WEBVTT - Consumer Talk: Irish visa delays cause havoc 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:06.360 Lunch with Pippa Hudson and now Consumer Talk featuring Wendy Nola. 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:12.039 Welcome to Consumer Talk and to consumer journalist Wendy Nola, 0:00:12.080 --> 0:00:14.640 who is back with us in studio today. We're going 0:00:14.680 --> 0:00:17.320 to be discussing the ongoing issues with the new Irish 0:00:17.440 --> 0:00:21.319 visa application system. Unfortunately, we've seen a number of South 0:00:21.320 --> 0:00:26.760 Africans suffering huge frustration missing key life events and also, 0:00:26.840 --> 0:00:31.400 as you'll hear today, suffering pretty substantial financial losses as 0:00:31.400 --> 0:00:33.839 a result of sort of shifting goalposts, if I can 0:00:33.880 --> 0:00:36.000 call it that. So we're going to devote quite a 0:00:36.000 --> 0:00:37.760 bit of time to that and to some of the 0:00:37.760 --> 0:00:40.240 case studies that have come our way. I also hope 0:00:40.280 --> 0:00:42.479 we'll have time to have some open line calls and 0:00:42.560 --> 0:00:46.400 maybe chat about the new Woolli's loyalty program and its rollout. 0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:49.920 We've had a few people complaining and commenting on that. 0:00:50.200 --> 0:00:52.199 If you want to join any of those conversations or 0:00:52.280 --> 0:00:55.040 share your own experience, you're welcome to send a WhatsApp 0:00:55.080 --> 0:00:58.600 to seven two five six seven one five six seven 0:00:58.880 --> 0:01:01.080 or give us a call on two one four four 0:01:01.200 --> 0:01:05.200 six five six seven. Gosh, Wendy, right off the bat, 0:01:05.440 --> 0:01:08.520 Off the bat, messages are starting to stream in. There 0:01:08.560 --> 0:01:11.920 are a lot of people stuck in this position. Firstly, 0:01:12.000 --> 0:01:14.880 welcome back. Let me have you with us in a 0:01:14.920 --> 0:01:16.920 couple of days for you, oh yeah, but still love 0:01:16.959 --> 0:01:19.039 you to have you back with us. Let me start 0:01:19.080 --> 0:01:21.920 by saying this nothing against Ireland. I was lucky enough 0:01:22.000 --> 0:01:23.960 to get to Ireland visit there with my son in 0:01:24.040 --> 0:01:27.120 late November twenty twenty two and it was the most 0:01:27.160 --> 0:01:30.920 wonderful experienced, the most beautiful place, wonderful people, all of 0:01:30.920 --> 0:01:34.080 that rich history. Even though it was late November, early December, 0:01:34.200 --> 0:01:35.840 it was very cold and very wet. 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:38.360 We just absolutely loved our trip there. 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:40.679 But Wendy, we were lucky enough to squeeze in that 0:01:40.760 --> 0:01:43.440 trip when it was still possible to do so without 0:01:43.440 --> 0:01:45.479 a visa as a South African traveling on a South 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:47.800 African passport, which was a huge appeal. It was a 0:01:47.880 --> 0:01:50.520 huge yeah, And it was I think literally just a 0:01:50.520 --> 0:01:52.680 few weeks or if maybe a month or two later, 0:01:53.400 --> 0:01:56.000 I'm sure listeners will remember we demolished Ireland in the 0:01:56.040 --> 0:01:59.240 rugby and almost the very next day, boom the news 0:01:59.280 --> 0:02:01.480 broke that South the Wood in future have to apply 0:02:01.560 --> 0:02:05.080 for a visa to visit the Emerald Isle, and unfortunately 0:02:05.160 --> 0:02:08.400 it has not been a smooth transition, certainly not if 0:02:08.440 --> 0:02:10.640 you look at the high number of complaints around the 0:02:10.680 --> 0:02:12.200 turnaround time for those visas. 