Priority Settlement updates

What possibly could be causing this delay do other members think? We really (in our opinion) have a straight forward case.. Have any recent members submitted for spouse settlement using the Priority and heard back?

Country applying from: USA
Type of visa applied for: Spouse/Settlement Priority
Married: September 11, 2015
Online Application Submitted: September 22, 2015
Biometrics Taken: September 28, 2015
Application Mailed: September 28, 2015
Package Received in Sheffield: October 1, 2015
Email confirming receipt of documents: October 1, 2015
Date Sheffield emailed to confirm decision has been made:

My wife is still holding onto hope of making it to England to join me before Christmas…..

I really don't know.  A couple of other members have posted about having their priority visas issued in a matter of days this week.   

What are our options to follow this up? We have tried the website email link and we get standard automated response...  I know they say don't book a flight but we took the chance and did, with that date being the 11th Dec

What are our options to follow this up? We have tried the website email link and we get standard automated response...  I know they say don't book a flight but we took the chance and did, with that date being the 11th Dec

You're not really supposed to use it, but you could try the direct Sheffield email address to ask what's going on with the application: VisaSheffield@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Hi bedfordshireboy

Any news?

Turns out my application was still sitting in non priority despite us switching to priority.

Another F up on their lazy ways, they never, even after 24 days, didn't link my forgotten Appendix 2.

Have you tried contacting VFS courier instead of the generic no one reads visasheffield email. ... VFS won't consider what's inside, however, they must be able to verify where it physically is.

My partner works for the Home Office and had to talk to someone there...apparently despite switching to priority last week, it was still just in standard queue. He was notified yesterday that my application was processed and I will receive an email.  I received the ambiguous email today.




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Hi bedfordshireboy

Any news?

Turns out my application was still sitting in non priority despite us switching to priority.

Another F up on their lazy ways, they never, even after 24 days, didn't link my forgotten Appendix 2.

Have you tried contacting VFS courier instead of the generic no one reads visasheffield email. ... VFS won't consider what's inside, however, they must be able to verify where it physically is.

My partner works for the Home Office and had to talk to someone there...apparently despite switching to priority last week, it was still just in standard queue. He was notified yesterday that my application was processed and I will receive an email.  I received the ambiguous email today.




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Have you decided to not withdrawal your application?

For the record, VFS Global for US applications is nothing more than a website (partner company) that allows you to pay for services offered by other people.

The priority service is not provided by VFS, it is provided by the employees at UKVI Sheffield (you pay for priority and then some person in Sheffield places your application in a different location).

The courier service is not provided by VFS either, it is just pre-paid UPS shipping... and UPS can only tell you if the application has been delivered and signed for or not, nothing more.


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I sent 2 emails with attachments towards my application ..both bounced back generic and after reading others still not getting any response from those same emails, i discarded the attempt to even withdraw. What's the point in contacting them when they don't respond in a timely manner to attachments they had asked for!

Fruitless to contact them via that email they provide.  They never linked their request to me, much less responded before.  So I saw no point in wasting my time contacting them for a withdrawal. 24 days passed and they never linked important information.  Over 72 hours and they never took my application from the non priority to priority queue.

There's no point anymore in having emotions for something so negative.  Or worrying over something that is clearly left to  a mediocre processing system.

I have an opportunity to live in another country for 30 months if that visa is approved, and that's just how I need to see it.  There's no magic fairytale story that's for sure.

Unless you have contacts to the right reviewing authority, keep your expectations extremely low to avoid any disappointment




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Hello all,

I first wanted to thank all who participate in this forum!  It was very helpful for my husband and I as we were completing the visa process.

Here is our timeline (Priority):
Documents sent to Sheffield: Wednesday, November 25th
Documents arrived in Sheffield: Friday, November 27th
Email from Sheffield confirming receipt of documents: Tuesday, December 1st
Email from Sheffield confirming decision has been made: Friday, December 4th
Visa arrived: Monday, December 7th

Here is what we submitted:
-Application and Appendix 2
-1 passport photo

Financial evidence:
-Financial Spreadsheet documenting evidence of husband's salary over previous 6 months with letter from employer confirming current salary, annotated payslips, and annotated bank statements
-Letter from employer explaining job move to UK, start date, and salary

Relationship evidence:
-Marriage certificate
-Joint bank account statements
-Joint tenancy agreement for current apartment
-Signed letters from both sets of parents confirming relationship and giving specifics about when they met partner's spouse, confirming visits to addresses, wedding details, and offering contact details if they had questions
-Annotated picture from wedding with both sets of parents

Accommodation evidence:
-Letter from in-laws confirming we can stay at their house until we find an apartment in London

Good luck to everyone currently applying!

Congratulations on getting your visa .

-Signed letters from both sets of parents confirming relationship and giving specifics about when they met partner's spouse, confirming visits to addresses, wedding details, and offering contact details if they had questions
-Annotated picture from wedding with both sets of parents

Just a note for anyone else applying that letters about your relationship from family members or friends cannot be considered for the visa, and so should not be included.

Same goes with photos that include anyone else except you and your spouse, as the only reason you need to include a photo of the two of you at all is to show you have met in person.

Including extra letters and photos won't hinder a visa application outcome, but they also will not be looked at, so there's no need to weigh down your documents package with them.

I should have posted this here yesterday. Email with "decision has been made" received 8th December. If Visa was approved my husband will fly to Scotland next week.

Congratulations torchwoodfan!!  Funny how as soon as you sent that email out, you got a quicker response !  It seems even paying priority required the extra push.  I fly out this Sunday.... Sadly my dogs will have to be on next years travel in April


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thanks but now I'm worried all over again, UPS tracking has package collected from Sheffield but nothing since them, that was Tuesday (8th Dec) night at 5.12pm........now getting in touch with UPS to see what's going on?? It's just constant stress.

This is my first post but just wanted to let you know the current timeline as of today. PRIORITY APPLICAITON

My wife traveled to America: Sunday 6th December
Biometrics and posted all documentation: Monday 7th December
Documents received in Sheffield email: Wednesday 9th December
Email confirming a decision has been made and documents have been shipped: Friday 11th December

A quick turnaround: Does this mean its an easy acceptance or an obvious rejection?

You won't know for sure until you get the passport back, but usually a quick turnaround means a positive outcome... because if there was an issue with documents or a reason for refusal they would spend more time looking into it and possibly contacting your wife for more information.

Fingers crossed for a visa approval for you and your wife .


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Thanks for the positivity. The fact that it was only at the Visa office for two days is a bit scary!