Any updates from recent applicants?

We are on the same timeline as you, 3 weeks since paperwork arrived in Sheffield.

I know there is not much sense in all this, but I don't understand why some people who have applied for the same visa ( spouse from USA) who upgraded to priority after our priority application arrived, are getting a decision, when we haven't?
Very happy for them, but it's curious - does upgrading after sending your paperwork put you higher in the queue than other priority apps already in ?

Yes, it's weird and something new.  It seems that if someone upgrades from non-priority to priority they look at the original application date.  Their overall timeline will be longer, but they could have upgraded after your application was received and received a decision before you.   

I know there is not much sense in all this, but I don't understand why some people who have applied for the same visa ( spouse from USA) who upgraded to priority after our priority application arrived, are getting a decision, when we haven't?
Very happy for them, but it's curious - does upgrading after sending your paperwork put you higher in the queue than other priority apps already in ?

I'm not sure, to be honest.

I believe the applications are put in the queue in the order they are logged in at the consulate. So a priority application logged on Tuesday will be put behind a priority application that was logged on Monday.

However, I'm not sure what they do if someone whose application arrived a while ago then upgrades to priority. It may be the case that they put it in order depending on when it actually arrived at the consulate, not when they upgraded... so that theirs gets processed first, because they've already been waiting longer.

For example, say their non-priority application arrived on 1st August and your priority application arrived on August 5th. Then they upgrade to priority on August 9th and because their application arrived on August 1st, their application might be put with the other August 1st priority applications rather than the August 9th priority applications.

That's just speculation though - I don't know how they actually do it.

Ok, here is my timeline for Non-priority, then priority spouse settlement application, 2014.  Still waiting!

16 April: Application received at Sheffield
29 April: Confirmation email that package arrived
11 August: Yes, that's right, August 11 upgraded to priority!
15 August: Email from Sheffield stating that "application has been upgraded to priority and has been moved to the priority queue, ahead of all non-priority applications. Please note that we are still unable to give estimated processing times but looking at your bio date, I hope we will get your application assessed as soon as possible".

So, for those that have been waiting, I feel your pain.  What a random process.  Good luck to everyone enduring this situation. I will let you know when I hear anything.  

It may be the case that they put it in order depending on when it actually arrived at the consulate, not when they upgraded... so that theirs gets processed first, because they've already been waiting longer.

Only speculation but I think you are correct. Which is why new priority applications are taking a while because all of the applications that weren't priority which now are, are all getting processed first.

FINALLY SOME GOOD NEWS!!! *ahem*

My story is a bit convoluted, but my husband just received a reply to his pleading email of last week saying that my visa has been approved. Of course, I just received the standard email of "a decision has been made". So, we are expecting the visa to arrive later this week.  

My husband contacted his MP on Friday (via writetothem.com), explaining that it was going to be extremely difficult for him to travel to the UK to start his new job without me, due to his health conditions. The MP immediately responded and contacted the Ministerial Correspondence Board of UKVI and I think that's what got it moving so quickly. We probably would have received the email sometime later this week, but who knows either way.

Serious thank you to all of you who listened to me being anxious and neurotic for the past 6 weeks, and for all of your amazing advice. I'm not sure how I would have made it through without you. It was much more stressful than I expected it to be, due to a number of factors. I just wish I'd known about this forum long before we applied, so it's great to see people reading and posting here who are preparing to make their applications a few months down the road.

FINALLY SOME GOOD NEWS!!! *ahem*

My story is a bit convoluted, but my husband just received a reply to his pleading email of last week saying that my visa has been approved. Of course, I just received the standard email of "a decision has been made". So, we are expecting the visa to arrive later this week.  

My husband contacted his MP on Friday, explaining that it was going to be extremely difficult for him to travel to the UK to start his new job without me, due to his health conditions. The MP immediately responded and contacted the Ministerial Correspondence Board of UKVI and I think that's what got it moving so quickly. We probably would have received the email sometime later this week, but who knows either way.

Serious thank you to all of you who listened to me being anxious and neurotic for the past 6 weeks, and for all of your amazing advice. I'm not sure how I would have made it through without you. It was much more stressful than I expected it to be, due to a number of factors. I just wish I'd known about this forum long before we applied, so it's great to see people reading and posting here who are preparing to make their applications a few months down the road.

 

Woo hoo!  Crack open the champagne!

FINALLY SOME GOOD NEWS!!! *ahem*

Yay! Congratulations on your wonderful news!   