0:02:12.200 --> 0:02:17.840 Wendy No, exactly. So the biggest takeo from this discussion 0:02:17.919 --> 0:02:20.160 is going to be if you're planning to visit Ireland 0:02:20.160 --> 0:02:24.600 and you have a South African passport, you must not 0:02:24.840 --> 0:02:29.480 buy your ticket until you have your visa in hand 0:02:30.240 --> 0:02:34.919 in your passport, right because up until recently, the Irish 0:02:34.960 --> 0:02:38.840 government was advising, or what was making it mandatory for 0:02:38.880 --> 0:02:42.480 you to show proof of having purchased flight, your flight 0:02:42.720 --> 0:02:45.720 and your return flight and booked you accommodation if you 0:02:45.720 --> 0:02:47.480 weren't staying with friends, proof of where you're going to 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:51.160 be staying, in other words, and now very recently they 0:02:51.200 --> 0:02:55.320 have started saying what I've just said, Now, don't get 0:02:55.400 --> 0:02:58.600 your don't apply, sorry, don't book your ticket before you 0:02:58.600 --> 0:03:02.440 get your visa, which you know, it's great advice given 0:03:02.639 --> 0:03:05.760 what's happening with the delays, but it also means that 0:03:06.160 --> 0:03:10.799 you are now being forced to book last minute, and 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:13.480 that's so much more expensive, as the case study will 0:03:13.520 --> 0:03:17.800 share proofs. So but so it's it's. 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:22.280 Important and I mean, as you'll hear, it's that the 0:03:22.320 --> 0:03:24.480 transition from the one to the other that has been 0:03:24.520 --> 0:03:29.440 so problematic for so many people. So as you said, originally, VFS, 0:03:29.480 --> 0:03:31.600 by the way, is the visa processing company that has 0:03:31.600 --> 0:03:37.080 been mandated by the Irish They do theas so up 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:40.880 until fairly recently, VFS was saying expect six to eight 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:43.920 weeks turn around and you must be able to provide 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:45.320 proof of your flight InCom. 0:03:45.640 --> 0:03:49.160 That was September, okay, then went from it went from 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:52.480 six to eight to eight to twelve, and now it's 0:03:53.000 --> 0:03:56.520 the Irish government told me ninety days somebody who applied 0:03:56.520 --> 0:03:58.640 will get to her later. She said she was told 0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:02.200 twelve to fourteen weeks. 0:04:03.040 --> 0:04:04.680 From application to receiving your. 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:09.000 Visam fly that far in advance. And it's yeah, so 0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:13.320 many people applied and then the goalpost moved and now 0:04:13.360 --> 0:04:16.200 they're stuck a huge financial. 0:04:15.800 --> 0:04:19.279 And you imagine the anxiety now again, in fairness to say, 0:04:19.279 --> 0:04:21.680 we know many countries are taking a long time to 0:04:21.760 --> 0:04:24.839 process visa applications, Wendy, it's not a situation that's unique 0:04:24.880 --> 0:04:28.640 to the Irish government. And in some cases, like Canada, 0:04:28.680 --> 0:04:31.560 you can't even get an appointment to apply for more 0:04:31.600 --> 0:04:33.000 than a year and a half. I have a friend 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:35.479 who was in that position who was told the first 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:38.800 available appointment is over five hundred days away just to 0:04:38.800 --> 0:04:41.120 get an appointment. So it's not to say that they're 0:04:41.120 --> 0:04:43.640 the only one experiencing this issue, but it is this 0:04:43.720 --> 0:04:46.960 issue of the shifting goalposts which has caused all of 0:04:46.960 --> 0:04:50.640 the problems for our listeners. As you've said, flights that 0:04:50.680 --> 0:04:52.640 have been booked that now can't be made because the 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:55.200 visa hasn't arrived, or if you make the decision to 0:04:55.279 --> 0:04:57.680 wait until the visa's there, you have to pay that 0:04:57.800 --> 0:05:01.560 last very expensive premium for the flights. Do you want 0:05:01.560 --> 0:05:03.719 to walk us through the first case study that we 0:05:03.760 --> 0:05:07.520 have today, which really very well demonstrates the terrible predicament 0:05:07.560 --> 0:05:09.640 that some of our applicants are finding themselves in. 