Any updates from recent applicants?

WOW!
This whole Spousal Visa thing has been the most stressful and nerve-racking process I've ever had to go through so far in my life! I wouldn't wish it on anyone! 
Even though they say they're trying to make things easier via the new beta websites, etc, we kept finding problems and missed paperwork every step of the way.

But the good news is that everything went into the UPS envelope today and is in the mail!!! I said a prayer before handing it over to the 16-year old employee behind the register. I'm hoping that spending the extra $600 for priority will allow for a speedier and well handled service!

Fingers Crossed that my flight can land in England by mid/end of September!!! My husband is really missing me!!! <3 

It took around 2.5 days total from getting the email to receiving the visa! And we live in Hawaii. Yeyyyy onwards to Glasgow on Tuesday!

UK job offer: 27/07/15
Applied online: 28/07/15
Biometrics: 03/08/15
Sending application (PRIORITY): 04/08/15
App received in Sheffield: 07/08/15
Acknowledgement email: 12/08/15
Email asking for different return mail method: 17/08/15
Puchased VFS return mail and emailed AWB: 18/08/15
Emailed AWB again (still no reply): 20/08/15
Emailed AWB again (still no reply): 24/08/15
Decision made email: 26/08/15
Received visa: 28/08/15
Flying out to the UK: 01/09/15...

Business days since applying online - 23
Business days since app arrived in Sheffield - 15
Business days since app was acknowledged - 12

It took around 2.5 days total from getting the email to receiving the visa! And we live in Hawaii. Yeyyyy onwards to Glasgow on Tuesday!

Congratulations!!!!!

WOW!
This whole Spousal Visa thing has been the most stressful and nerve-racking process I've ever had to go through so far in my life! I wouldn't wish it on anyone! 
Even though they say they're trying to make things easier via the new beta websites, etc, we kept finding problems and missed paperwork every step of the way.

But the good news is that everything went into the UPS envelope today and is in the mail!!! I said a prayer before handing it over to the 16-year old employee behind the register. I'm hoping that spending the extra $600 for priority will allow for a speedier and well handled service!

Fingers Crossed that my flight can land in England by mid/end of September!!! My husband is really missing me!!! <3 

Best of luck for a speedy decisions!

Just so you know all priority does is put your application to the front of the queue, rather then being in the order it arrives. It doesn't mean there's a special group of people handling it or that it will take less time to process. It just spends less time in the queue before it reaches the UKVI employee who will handle it.

Note: this most often means less time, but some priority applications will take awhile depending on what category you've applied under for your financial requirement.

Good to know, thanks!! This process is neverending.

I know, I was so frustrated when they gave me my tracking number but it didn't do anything for 2 business days! It seemed to languish at the UPS hub for over a day before it even left the country. I think it was Castle Donington? Which is ironically not far from where I live here in the UK at all. haha. I hope you get it soon!

 All of my paperwork is dated for July. We plan to send my application off in October. Do you think this will affect anything ?  We had originally planned  to send the application off in August but realize we were missing one piece of paper so now we have to wait until October because the two of us have a trip already booked to go to Mexico .  Any advice helps !

All of my paperwork is dated for July. We plan to send my application off in October. Do you think this will affect anything ?  We had originally planned  to send the application off in August but realize we were missing one piece of paper so now we have to wait until October because the two of us have a trip already booked to go to Mexico .  Any advice helps !

Because you are delaying your application by 2 months, you will need to update any of your paperwork that has a date on it.  You must have your financial records be for the 6 or 12 months prior to your application month. If you don't, it would be detrimental to your application. Most likely delaying it because they will ask you to provide the paperwork for the months not included. I don't think they would deny your application for that, but I don't personally know.

We are applying under category F of the financial portion... So for that as far as bank statements go I just needed April 14-April 15 bank statements .. Not what is most recent

We are applying under category F of the financial portion... So for that as far as bank statements go I just needed April 14-April 15 bank statements .. Not what is most recent

Ah, right. Self employment one. Hopefully, Ksand or someone can give you an idea on that one. I've not really looked into the self employed side of things since we were category A.

All of my paperwork is dated for July. We plan to send my application off in October. Do you think this will affect anything ?  We had originally planned  to send the application off in August but realize we were missing one piece of paper so now we have to wait until October because the two of us have a trip already booked to go to Mexico .  Any advice helps !

I recall the paperwork I received from my biometrics appointment informing me that all the visa paperwork had to be mailed in up to two weeks after the appointment date. But I'm from California so the laws might be different here.

I recall the paperwork I received from my biometrics appointment informing me that all the visa paperwork had to be mailed in up to two weeks after the appointment date. But I'm from California so the laws might be different here.

No, it's 2 weeks for everyone applying in the US.

Not a law though, it's an application deadline set by UKVI. You have 14 calendar days from the biometrics appointment for your documents to arrive in Sheffield.


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We got it!!!! Can't quite believe it. Came home this morning to see the package just waiting on the doorstep.

The UPS tracker still doesn't show anything, so either the ECO typed the reference number wrong or UPS just didn't ever scan it.

I can't believe we have it, after 9 months of stress, preparation, and waiting!

Thank you to everyone who offered us advice - this forum has been great (and also has the nicest people on it, out of all the immigration forums - kindness is always appreciated in the midst of this kind of stress).

