is this the email from sheffield to let me know they have my documents?

Dear PATRICK xxxxxx xxxxxxxxx

Regarding Visa Application: GWFxxxxxxxxx 
For: PATRICK xxxxxx xxxxxxxx

Your online application has been received at the UK Decision Making Centre.  Your application is currently being prepared for consideration by an Entry Clearance Officer.

If you have made a Settlement application (except for applications lodged in USA and Canada): you must ensure that your UK sponsor has sent all relevant supporting documentation to the UK Decision Making Centre in Sheffield.  The documents should be arranged in this order: application form and relevant Appendix* (See below); English language evidence; relationship documents; maintenance documents; accommodation documents.   If documents are not received a decision will be taken on the basis on the information that has been provided.

If you have already had your supporting documents scanned in at the Visa Application Centre, or if you have already sent them in to us, please ignore the request for documents.

Please note that UKVI aims to complete all Visit Visa applications within 15 working days and all Settlement Visa applications within 12 weeks of the application date. If it is not possible to complete your application within this timeframe a member of our team will contact you to explain why.

If you have paid for Priority Service, your application will be placed in front of the queue and assessed ahead of other non-priority visa applications others but may still take 12 weeks to conclude if we require further time to consider the application. As indicated in the terms of service, the amount paid for the priority service, as well as the visa fees, is not refundable if the visa application is refused or if the decision is delayed.

We regret that we are unable to respond to enquiries asking about the status of any application.  Any status enquiry should be made to the international enquiry service, details of which are on the GOV.UK website.  Staff at Embassies, visa processing centres and visa application centres cannot assist with visa enquiries.  You may also wish to view the current processing times for applications made in your country.

A further email will be sent to you to confirm when your application has been assessed and dispatched.  If your application was made in a Visa Application Centre, the staff there will contact you when your documents are ready – please do not attend the Centre until you are requested to do so.

Please note that you are advised not to purchase flight tickets until you have secured a visa for travel to the UK.

*List of Appendices:
Appendix 1 - Children / Other Dependants
Appendix 2 - Spouse / Partner
Appendix 4 - Pre-flight family members of Refugees
Appendix 5 - Access Rights to Child

Further information is also available on the UK visas and immigration website.

Kind regards,

UK Decision Making Centre


This is an automated message - please do not respond to this email address as incoming mail is not answered. UKVI contact details can be found at www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-outside-uk

This email is intended for the addressee(s) only.  All messages sent and received by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office may be monitored in line with relevant UK legislation
available at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-office/about/personal-information-charter


Not sure if this is the email they send when they get your documents, as it does not sound like they have my documents.  So i guess my question is, is this the email everyone gets to let them know they have our supporting documents?

Yes, that's the email they send to say they have your documents .

It can be confusing because in some countries, the sponsor sends their documents to Sheffield separately, after the applicant has submitted their documents, so that's the reason it implies they don't have your documents. However, US applicants have to mail everything together, so they will receive both your application and documents at the same time.

It tells you in the letter that if you have already sent your documents, you should ignore the request to send your documents:

If you have already had your supporting documents scanned in at the Visa Application Centre, or if you have already sent them in to us, please ignore the request for documents.

thank you so much  ksand24.   They arrived in new york on Oct 11,  so i am wondering if it took them this long to scan them to send to sheffield.  Yikes that was almost four weeks.  It will be interesting to see if send to new york improves or just makes the visa's take longer to process. 

thank you so much  ksand24.   They arrived in new york on Oct 11,  so i am wondering if it took them this long to scan them to send to sheffield.  Yikes that was almost four weeks.  It will be interesting to see if send to new york improves or just makes the visa's take longer to process.

Sounds about right.

So far, the general timings from submitting the documents and receiving the email from Sheffield seem to be:
- $1900 Premium Service = 2-3 weeks
- $793 Priority Service = 2-3 weeks
- Non-priority = about 4 weeks, it seems (I think you're the first non-priority person to apply since they changed it to New York)

Before they changed it to New York, it was taking:
- $1900 Premium Service = 2-3 weeks from receiving the documents in Sheffield
- $793 Priority Service =  1-3 days from receiving the documents in Sheffield
- Non-priority = about 1 week from receiving the documents in Sheffield

Congrats on getting your email!!

But goodness... that's quite an added wait for everyone  . My fiance and I REALLY don't want to pay the Priority fee if we don't have to. We want to use that money towards our home. But before we were looking at a 3 month wait - doable. Now a 4 month wait?? I really hope they streamline this new process and cut down the time between NY and Sheffield .

thank you so much  ksand24.   They arrived in new york on Oct 11,  so i am wondering if it took them this long to scan them to send to sheffield.  Yikes that was almost four weeks.  It will be interesting to see if send to new york improves or just makes the visa's take longer to process.

I used to work for the IRS in the scanning department and can say with 100% certainty that it likely took them this long to scan the docs. The docs we received for scanning usually arrived to our department 2-4 weeks after they were received in the mail room (they are stamped on the day they are received). Hoping that's not the case here, but unfortunately it's not out of the ordinary for the US government...

Thank you.  Yeah, it certainly is looking as if it will be a four month process.  I was hoping i could start my 12 week timer as soon as it landed in NY or  few days after, silly me.  Guessing it will be 12 weeks from now.  Who knows maybe they will surprise me.  most likely not though.  Anyways, i will update my signature and keep the forum posted, in hopes that future applicants can gain some knowledge from someone going through the new system.