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:14.119 Indeed, and this cases really touched my heart. One hundred 0:05:14.160 --> 0:05:16.800 and five days ago. It's a precise number, and it 0:05:16.880 --> 0:05:19.240 needs to be given the context here. One hundred and 0:05:19.360 --> 0:05:22.640 five days ago, in other words, more than ninety days. 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:25.920 Seventy seven year old Philip Berman, who lives in Victoria 0:05:26.000 --> 0:05:28.680 West and the Northern Cape. He applied for a visa 0:05:29.160 --> 0:05:32.120 to visit his family in Ireland. Bear in mind the 0:05:32.240 --> 0:05:36.880 trek he drove to George overnighted because it was late, 0:05:37.120 --> 0:05:39.919 then flew to Cape Town from George the next morning, 0:05:39.920 --> 0:05:42.680 then had to get an uber to the VFF officers 0:05:42.760 --> 0:05:45.520 and repeat the process, so that in itself carried a 0:05:45.600 --> 0:05:53.200 huge cost. Yes, he has family in Ireland, his son, 0:05:53.760 --> 0:05:56.720 daughter in law and their daughter, his granddaughter who's nine 0:05:56.800 --> 0:06:00.800 years old, and they have a particularly special and he 0:06:00.880 --> 0:06:08.160 goes over fairly often. So he applied in March one 0:06:08.200 --> 0:06:11.440 hundred and five days ago, as I said, which was 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:14.920 the advice. Then when he first made inquiries with VFS 0:06:14.960 --> 0:06:17.680 in September, which is when he booked his ticket, it 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:23.600 was six to eight weeks okay, significantly less term okay. 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:27.160 So he says, he's it tells me he's too old 0:06:27.240 --> 0:06:32.000 and to travel economy. So he saved and borrowed and 0:06:32.279 --> 0:06:36.599 paid a special twenty eight thousand rand to Lufthansa for 0:06:36.920 --> 0:06:39.560 premium economy seat. 0:06:41.120 --> 0:06:43.080 And he did that well in advance, so at the 0:06:43.160 --> 0:06:46.839 September last care Yeah, so this is just just to 0:06:46.839 --> 0:06:47.440 clarify here. 0:06:47.440 --> 0:06:49.599 Philip is one of those in this position of when 0:06:49.600 --> 0:06:52.760 he originally made inquiries, he was told six to eight 0:06:52.800 --> 0:06:54.800 weeks six to eight weeks turn around, and you have 0:06:54.880 --> 0:06:57.039 to supply proof of flights. So he went and booked 0:06:57.040 --> 0:07:00.840 the flights. Yes, that's the big yes, and then waited 0:07:00.960 --> 0:07:03.599 until the appropriate time to put in his application, which 0:07:03.640 --> 0:07:04.040 he did. 0:07:03.920 --> 0:07:05.520 In March with in July. 0:07:05.720 --> 0:07:08.920 Now, and important to note, Wendy, it wasn't only the 0:07:08.920 --> 0:07:12.440 cost of a basic visa application. He paid quite a 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:13.680 few other extras as well. 0:07:13.720 --> 0:07:18.280 He paid two thousand round the equivalent of for two 0:07:18.320 --> 0:07:23.480 thousand round for a multiple journey visa, plus another thousand 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:25.800 round to VFS, which covered their service fee and the 0:07:25.800 --> 0:07:29.080 cost of kuruing his passport to Victoria West. And that's 0:07:29.080 --> 0:07:31.240 on top of the seven thousand round cost him to 0:07:31.280 --> 0:07:33.160 actually get there. That's nobody's fault. 0:07:33.000 --> 0:07:35.040 But that was the BFS to make that and back. 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:40.960 Yes, okay, so his lasses will be huge financial and emotional, 0:07:41.000 --> 0:07:45.120 of course, but let's talk to him about how those 0:07:45.200 --> 0:07:45.600 rack up. 0:07:45.880 --> 0:07:47.800 Philip is with us on the line, and Philip, I'm 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:49.720 so sorry that you are going through this. I can 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:52.320 just imagine the massive anxiety you must be facing because 0:07:52.360 --> 0:07:54.960 I know your flight is booked for the end of July, 0:07:55.560 --> 0:07:59.240 and that's suddenly very very close from now with no 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:01.560 visa insight. Thank you for being willing to share your 0:08:01.600 --> 0:08:03.200 experience with us, and welcome. 