Thank you so much for the congrats! The visa has now arrived! 

Here is my final timeline for my priority spouse visa application:

Online application submitted: June 26
Biometrics appt & sent off application: July 8
Application arrived Sheffield: July 11
Confirmation email from Sheffield & request for Appendix 2: July 15 (sent appendix & confirmation received July 16)
Further evidence docs requested from Sheffield: July 25
Further evidence docs submitted: Aug 4 (confirmation of receipt email from Sheffield Aug 6)
Decision email received: August 18
Visa received: August 19

I have a question: for my previous visas I was given a card with a chip, but this just goes directly in my passport (which is nice) and has no chip. I assumed the chip allowed them to access my data (maybe my biometrics) but without a chip in my new visa how do they access my data?

Many thanks to all, especially ksand and KFdancer who were incredibly patient with me through all my anxiety and mishaps with the documentation. 

Thank you so much for the congrats! The visa has now arrived! 

Here is my final timeline for my priority spouse visa application:

Online application submitted: June 26
Biometrics appt & sent off application: July 8
Application arrived Sheffield: July 11
Confirmation email from Sheffield & request for Appendix 2: July 15 (sent appendix & confirmation received July 16)
Further evidence docs requested from Sheffield: July 25
Further evidence docs submitted: Aug 4 (confirmation of receipt email from Sheffield Aug 6)
Decision email received: August 18
Visa received: August 19

I have a question: for my previous visas I was given a card with a chip, but this just goes directly in my passport (which is nice) and has no chip. I assumed the chip allowed them to access my data (maybe my biometrics) but without a chip in my new visa how do they access my data?

Many thanks to all, especially ksand and KFdancer who were incredibly patient with me through all my anxiety and mishaps with the documentation. 

When you apply inside the UK, you get the card (so your next visa will be the card).  Your biometrics are still linked to your passport.  Your passport should have a chip in it on the front cover.  Although I bet the data is actually stored based on visa number.  I know when I enter, they always write my reference number next to the entry stamp.

I miss the sticker in the passport.  I'm paranoid that I'll lose my card.   

I have a question: for my previous visas I was given a card with a chip, but this just goes directly in my passport (which is nice) and has no chip. I assumed the chip allowed them to access my data (maybe my biometrics) but without a chip in my new visa how do they access my data?

Many thanks to all, especially ksand and KFdancer who were incredibly patient with me through all my anxiety and mishaps with the documentation. 

Congratulations ! And no problem .

Visas are issued in different ways depending on where you apply for them:

- All visas issued OUTSIDE the UK are issued as a sticker in your passport (I'm assuming your first ever visa for the UK when you moved here before was also a sticker), with your biometrics linked to your visa number/passport.

- All visas issued INSIDE the UK are issued as a separate BRP (Biometrics Residence Permit), and there is no sticker in the passport.

So, this first visa is a sticker and then all your future visas will be a BRP card.

Congrats Minxy 

We are still waiting patiently. Tomorrow, Wednesday, marks 3 weeks for us.

If tomorrow passes and we don't receive any emails, are we able to contact anyone? Speak with the ECO?

No, you can't contact them and there is no way to speak to an ECO. You just have to wait for the visa to be processed.

You should only try to contact them if they have exceeded the service standards processing time of either 12 or 24 weeks (not sure which they are going by at the moment). They deliberately don't give a timescale for priority applications anymore because they can't guarantee a decision within a certain number of days.

So, 3 weeks is not any special milestone in visa processing and there's no reason to need to contact them yet, especially when it's potentially been taking up to 5 weeks for priority recently.


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Congratulations to everyone who has received their approvals. I hope the rest of ours is just around the corner.

Congratulations to everyone who has received their approvals. I hope the rest of ours is just around the corner.

Amen to that! 

Hi everyone,

Long time lurker, first time poster! Everyone's timelines and information have been incredibly helpful, so I thought I would post my fiance's here in case it can help someone else, particularly anyone with concerns about the erratic and inconsistent nature of Sheffield's emails.

Having had no emails whatsoever from Sheffield (and having been told by the FAQ response that there was no record of the application two weeks ago), my fiance received his decision email today.

Now the nervous wait for the delivery...

Location applying from: USA
Type of visa: Settlement: Fiance (Priority)
Office Processing VISA: Sheffield UK
Online application submitted: July 18
Biometrics Completed: July 22
Documents sent: July 22 (via UPS)
Documents received in Sheffield: July 24
Docs received by Sheffield: no email
Decision made email: August 20th