the way down to London just for a 15mins job.
Otherwise, no complaints overall!

Worst service. They never respond to email or phone call.

Premier service is great and affordable especially with Malena's professional help. I would highly recommend it. Also you can literally have breakfast here :p

When I came over in the morning, I felt that the service was very good and the processing speed was very fast. The service staff is also very friendly

Worst service i never see.
i changed my decision of going to pairs because of the mess they made.
If any one applying for france, change your mind please, and visit other EU country

I am trying to amend my appointment and still no luck. I cancelled my initial appointment but its have not been cancelled yet by TLS and I cannot book a new one. I need to travel next month. I sent a request on 19.10.2015 and am still waiting!

I have been trying to reach customer service for the last week every single day 7 to 10 calls a day and I always asked to leave my number and someone will get back to which never happened. I tried to fill the contact form 5 days ago but no one reply. Such a waste of time

If the appointment is for 11:00 you have to wait for an hour or so. They give atleast 20 people same time lot, for us it was 20 people with 1100 o clock appointment. It was a caios 100 people standing and waiting outside in cold and rain. Once you go inside its atleast 3 to 4 hours. Staff is not capable of handling applications, undermanned which makes all of them rude and cant be asked for anything. Customer service they leave outside the door.
They were very lazy, working in slow motion. If you have appointment make sure u r free whole day coz they take 5-6 hours.

Learn something from VFS. Excellent service.

Horrible company with no empathy with its customers what so over. On my appointment day I needed to print the receipt but I couldn't bcz the france visa website was down, which is not my fault. I am now trying to get another appointment but the next appointment is well beyond my scheduled trip. They are abusing customers because they know we have no other options. I wonder how a developed country allows humiliating people this way just because they want to visit the country.

Absolutely terrible customer service and, I'm sorry to say, a huge embarrassment for France. The experience applying for a Schengen Visa to visit France was a complete and utter shambles from the start of the process to the end.

Customer service is virtually non-existent - just try rearranging or cancelling an appointment for example. The centre was in a state of complete chaos during the appointment with far too many people booked to each appointment slot, no organisation and no communication at all. Expect to wait around in an uncomfortable, cramped room for 4+ hours and that's only after you've made it inside!

If I could get a message through to the French embassy I would say: you can do much, much better. Please employ a better managed company to administer your visa applications. This is not the standard one would expect of any country on any continent.

Unfortunately no option to rate zero stars. A terrible case of mismanagement and horrendous customer service.

Everything was so smooth. There was no queue . Everyone was friendly

Just had the RUDEST service ever. Worst team management.. including supervisors who didn't even try to do their basic job as "supervisors". Nobody can handle responsibility or try to offer help.

Very satisfied with the whole service.
Recommended

Beginning on November 20, 2015, two visa offices in Edinburgh and London began accepting French Schengen visas across the UK. There are few people who don t have to wait in line. The staff said that they can sign for a week. Liverpool runs in Edinburgh and London are similar, Edinburgh has more people and less, of course, Edinburgh Hahaha

Why will they give me an appointment with confirmation emails on a weekend and yet still they dont work on weekends...

On attending the appointment, the staff were really kind and helpful. We made a mistake in the application but the lady serving us was able to correct this so our application could go ahead. However, the visa was not prepared in time for our trip, we were not informed when it was ready, it took three days to get through on the phone and despite a promise to get a call back within a few hours, this took 6 days.

Put down a number so we can contact you for god sake, AHHHHHHH

Would have given 0 stars. TLS is making applying for French embassy nothing less than a trauma. We applied for France for a November end travel 1.5 months in advance but the earliest appointment was first week of December when I tried More

Everything is fine just too many applicants recently. It took me 3 hours.

The staff are very friendly ~ very interesting ~ the operation is still very smooth, but when there are many people, it is necessary to stand outside for a long time ~ successfully signed ~ happy!

I was a bit apprehensive after reading all the reviews on here but I had a very different experience. I arrived 20 minutes before my appointment. Stood in line for about 15 minutes before being allowed inside. Gentleman at the registration desk was very friendly. Waited for 5 minutes before my name was on the screen and I gave all my documents in. Very professional yet friendly lady helped me. I signed my form in the wrong place and she reprinted it for me. Also my photo wasn't acceptable (I had used the same one for a previous visa) and was told I could just take one and hand it in at the window just outside the building. She directed me to the cashiers desk, I paid and was then expecting a bit of a wait to do my biometrics but no. I went straight through and was done in minutes! So far this has been the most professional and easiest visa application I have been through. Applied for my visa on a Friday and got it on Thursday!

Nice service and helpful staff in the premium service. London

TLS office is nice and staffs were so friendly and nice. We apply for France visa to treat my wife for a vacation cause she wants to go to Paris for a tour. The blonde lady in Edinburgh office is very professional.

Shame on these scammers. Will write directly to the embassy.

The premier serves is efficient, stuff are patient and documents are easy print here.
Made the visa apply process easier.

Service was just ok, they don't really help make the applications successful during the appointments ,they will just take whatever you bring. so refusal is highly possible. Me and my friends tried to apply and funny enough we got rejected despite having been told that the documents were ok.