0:08:02.920 --> 0:08:03.520 To CAP Talk. 0:08:04.840 --> 0:08:08.760 Thank you very much. And the strangest thing is I 0:08:08.920 --> 0:08:13.880 just put on my computer and checked. Everything hasn't changed. 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:19.200 The application form stall seys Airline ticket it Stall says 0:08:19.880 --> 0:08:21.240 has twelve weeks. 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:24.160 As and you must have that, okay. 0:08:23.760 --> 0:08:28.520 And it was updated yesterday the eighth of July seas 0:08:28.560 --> 0:08:29.679 at the bottom of the form. 0:08:30.200 --> 0:08:30.520 Okay. 0:08:30.720 --> 0:08:31.880 Gosh, that's so bad. 0:08:31.960 --> 0:08:35.800 So what they are communicating off offline is not weighing 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:37.679 up with what is being communicated online. 0:08:38.200 --> 0:08:40.960 I must tell you, Philip, both Pippa and my eyes 0:08:41.040 --> 0:08:43.200 lit up when you said you've just checked, and we 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:45.120 thought you were going to say and be. 0:08:46.040 --> 0:08:46.559 On the list. 0:08:46.640 --> 0:08:49.880 But it's not how many days to go until you 0:08:49.920 --> 0:08:52.000 need it, because it's not the departure date in your case, 0:08:52.000 --> 0:08:53.000 it's two days before. 0:08:54.000 --> 0:08:57.080 Ye well, I have to be in joe Berg to 0:08:57.160 --> 0:08:59.880 catch the flight would live on so the twenty third, 0:09:00.559 --> 0:09:02.360 So it means I have to leave you out the 0:09:02.480 --> 0:09:06.319 twenty second of this month to George cats a flight 0:09:06.400 --> 0:09:09.520 from George to Jailberg. I'm staying with my brother and 0:09:09.559 --> 0:09:12.840 then catching the flight to Dublin the following day, the 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:13.600 twenty fourth. 0:09:14.000 --> 0:09:19.160 Okay, if you did luckily, let's hope it doesn't. You 0:09:19.200 --> 0:09:22.960 don't need to claim on this insurance this extra cost 0:09:23.000 --> 0:09:26.439 you paid. But you did pay Lufthans a little extra 0:09:26.640 --> 0:09:30.320 so that if you cancel for whatever reason, they will 0:09:30.360 --> 0:09:33.559 rEFInd you what you paid, which was twenty was it 0:09:33.640 --> 0:09:38.080 twenty eight thousand round Philippies. They will refine you manus 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:40.520 five thousand runds, so you will get say, twenty three 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:42.360 thousand round back from that flight, right. 0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:47.400 Dirrect, Now I FI you know, as I've said, I'm 0:09:47.440 --> 0:09:50.560 saying Wendy knows I'm seventy seven years old. Who says 0:09:50.600 --> 0:09:56.280 I'm alive next year? That's number one. It's a school holidays. 0:09:56.280 --> 0:09:59.000 I found my daughter in law. She said I can 0:09:59.000 --> 0:10:02.440 come later in August because the school holidays last year, 0:10:02.480 --> 0:10:06.600 the twenty seventh of August. So I went onto the 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:10.599 internet and went to lift answer and believe it or not, 0:10:11.040 --> 0:10:14.840 or Premier Economy on the later flights are all sold out. 0:10:16.440 --> 0:10:19.920 I can get a flight on the thirteenth of August 0:10:21.840 --> 0:10:24.760 fifty four thousands Premier. 0:10:24.760 --> 0:10:28.800 So that's almost double. That's twenty six thousand around double. 0:10:29.640 --> 0:10:34.320 Sure, Philip, I mean so me talking substantial financial losses 0:10:34.360 --> 0:10:38.239 besides what you've already spent just putting through the visa application. 0:10:38.720 --> 0:10:40.880 The implication on the flight costs if you have to 0:10:40.920 --> 0:10:43.760 delay this trip are to say, the least substantial. 