UK Visa Process
Part I | Coincidence or Divine Appointment?
Last week, we completed our biometric appointment, officially submitted our visa applications, and sent our passports in the mail! We should hear back within 15 business days of their arrival in NY, the location of the UK's primary visa and document scanning center.
Divine Appointment
What is a divine appointment?
Though the exact words or phrases are not present, we see the concept and circumstances that constitute a divine appointment present throughout the canon of Scripture. We live in a world measured by seconds, minutes, and hours—days, weeks, months, and years. A reality inextricably governed by busy schedules, synced-up calendars, and personalized routines lining each moment and providing structure for our day-to-day rhythms. Yet, there are times when God interrupts or interjects in our carefully devised regiments and patterns of life. As we seemingly march to the beat of our own drum or move to our own choreography, suddenly, a new syncopation redirects our attention to the Master Conductor, the transcendent Choreographer.
"God is the Great Engineer, creating circumstances to bring about moments in our lives of divine importance, leading us to divine appointments." –Oswald Chambers
A divine appointment is:
A Spirit-guided intersection of people's lives (circumstances) for the purposes of God
An unmistakably God-ordained meeting between person(s)
Divine Biometric Appointment
What started as an unassuming morning on the day of our visa appointment became another opportunity to witness the particular scope of God's omnipresence, love, comfort, and guidance. When one applies for visas to enter a foreign country—along with passports and other paperwork—one will be required by that government to provide biometric information: fingerprints (Steph and I) and photos of each family member. Initially, our preliminary research found that the closest processing center for the UK's preferred vendor was in Los Angeles, so it was an expression of the Lord's mercy to find out that we could schedule an appointment in our local area. Toward the end of the online application process, the submission portal gave the option to use a USCIS (US Customs & Immigration Service) branch.
Payment Issues
If you're applying for UK visas, you will, unfortunately, be subject to technical issues with making payments for your visa application and Immigration Health Surcharge. We had so many issues trying to get through that part of the process that we had to hop on a few calls with our local US-based bank to troubleshoot the UK-merchant payment platform and figure out why there was a disconnect. What should have been as simple as a couple of clicks to make a payment became a tiresome and stressful IT Help Desk experience with our bank. Thankfully PayPal is listed as an option to make payments on the UK Visa & Immigration website. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to process our applications and schedule our biometric appointment.
We expected to arrive at an old, slightly run-down municipal building but turned up at a small shopping center parking lot and saw a small building labeled "Application Support Center." There was a short queue at the front entrance—we were one of maybe seven others who scheduled the earliest time slot when the center opened. Remnants of the pandemic were still present in the form of masks, sanitizing stations, and 6 square feet of space between all chairs. It looked like a large, sterile, mostly empty DMV-style room with very few staff and only 1 of 4 stations operating where photos and fingerprints were formally taken and submitted to the UK government.
The lady up front was tasked to check our passports and biometric booking paperwork, which we had to print out beforehand. I tried to strike up a bit of small talk with her, commenting about how odd it was that the UK writes out dates as 'day-month-year' from left to right, but her demeanor was a bit cold, borderline rude, and she was very quick and deliberate with her words. To be fair, I'm sure she encounters all sorts of characters while on the job, and she could've been having one of those mornings.
At our next stop, we were required to get an official stamp (date, time, and signatures from 2 USCIS reps) from the center. While we waited to be seen, the lady at the front noticed Steph trying to keep up with the kids, so she began to interact with them. Her whole temperament softened, and we could tell right away that she had grandchildren by the way she spoke and playfully gestured with Enzo and AJ. She started to talk to Steph, asking why we were going to the UK. Surprisingly she opened up about how she has family in the UK and that she visits once a year to see her grandchildren. Moreover, her family lives in Straford-upon-Avon, famously known as Shapkespear's birthplace and only 40-50 minutes from Birmingham, England.
While I asked and answered a few questions at the second stop, where our booking paperwork was being stamped, the lady from the front desk asked Steph what line of work I was in that would require a UK visa. Steph told her that I was a minister and God had called our family to be on mission in England. Something lit up in her eyes, and she proceeded to talk about how great it is that the Lord has called our family there. She told Steph not to worry about the process and all the waiting involved because it would happen in the Lord's timing and will. We got to the last part of the process, where we were waiting to be fingerprinted and photographed. She continued to take a particular interest in us, keeping the kids entertained—at one point, she came up to me to ask my permission to give the kids a couple of toys (from the lost and found) as she felt compelled to do so. She gave Enzo a toy construction vehicle and Adaline, a little pony. It was such a blessing to have an encounter with the love and comfort of the Lord through her.
For those who are unfamiliar with mission work abroad, check out our 4 part series “WHAT DO MISSIONARIES DO?” (Part I, II, III, and IV). It'll give you a wealth of information about several lesser-known aspects of mission work that will help you understand what encompasses ministry abroad or if you're personally thinking through and prayerfully considering all the factors involved in becoming a missionary.
Access & Entry
One very seldom discussed aspect of full-time vocational ministry in a foreign country is accessibility. In other words, gaining entry to cross international borders. How does one obtain the right to reside or work in a particular country legally? What appropriate routes or channels does one need to take to follow Jesus' calling to a specific geographic area, country, or people?
Missionaries often speak about how much is taken for granted when you are either a citizen or legal resident of your home country.
There's no need to find an in-country sponsor who will be required to cover extensive costs related to your visa while proving to their government that you are the most qualified person for the job, over and against any minimally qualified citizen or settled worker.
There's no extensive visa process to undertake, no threat of deportation, or concern over laws and restrictions to one's ministry operation.
There's no exorbitant cost related to paying for visa fees, covering health surcharges, or providing proof of financial maintenance (sustainability).
There is no time limit (1-3 years for charitable work or minister of religion visas) governing your ability to stay or restricting the location or direction of your ministry.
Those who are looking to go into the mission field in a foreign country must adhere to specific immigration policies and regulations in order to gain access to reside and do charitable/humanitarian work in that particular country. Each country will have its own measures, vested interest or lack thereof, that restrict the number of immigrants. Of course, part of this conversation will include refugees forced to take dangerous treks to find asylum in another country. The most recent examples of this are Syrian and Ukrainian refugees fleeing tyranny or war in their respective countries. If you were to call the UK's Visa and Immigration department, you would hear an automated recording directing refugees to a specific line.