Good luck to everyone else still waiting!

I just received my Grant of Leave to Remain from Sheffield this morning! (We applied in-country 9 July, letter was dated August 27th).

So many tears of joy! So so many tears!

CAN WE SAY.....SUCCESS!?!!

FedEx just dropped off my package (to my home in the UK) and my Spousal Visa application has been successful!

Very exciting! So...what have we learned...I pioneered a new trail in the process no one else had the balls to try....

1. You can travel into the UK on a second US passport whilst a current settlement application is in process in Sheffield ($200 Upgraded next-day priority service at a US Passport center)

2. Traveling into the UK whilst that application is currently being processed does NOT invalidate or cancel said application.

3. I emailed through the requested documents (they were ALL PDFs aside from my cover letter which I typed up clearly explaining everything.) I did not send additional, unrequested information. The email communication was fine as that was what my email from the ICO specifically instructed me to do. The bank statements and my husbands pay slips were all fine via pdf downloaded from their respected sources (for those who have insisted they must be verified by a bank...again, not the case here based on their email instruction)

For all of those who said it couldn't be done without having tried it.....! IT HAPPENED!
I was able to come into the UK on my second US passport as a visitor whilst my settlement visa was processing in Sheffield.

Obviously I need to go out on the old one, and come back in on the visa and finish the last bits of faffing about...but that's no worries.

We are leaving to fly into Rome next week (hubby has a work trip). I will come back in on the UK visa.

A couple caveats to consider...

1. The passport I sent off for with my settlement application had my new married last name and I had never traveled to the UK before on it. It was a brand new passport

2. My daughter is a dual-national US/UK citizen. When we came in on my second US passport, we went into the EU citizen line via her UK passport. I'm not sure that this didn't aid in the ease of going through border security or not, but they still processed my landing card as they would have in the other line.

Regardless, they scanned my second US passport, asked the typical questions (we did have our return flights booked in case they asked, also armed with the knowledge of understanding the visa process, etc. which was not needed in the end) as we were going through and there were no issues whatsoever.

It appeared that the advice of the UK border personnel (two managers) and the two immigration solicitors were dead on target. The systems are not advanced enough to link such things together as a currently visa being processed in sheffield and border security, let alone someone traveling into the country on a secondary passport (slightly concerning?). Perhaps this might have been different if I had traveled into the UK previously on the passport Sheffield had in their possession. But it did not appear to even be on the screen when we went through.

Just thought you would like to know....and to give light to those who might be considering this route.

CAN WE SAY.....SUCCESS!?!!

FedEx just dropped off my package (to my home in the UK) and my Spousal Visa application has been successful!

Very exciting! So...what have we learned...I pioneered a new trail in the process no one else had the balls to try....

1. You can travel into the UK on a second US passport whilst a current settlement application is in process in Sheffield ($200 Upgraded next-day priority service at a US Passport center)

2. Traveling into the UK whilst that application is currently being processed does NOT invalidate or cancel said application.

3. I emailed through the requested documents (they were ALL PDFs aside from my cover letter which I typed up clearly explaining everything.) I did not send additional, unrequested information. The email communication was fine as that was what my email from the ICO specifically instructed me to do. The bank statements and my husbands pay slips were all fine via pdf downloaded from their respected sources (for those who have insisted they must be verified by a bank...again, not the case here based on their email instruction)

For all of those who said it couldn't be done without having tried it.....! IT HAPPENED!
I was able to come into the UK on my second US passport as a visitor whilst my settlement visa was processing in Sheffield.

Obviously I need to go out on the old one, and come back in on the visa and finish the last bits of faffing about...but that's no worries.

We are leaving to fly into Rome next week (hubby has a work trip). I will come back in on the UK visa.

A couple caveats to consider...

1. The passport I sent off for with my settlement application had my new married last name and I had never traveled to the UK before on it. It was a brand new passport

2. My daughter is a dual-national US/UK citizen. When we came in on my second US passport, we went into the EU citizen line via her UK passport. I'm not sure that this didn't aid in the ease of going through border security or not, but they still processed my landing card as they would have in the other line.

Regardless, they scanned my second US passport, asked the typical questions (we did have our return flights booked in case they asked, also armed with the knowledge of understanding the visa process, etc. which was not needed in the end) as we were going through and there were no issues whatsoever.

It appeared that the advice of the UK border personnel (two managers) and the two immigration solicitors were dead on target. The systems are not advanced enough to link such things together as a currently visa being processed in sheffield and border security, let alone someone traveling into the country on a secondary passport (slightly concerning?). Perhaps this might have been different if I had traveled into the UK previously on the passport Sheffield had in their possession. But it did not appear to even be on the screen when we went through.

Just thought you would like to know....and to give light to those who might be considering this route.

Congratulations!

Just out of curiosity, did you tell the ECO that you had a pending settlement visa application in process?

I don't think anyone said it couldn't be done, just that it wasn't recommended.  The technicality of the entry visa, is that it must be issued while you are outside the UK.  That's why no one recommended the traveling on the second passport (as you were in the UK when the visa was issued).  Hopefully it won't come back to haunt you in the future (unlikely).

Best of luck to you now that you are all together again.