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:45.440 You've been in. 0:10:45.640 --> 0:10:49.400 Regular I don't want to say regular communication because it's 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:51.640 been a one way affair. Philip, I understand you have 0:10:51.760 --> 0:10:55.600 literally been mailing the Irish government on a daily basis, 0:10:55.800 --> 0:10:59.040 saying where's my visas? What sort of feedback if any? 0:10:59.120 --> 0:10:59.200 Have? 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:03.600 You had nothing? It says, go to the portal. You 0:11:03.679 --> 0:11:06.840 go to the portal. I'll tell you the portal hasn't 0:11:06.880 --> 0:11:11.640 been updated since it confirmed on the twenty. 0:11:11.000 --> 0:11:13.959 Seventh of March, when you applied it late. 0:11:14.080 --> 0:11:19.199 They've received the application, no update. After all the emails 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:24.000 and everything they say, they reply contact look at the portal, 0:11:24.360 --> 0:11:28.160 but nothing has been updated since the twenty third of March. 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:32.959 Okay, okay, So I just want to put pause and Philip, 0:11:33.000 --> 0:11:34.839 please stay with us because we still have one or 0:11:34.840 --> 0:11:36.720 two more questions for you. But I just want to 0:11:36.840 --> 0:11:39.880 put this in perspective. The number of messages streaming in 0:11:39.920 --> 0:11:42.680 on our WhatsApp line as we speak, and others that 0:11:42.720 --> 0:11:46.800 have come in since yesterday. Yesterday Wendy I heard from Colleen, 0:11:46.840 --> 0:11:49.120 who wrote in to say she had applied for an 0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:52.080 Irish visa on the twenty fourth of February. She was 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:54.120 hoping to get to Dublin in time for the birth 0:11:54.160 --> 0:11:58.840 of her daughter's first child in mid April. No sign 0:11:58.880 --> 0:12:01.120 of that visa ever arrived, so she had to move 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:04.640 her flight booking. She did so again and again and again. 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:06.640 In total, she has had to move her plane ticket 0:12:06.800 --> 0:12:10.560 five times. She then eventually canceled the trip entirely, at 0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:13.120 a cost of thousands of rands, and wrote to me 0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:15.920 to say, as we speak, it has been nineteen weeks 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:20.040 of silence, no delivery from the Irish side. I'm hoping 0:12:20.080 --> 0:12:22.640 to receive my visa by the end of July and 0:12:22.720 --> 0:12:25.400 to try to fly again. And this is really interesting 0:12:25.400 --> 0:12:28.240 to me, she says. By contrast, we applied last week 0:12:28.360 --> 0:12:31.920 Monday for a Shngen visa and it arrived in four days. 0:12:32.280 --> 0:12:34.400 And this is a very good question, she says, why 0:12:34.480 --> 0:12:36.880 if Ireland is part of the EU, why did they 0:12:36.920 --> 0:12:40.679 not join the very efficient Shangan system instead of launching 0:12:40.720 --> 0:12:44.360 their own private system that they're clearly ill prepared to administer. 0:12:44.400 --> 0:12:45.439 It's an excellent question. 0:12:45.480 --> 0:12:48.640 It's a very very good question that to the Irish government. 0:12:48.760 --> 0:12:51.560 Here are a couple of other examples, Sarah writing and 0:12:51.600 --> 0:12:54.240 to say, my sister had a baby in Dublin in March. 0:12:54.559 --> 0:12:57.320 My mum was hoping to go over, had to cancel 0:12:57.360 --> 0:13:00.520 her trip and is ten thousand rand out of pocket. 0:13:00.840 --> 0:13:04.000 My stepdad has waited nine weeks for his visa with 0:13:04.200 --> 0:13:07.640 no joy, George saying, this Irish visa thing has been 0:13:07.640 --> 0:13:11.280 giving me sleepless nights for weeks. I applied two weeks 0:13:11.320 --> 0:13:13.400 ago for my visa, hoping to have it in time 0:13:13.679 --> 0:13:16.400 for the Box versus Ireland in Dublin on twenty two 0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:20.000 November this year. I've needed to apply for a second 0:13:20.080 --> 0:13:23.400 passport so that I can continue my normal travels for business, 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:27.040 whilst the Irish Visa office holds onto my passport for 0:13:27.160 --> 0:13:30.040 who knows how long, and I don't even know if 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:31.199 I will get my visa. 