This is a contractor, so it is not a government office. The U.S. government does this also in high-volume consular districts. Application is made through a contractor, though the interview takes place in the consulate. Office=visa_application would be more accurate, since visa adjudication still takes place in the consulate.
On 11/8/2018 12:37 PM, Johnparis wrote: > I tagged one of these office=visa the other day. > > https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/4374770543 > > The offices I'm thinking of are private companies that have government > contracts to provide services that the government itself would > normally provide. In many cases they are indistinguishable from a > government office, so the question of verifiability enters my mind. > > For instance, the UK visa office in Paris has big signs outside and > inside reading "Welcome to Great Britain". I'm frankly not sure if the > space is rented by the UK or by TLS Contact, which holds the contract. > > https://corp.tlscontact.com > > Their staff members gather the information for your application, > including fingerprints, photos, etc., as well as your passport. They > then seal this in a clear plastic container. After it is sealed, you > cannot add or remove anything. The fee is set by the UK and paid to > TLS Contact. > > The dossier then goes to London, where a decision is made on your visa > and the entire dossier is returned to Paris. You pick it up next door > to the original office from someone behind bulletproof glass. (You > don't learn the nature of the decision till you look at your > passport.) This is the only way to get a UK visa in Paris. If you go > to the UK Embassy or Consulate, they will direct you to the visa office. > > Is this an "office=government"? It certainly is quasi-governmental. Do > they provide visa services? Surely yes, in my mind. In fact, they are > the only place in Paris that provide visa services for the UK. If you > want to get any kind of visa -- long term (expat), tourist, transit -- > that's where you go. > > So (agreeing with John Willis) I'd say office=visa for these. > > John > > On Thu, Nov 8, 2018 at 6:16 AM John Willis <jo...@mac.com > <mailto:jo...@mac.com>> wrote: > > Is the office full of people who you pay to help you apply? Or are > they contracted to be the front-otfice of the agency (acceptance & > distribution)? В > > It seems to be the latter.В > > Think of taxes.В > > The office where you submit taxes, and an office where a > professional helps you prepare the forms are two different places.В > > Office=tax_preparation and office=tax are different.В > > > If this is some office (public or private) with an official > mandate to accept applications and distribute visas (whether > approved onsite immidately or approved elsewhere and mailed to the > office for distribution), that does sound like office=visa.В > > If it is some private business who you pay to help you prepare the > form, and you mail it to the government and get your visa > directly, it sounds like office=visa_preperation or > office=immigration_lawyer.В > > I am unfamiliar with the situation you described - so please > choose the best tag that suits your needs.В > > Javbw > > On Nov 8, 2018, at 11:37 AM, Eugene Alvin Villar <sea...@gmail.com > <mailto:sea...@gmail.com>> wrote: > >> On Thu, Nov 8, 2018 at 9:29 AM Warin <61sundow...@gmail.com >> <mailto:61sundow...@gmail.com>> wrote: >> >>> On Nov 7, 2018, at 7:12 AM, Warin <61sundow...@gmail.com >>> <mailto:61sundow...@gmail.com>> wrote: >>>> 1) this is a commercial firm - not a government >>>> authority/branch/department/etc >>>> 2) it 'assist' people to obtain a visa >>>> 3) it is not at an airport/seaport/boarder >>>> 4) the visa is obtained before travel commences. >> >> It is an office you go to. You present documents, they ask >> questions, you answer, you pay a fee, >> the office fills out forms using that information provided >> (and they then send it off to an embassy/consulate) >> and then some time later you get a visa back from the office >> (but the visa itself is actually from the embassy/consulate). >> >> In the above situation, what is wrong with office=visa ? You >> apply to the office, they (usually) get you a visa. >> >> >> Here, the Japanese consulate never accepts direct visa >> application and instructs people to only submit visa applications >> through accredited travel agencies. >> >> On the other hand, many European consulates here contract a >> 3rd-party visa processing company such as the aforementioned VFS >> Global to handle all visa applications. These companies even have >> equipment to collect biometric data such as photographs and >> fingerprints that will be forwarded to the consulates together >> with the visa applications. >> >> I would think that the first case should be tagged like other >> travel agencies because visa handling is just one of their >> services (they also arrange tours and purchase airline tickets). >> For the second case, they do nothing else besides processing visa >> applications on behalf of the contracting consulates. So they are >> not travel agencies. I think they should indeed be tagged with >> something like office=visa or better yet office=visa_processing >> so it is clearer. >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Tagging mailing list >> Tagging@openstreetmap.org <mailto:Tagging@openstreetmap.org> >> https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/tagging > _______________________________________________ > Tagging mailing list > Tagging@openstreetmap.org <mailto:Tagging@openstreetmap.org> > https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/tagging > > > > _______________________________________________ > Tagging mailing list > Tagging@openstreetmap.org > https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/tagging
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