Any updates from recent applicants?

Yeah I was feeling hopeful that we'd get ours back pretty quick but looks like it's getting busier now and they are taking a bit longer. I'm impatient too, hoping we get a decision before Christmas.

I am getting so frustrated with all of this! I got the email on Thursday saying that a decision had been made but they needed my international courier account number so they could mail it back. I responded with my ups account number an hour later. I have yet to receive an email confirming that they have shipped it or anything. I tried to call the information number to see if I should be expecting an email with a tracking number or if they just go ahead and ship it, but they just gave me useless information. I wanted to be back in the UK by Saturday but it's not looking so great!

kthieroff-hopefully you will get a surprise today and your package will arrive. Fingers crossed for you!!

So it's been over 2 weeks now and no email Beginning to get a bit worried, as another member had theirs arrive at Sheff on the same day as us and they received theirs last week. We do have more financial paperwork involved for self-employment so maybe that's why.. but it's getting a bit frustrating and I'm wondering if priority was even worth it for us. :/

Hi Everyone, I'm kcolville's (soon to be!!) other half.

So it's been over 2 weeks now and no email Beginning to get a bit worried, as another member had theirs arrive at Sheff on the same day as us and they received theirs last week. We do have more financial paperwork involved for self-employment so maybe that's why.. but it's getting a bit frustrating and I'm wondering if priority was even worth it for us. :/

We got notification that our application was received 15 days ago now, but still no word on whether we need to provide more documentation or if any progress is being made at all.

Another user here, kthieroff, submitted her application on the same day we did but received a response over a week ago - so we're now wondering what we've done wrong. I suspect the major difference is that I (the sponsor) am self-employed.

Has anyone else recently applied providing all of the required self-employment documentation? (Company tax return, dividend vouchers, income proof, etc)
Does that usually make such a large difference to the processing time?

We only have 4 weeks until Christmas and we're aware that holiday times are already affecting processing times so I'm hoping that we get a response very soon.

It's bad for me, but worse for her because she's quit her job, packed her life away and is now just sitting around waiting for an email to arrive with some good news... and it's just not here yet. 

Please hope for us!! Wishing you all luck with your applications too.

Please try not to worry.  Self-employment is a bit trickier as there is a lot more required paperwork.  Remember the visa is a "tick box application", so as long as you meet the requirements and provided the required documentation, the visa will be issued.

Historically processing times slow before the holidays as lots of people apply in hopes of spending them together.

If there is nothing sinister in the application (serious criminal convictions, refused entry in the past, using NHS on a visitor visa), then it's just the nature of the beast.

Just received my 'a decision has been made' email today for my spousal/settlement visa and figured that I would post my timeline. (I am remaining positive that this indicates that the visa has in fact been granted as it was a relatively straightforward case and they didn't request further information.)

8 November: Submitted online application
14 November: Biometrics taken and package shipped to UK (UPS Express)
17 November: Package arrived in Sheffield
19 November: Confirmation of receipt email from Sheffield
5 December: 'Decision has been made' email

If all goes well, I may have the visa in hand by the middle of next week!

Best of luck to all who are still waiting. This is my seventh time applying for a UK visa (although first of the settlement variety) and so I understand how incredibly nerve-wracking the wait can be.

My husband recently came to visit me in the UK and was detained at the airport. They let him in for 1 week then he had to leave. This was just because they did not think he was a genuine visitor as he'd left his job in the US to start a new one in January. We then decided for him to move here and put in for the spouse visa a month after his return home. Does anyone know how much of a delay this will cause on his decision? They received our application on November 27th and we are hoping to be together for Christmas. Does anyone know if this is just wishful thinking and how long we'll be looking at extra? We also paid priority.

Thank you

My husband recently came to visit me in the UK and was detained at the airport. They let him in for 1 week then he had to leave. This was just because they did not think he was a genuine visitor as he'd left his job in the US to start a new one in January. We then decided for him to move here and put in for the spouse visa a month after his return home. Does anyone know how much of a delay this will cause on his decision? They received our application on November 27th and we are hoping to be together for Christmas. Does anyone know if this is just wishful thinking and how long we'll be looking at extra? We also paid priority.

If he was let into the UK and was not refused entry and put right back on a plane home without leaving the airport, it shouldn't cause any delay on the application.

He did nothing wrong immigration-wise, it's just he just wasn't quite as prepared to enter as a visitor as he should have been, but they were kind and allowed him in on a restricted visitor visa instead of a full-length one.

Assuming he has no actual refused entries or visas, no history of illegal overstaying or working in the UK, and no criminal convictions, there is no reason why the application should be delayed at all.

Thank you  ksand24

So I forgot to say that I received my visa after a huge misunderstanding.
The visa was delivered to the wrong ups store, then after all these phone calls, I told them to just leave it at the new store since I couldn't pick it up until the next morning.

I then drove through a BLIZZARD to get to the store, opened my package only to find my binder of paperwork and no passports. Not even the older ones. Panic set in, after phone calls, international calls, and paying for a helpline, I was told to wait until they could figure out where my passports were. My little brother was later flipping through my binder, and there they were! IN BETWEEN PAPERS IN THE SHEET PROTECTORS! Not visible by simply turning the pages.

It was a huge mess, but now I am in England, with my husband! Arrived on November 18th, had to drive through terrible blizzards to Chicago because my flight out of Michigan was cancelled due to the weather. It's been a journey, but now we are finally together!

I received an email from Sheffield on the 12th saying they needed an account number for a courier services so they can send me package back once a decision has been made. Well, before that my husband had sent a prepaid envelope with our documents and application.So we set up a UPS account and sent them our account number.I get home from work today to find that I have missed the package they sent me.I never received a "Decision has been made" email.I tracked it and it looks like they sent it out about 10 days ago. Has this happened to anyone??

I never received a "Decision has been made" email.I tracked it and it looks like they sent it out about 10 days ago. Has this happened to anyone??

Do you mean has anyone else not received a 'decision made' email?

If so this is not unusual as not everyone receives the 'decision made' email. Their emails can be hit and miss and some people don't receive any emails from UKVI at all...their visa just shows up on their doorstep one day without notice.

Sorry, I meant to ask if anyone has sent a prepaid envelope? That's what we sent them before we gave them my account number for UPS.So, they just used the prepaid envelope we sent them.

Well, you have to send a return addressed envelope, but you can't actually pre-pay it because you don't know when it will be returned, what it will weigh or how much it will cost.

That's why you either set up a waybill with UPS online and/or include your UPS account number, so UKVI can charge it to your account when they mail it back.


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