I had a visa appointment yesterday at 11.30 am. I showed up there on 11am and saw the long line of about 20+ people in front of me waiting to go in for their appointment time. Most of them are the people from 9am onwards. So, everything are pretty much delayed because there were massive of applicants versus about 5-6 open counters.

I would say this: the staffs are very nice, they smiled and speak to you nicely. If you prepare your document well, and with extra copies. It's very smooth and easy during the process of submission. I would recommend you to prepare a few more extra copies for each documents you need. Though they have printing facilities and photo booth, the lines are not worth the wait really.

Also, try to get the earliest interview slot time as early as you can to avoid the traffic. If you forget some document, they will allow you to submit again before 14.30 pm.

In total, i arrived there 11am and got out about 15.15 pm.

I applied for a Schengen visa on 15/05/2018 appointment time 11:30am. I travel 8 hours to reach the visa centre as we live in Yorkshire. The applied visa is for 3 days in France and 10 days in Italy. France is our first entry point into the Schengen zone so I applied for a visa at the French TLS contact centre. The application centre staff REFUSED to allow my application. The female member of staff shouted at me and was extremely rude as I calmly pleaded my case. We now have to rearrange a visit to the Italian TLC contact centre to apply for the same visa. Will you reimburse my travel costs??? Regards

Most staff are friendly and helpful except one woman who distributes ppl to different counters with very poor English unprofessionally and impolitely. In these kind of place, the only important thing's keeping yourself patient while waiting and calm when dealing with a terrible person.

The reason I gave only two stars is because from the first step of application they didn t put my reference number into the system so I was just waiting and wasting my time until more than an hour later I asked an Asian lady to help me check my information. She was kind and helped me out. The second step was about the fingerprint, because my reference number wasn t in the system so there wasn t point to wait again, so I went to an empty counter to ask how should I do it, but she was kind of rude and impolite didn t even looked at me and gave me kind of attitude, yet I was thankful cause a guy helped me out eventually.

Worst customer service ever! Booked an appointment but there is no option to cancel or amend the appointment date in online. When I called the customer service (did it at least 3 different times, one at opening time at 8.30 AM and later 2 more times today), the call was put on hold and after 2 minutes it gets disconnected automatically saying to give our phone number to call back. But they never called back. Also submitted a form to cancel/amend the date, but no response so far. Not sure why they even do it. Horrible service..

I didnt have a good experience with TLS!

I was going on a cruise, and the planned journey was I would fly to Nice, France from there I would go to Savona from where the Cruise started. The cruise was at 3 ports in Italy, 2 ports in Spain and 1 port in France. But I was spending an additional 2 days in Nice after cruise and flying back from Nice. Since my first port of entry and exit ( along with 3 days was in France) I applied from TLS/France embassy. They rejected my Visa saying my main destination is Italy.



This put my schedule in jeopardy as that left me only 10 days to get Visa from Italy VFS. Literally we were under lot of tension when VFS and some agents came to our rescue.

I was advised to come to your London office location W14 by a Swiss embassy. I came to you on Monday 13th August and the moment I entered the premises I received a very rude and negative attitude from a lady of African origin who claimed that I was not allowed to travel to Switzerland at all. With such an unfriendly welcome, I asked to speak to the manager who was very helpful and found another consultant who served me. I paid 36 pounds for your service only to be told by the Swiss embassy that I do not actually need a visa as I am going to stay in the international transit zone in Zurich without leaving the airport. My main destination was Cyprus. Nobody in your company informed me that Algerian passport holders and I am also a family member of EU citizen do not require a transit Swiss visa therefore I feel I wasted my time and money. I feel that the staff who work for such a big company need to be not only polite and friendly but also knowledgeable and professional.

Last but not least, I specified that I wanted to collect my passport in person. However, I received an email from you stating that my passport was going to be delivered by a DX courier company, which I did not ask for. I made numerous phone calls and asked for a tracking number but none of your consultants was able to provide it. Finally, I phoned the courier company and they did not find my details on the system. I do not need to mention the immense amount of stress I experienced. After a few hours of email exchanged and phone calls, one of your consultants phoned me back saying that there was a mistake and my passport was ready at your London office. I received no apology or explanation.

I sent a few complaints through your website about 4 weeks ago and none of them was acknowledged. You even made a mockery writing kind regards. On Monday 17th Sep I submitted a letter of complaint to one of your security officers who hopefully passed it to the manager. The service and attitude I received from you was outrageous. You can not even apologise. Shame. I will not recommend you to anyone.

They did my bio metrics a d the lady said all good next day I recieved an email from french consulate bio metrics error need to come back to give finger prints to French consulate I had to take day off from work earnings loss also travel expenses and time and frustration when I contacted tls to refund my processing fee is they can not do things right they said we do not give money back.

The staff is unprofessional - had to come again to correct 3 mistakes in my application, all of them were caused by poor instructions and the absence of validation from the staff. Nearly missed my whole trip because of that delay in the application process.

Every person who work there tries to make customers life as difficult as possible. They think like they own that place. They just wasted my 4 hours time which i spent for travelling by not giving my family and my passports including. I wish could make those staff to get fired and never employed back.