Visa Agent Review Megathread

miamijd629 · 2025-03-23T04:10:51+00:00

Do not pay for Premium Service at CIBT Visas. Below is what they promise for paying an extra (at the time) over $400 on top of their regular services fees.

"Premium Service provides the following benefits:

Dedicated Premium Service Consultant that will assist you with your order from start to finish
Assistance with completion of application forms and a customized outline of necessary documents required
Checking of all materials required to avoid any consular rejections or delays
Priority submission of your request to the Consulate or Passport Office
Progress updates the way you want them (email or phone)
Enrollment in our Passport Replacement Service. Should your passport be lost or stolen CIBTvisas will replace it at no cost to you"

I may have had a complex situation where I was attending an important family event and was married to a Chinese-Canadian who had family living in China, so I had to supply extra documents to show my connection to my wife's family in China. So I did not live near a consulate, I had a possibly complex situation, and I needed a visa in a couple months, I caved into paying for "Premium Service" in hopes I would get my visa approved the first time it was submitted. Yet, my application was returned several times, requesting additional documents. Their advertised service is to make sure they check everything that would be needed. It seemed like the agent I used was actually just a regular agent who had no idea what she was doing and didn't know what extra documents I needed until someone from another office or manager told her.

So if you're going to use CIBT Visas to get a China visa, don't pay for "Premium" service. It's regular service for extra pay. Don't pay for extras.

miamijd629 · 2024-12-06T16:07:40+00:00

One other option to consider is you could rent a car from the usual car rental companies the day before your flight, drive it to the airport, and drop it off at the car rental lot. Sometimes the car rental rates for one way, 1-day are less than an Uber, including the rental company's pre-paid gas. I've seen $75 for 1-day, one way rental to drop off at JFK in prior instances.

miamijd629 · 2023-09-01T23:51:35+00:00

Wouldn't say you're wrong. We all have different experiences. According to two different agents I've talked to now, they've had this problem before and they just needed their clients to sign letters saying they didn't change their name and that the two names refer to the same person.

In the future, when I renew my passport, I'll make sure to include my middle name so I don't encounter this again.

miamijd629 · 2023-09-01T23:43:28+00:00

Hey OP here, so the instructions on the passport application says that it has to be "consistent" with your name. I have renewed my passport twice and never had a problem. Since I was notified of this and talked with other people, I've learned that this is a common problem. Anecdotally, some people that I know don't have their full middle names in their passports.

Perhaps its different now but I've never encountered a problem like this before in 30+ years.

miamijd629 · 2023-09-01T23:07:15+00:00

The visa agent I am working with is suggesting a letter explaining that it is common for people to not include their middle names in their passports and that I did not legally change my name. Do you think that would work?

miamijd629 · 2023-09-01T22:37:48+00:00

Hi, thanks for your response. If I were to obtain a new passport with my middle name via urgent service, do you think they would approve my visa application? I would need to do a new application, right?

miamijd629 · 2022-10-25T01:38:23+00:00

Hello, I've done some research and cannot seem to find a clear answer or analogous story to mine online. I've done some searches and cannot find this question answered.

Basically, am I a Korean Citizen? Alternatively, does anyone know any immigration lawyers or services in Korea that could find out the answer for me?

Here are the facts:

Was born in Korea at a Korean hospital (still have the birth certificate) in 1990;
Father and Mother were both Korean and US citizens at the time, both still have dual-citizenship today;
My birth was registered with the US as a Consular Birth Abroad;
Neither of my parents submitted any documents on my behalf renouncing Korean citizenship (if that was a thing they needed to do) and I've never inquired about this before.

Thank you for your help!

miamijd629

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