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:34.160 That the other issue. We covered a case of this 0:13:34.360 --> 0:13:37.199 shortly after the visas became mandatory for South Africans. Do 0:13:37.200 --> 0:13:40.439 you remember somebody who had a trip to Botswana. 0:13:39.920 --> 0:13:42.160 Yes, and the passport was stuck there. 0:13:42.160 --> 0:13:46.240 Yes, and she had to cancel that she couldn't go 0:13:46.320 --> 0:13:50.959 on the trip because your passport was stuck in. 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:53.040 The Irish process. 0:13:53.240 --> 0:13:56.000 And when she booked the Botswana trip, the visa Irish 0:13:56.080 --> 0:13:58.480 visa was not a thing. So yes, you were stuck 0:13:58.520 --> 0:14:01.160 for any other form of travel beyond our borders. 0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:01.559 Yeah. 0:14:02.120 --> 0:14:05.160 Guy is another one saying why are vfs still taking 0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:08.080 applications when they know the turnaround time is so long. 0:14:08.160 --> 0:14:11.440 We lost flights and accommodation. We had applied for our 0:14:11.559 --> 0:14:14.600 UK visas we were landing in London. That took three 0:14:14.600 --> 0:14:16.600 weeks to get to us. We then applied for the 0:14:16.640 --> 0:14:19.240 Irish visas and sadly had to get our passports back 0:14:19.520 --> 0:14:23.440 after waiting twelve weeks. We can do one better than that, 0:14:23.480 --> 0:14:26.280 Sadik saying, my brother in law has applied on the 0:14:26.320 --> 0:14:29.240 fourteenth of October for his visa to join his wife 0:14:29.240 --> 0:14:32.560 in Ireland. Until now, every time we make contact with 0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:35.160 VFS Global they say the same thing, It is still 0:14:35.160 --> 0:14:38.440 in processing. It has been nearly a year and we 0:14:38.480 --> 0:14:42.120 have no further information. His daughter, who is also in Ireland, 0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:44.400 is giving birth to his grandson in less than a month. 0:14:44.400 --> 0:14:46.360 He would have liked to be there for the birth. 0:14:46.920 --> 0:14:49.800 Is there anything we can do? Unfortunately, there is nothing 0:14:49.840 --> 0:14:50.320 we can do. 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:52.320 I hate to say that in this I have to 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:54.640 say at this point before we continue with Philip, that I, 0:14:56.080 --> 0:14:57.880 as I said, this case has really touched me and 0:14:57.920 --> 0:15:01.240 I've asked gone back to the Irish government to say, 0:15:01.320 --> 0:15:05.720 can you at least give some status feedback on when 0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:08.960 he can expect his name to appear on that lucky list, 0:15:09.240 --> 0:15:11.960 and I was told no, we cannot cannot comment on 0:15:12.040 --> 0:15:15.240 individual cases because of data privacy. Well, of course the 0:15:15.320 --> 0:15:17.880 data subjects as we are referred to as. 0:15:18.080 --> 0:15:20.280 Are begging for all that for me to. 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:22.920 Be able to intervene on their part and at least 0:15:23.480 --> 0:15:28.360 get some much needed information, But unfortunately, so frustrating we 0:15:28.400 --> 0:15:32.080 are we can't get anything on individual cases at all 0:15:32.160 --> 0:15:32.480 at all. 0:15:32.560 --> 0:15:34.280 I'm so sorry to to be able to have to 0:15:34.280 --> 0:15:37.360 say that to you, Sidika Wendy in fairness, I mean, 0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:39.440 there are so many of these stories. That's just a 0:15:39.440 --> 0:15:41.360 sample of a couple of those that have come through. 0:15:41.640 --> 0:15:44.720 Has there been any formal response from the Irish government 0:15:44.760 --> 0:15:46.880 that you're aware of as because we're not the only 0:15:46.880 --> 0:15:47.920 people complaining about this. 0:15:48.520 --> 0:15:53.520 Yeah, there was a conference in Ireland a couple of 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:57.800 weeks ago, there was a news conference Ireland's Minister of 0:15:57.800 --> 0:16:01.680 State for International Development and Diaspora and Neil Richmond. He 0:16:01.840 --> 0:16:04.600 took questions from South African journalists on this issue. He 0:16:04.640 --> 0:16:09.000 first explained that they had introduced the visa requirement because 0:16:09.000 --> 0:16:12.080 they'd seen one hundred percent increase in people entering Ireland 0:16:12.080 --> 0:16:14.560 from South Africa and Nigeria about a year ago and 0:16:14.640 --> 0:16:18.800 claiming international protected status. I don't know whether I mean 0:16:18.920 --> 0:16:21.760 it occurs to me that probably more from the Nigerian side, 0:16:21.960 --> 0:16:24.640 I'm not sure, but he acknowledged that since the visa 0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:27.680 regime was introduced, there have been swamped applications leading to 0:16:27.720 --> 0:16:31.640 the current delays. He conceded that the human consequences of 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:33.960 South African's not being able to visit family in Ireland 0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:37.880 on business trips and of business trips having to be canceled. 0:16:38.560 --> 0:16:41.240 And he said, and this was just two weeks ago, 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:44.920 his department had doubled its resources to handle visa applications 0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:49.200 both in Dublin and Pretoria. But Philip told me that 0:16:49.320 --> 0:16:52.400 he's really not seeing that in sort of output of 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:56.080 number of visas being granted every week. 0:16:56.440 --> 0:16:58.440 And the reason we can quite Philip on that is, 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:01.560 as I've said, Philip has been communicating checking on a 0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:04.639 daily basis, and let's bring him back in at this point. Philip, 0:17:04.640 --> 0:17:08.280 thanks for waiting. You've been watching those figures online, watching 0:17:08.320 --> 0:17:10.400 them like a hawk every day, looking for the list 0:17:10.480 --> 0:17:13.880 of names of the lucky people who have been granted 0:17:13.880 --> 0:17:16.920 a visa. Tell us what you've observed about the number 0:17:16.960 --> 0:17:19.200 of applications that are being approved. 0:17:20.119 --> 0:17:24.800 I can ami to me, it's an absolute disgrace. From 0:17:24.800 --> 0:17:27.840 the seventeenth of June. These are the dates have got 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:33.680 Visus issue issue seventeenth of June to the twenty fourth 0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:37.879 of June, one hundred and fifty six, first of July 0:17:38.359 --> 0:17:41.119 to the eighth of July. Where they supposed to have 0:17:41.840 --> 0:17:47.160 trouble the amount of visas they gave out, it's gone 0:17:47.160 --> 0:17:50.359 to two one hundred and four. That means last week 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:53.080 that only gave out two hundred and four visas. 0:17:53.800 --> 0:17:56.840 Okay, so the weekly figure it's a week effect. 0:17:56.960 --> 0:18:00.000 So that's that so called doubling of resources isn't results 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:01.240 in a doubling of output. 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:06.159 I gave Wendy the link that was updated yesterday that 0:18:06.240 --> 0:18:11.240 excell July. She's got the link to prove these figures. 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:13.480 I gave us one hundred percent carect. 0:18:15.080 --> 0:18:17.600 So Philip, I mean, thank you for being willing to 0:18:17.600 --> 0:18:20.040 share that with us. And obviously you have been monitoring 0:18:20.080 --> 0:18:23.439 this with an eagle eye, so it's very helpful to 0:18:23.480 --> 0:18:24.800 hear what you've observed. 0:18:24.880 --> 0:18:25.439 In terms of the. 0:18:25.480 --> 0:18:28.479 Numbers that are being processed, We've got about now what 0:18:29.000 --> 0:18:33.160 not even a fortnight before you are setting off. All 0:18:33.160 --> 0:18:35.520 I can say is that I really really hope that 0:18:35.640 --> 0:18:39.080 everything will come through, Philip. I mean, besides the financial 0:18:39.119 --> 0:18:40.960 ask maybe just before we let you go, let's talk 0:18:41.000 --> 0:18:43.520 a little bit about the emotional toll that this has 0:18:43.560 --> 0:18:45.520 taken on you and I would imagine on your family 0:18:45.560 --> 0:18:47.679 on the other side as well of this not knowing 0:18:48.119 --> 0:18:49.439 being stuck in this limbo. 0:18:50.720 --> 0:18:53.640 You know. Another thing is that I've noticed on all 0:18:53.680 --> 0:19:01.080 the people on Facebook, YouTube, whatever, everybody complain that they 0:19:01.200 --> 0:19:05.840 don't give you a date. If they say to me tomorrow, 0:19:06.760 --> 0:19:09.760 listen here, I can only do, We'll give you a 0:19:09.880 --> 0:19:13.359 visa on the tenth of September. They're at persecre work 0:19:13.400 --> 0:19:17.800 around it. I can't now fly a frame left answer 0:19:17.800 --> 0:19:20.720 and say left answer, can you change my ticket to 0:19:20.960 --> 0:19:24.359 say the thirteenth of August. I haven't got a date 0:19:24.560 --> 0:19:26.879 because when it gets to the thirteenth of August, like 0:19:27.080 --> 0:19:31.479 other people that's written into you, they tell you sorry 0:19:31.760 --> 0:19:35.159 my visa, they don't give you a date. They don't 0:19:35.240 --> 0:19:38.320 even reply to your emails. 0:19:39.960 --> 0:19:42.919 You can hear the stress and anxiety that that's causing. Philip. 0:19:42.920 --> 0:19:44.960 I'm so so sorry that you are going through this, 0:19:45.080 --> 0:19:48.200 but thank you for being willing to share your experience 0:19:48.240 --> 0:19:50.080 with us. 0:19:50.520 --> 0:19:55.760 Consumer Talk WhatsApp on seven s five six seven one 0:19:55.920 --> 0:19:58.240 five six seven two. 0:19:59.119 --> 0:20:01.280 Well still it's just streaming. 0:20:01.480 --> 0:20:04.400 In response to our conversation with Wendy Noda around the 0:20:04.440 --> 0:20:07.800 Irish visa delays, Lynn an interesting perspective are saying, I 0:20:07.840 --> 0:20:10.359 wish Durko would get involved with this debacle. I'm a 0:20:10.400 --> 0:20:15.080 travel agent. I am boycotting Ireland and Canada. Yeah, two 0:20:15.080 --> 0:20:16.720 of those are the two that are having the worst. 0:20:16.760 --> 0:20:18.400 I think to do something about delays. 0:20:18.440 --> 0:20:20.720 I look at the Canadian situation because a number of 0:20:20.720 --> 0:20:22.800 travel agents have spoken to me about that. 0:20:23.000 --> 0:20:25.320 It was, as I said, I had a friend who's 0:20:25.480 --> 0:20:27.480 got family in Canada that was trying to connect with them, 0:20:27.560 --> 0:20:29.719 was told five hundred and twenty four days. I think 0:20:29.760 --> 0:20:34.200 it was to get an appointment. So Linn, Yeah, of interesting. 0:20:34.200 --> 0:20:36.240 I'm sure you're not the only travel agent who's just saying, look, 0:20:36.280 --> 0:20:37.080 it's not safe. 0:20:37.880 --> 0:20:38.320 You can't. 0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:41.000 There's no predictability, I guess, and you need predictability when 0:20:41.000 --> 0:20:42.720 you're booking a very expensive overseas trip. 0:20:42.800 --> 0:20:44.560 Something I just want to throw and I'm going to 0:20:44.560 --> 0:20:47.199 be investigating. Except really, but travel agents have told me 0:20:47.640 --> 0:20:51.280 don't arrive at any VFS office to apply for any 0:20:51.359 --> 0:20:54.359 visa more than fifteen minutes ahead of your book to 0:20:54.359 --> 0:20:57.560 appointment because they will charge you extra. Oh my gosh, yes, 0:20:57.640 --> 0:21:01.560 can you believe it? So just you can come back, 0:21:01.920 --> 0:21:04.440