For those who used a Courier for settlement

Out of curiosity, once the Courier dropped your app off at the Consulate, how long did it take to get your settlement Visa?

I'm hearing some people say a day or that afternoon and some say 20-40 days 

I sent my documents to the courier in LA, it arrived the next day, I got a call the following day saying my fiance visa had been granted.  Very quick.   

24 hours for me - Chicago consulate last November  : )

I think you'll prolly get a faster turnaround with a courier, but I think we're entering a bit of a time where the consulates slow down--new rules in place, loads of applications to sort through under the new rules (and loads of applications to refuse, I imagine), so it might be a *little* longer than normal. Hence why some people are saying 20-40 days; during the summer I think they get loads of student visas for the next school year as well.

But I think it's still definitely worth it to use a courier, I'm planning on using one in June

When people say same day they are usually talking about a couriered application. If they say 20-40 days, they would not have used a courier (from the accounts of people on the forum here over the last 2 years, I haven't heard of any courier-sent applications take longer than 5 days maximum - most seem to have been approved within 48 hours).

As I understand it, usual wait times (with no delays) are:

24-48 hours with courier,

1 to 3 weeks without courier.

If the consulates are busy you might be looking at:

3-5 days with a courier,

maybe 3-5 weeks without a courier.


ETA: I'm using estimated times based on straight-forward applications.

When people say same day they are usually talking about a couriered application. If they say 20-40 days, they would not have used a courier (from the accounts of people on the forum here over the last 2 years, I haven't heard of any courier-sent applications take longer than 5 days maximum - most seem to have been approved within 48 hours).

As I understand it, usual wait times (with no delays) are:

24-48 hours with courier,

1 to 3 weeks without courier.

If the consulates are busy you might be looking at:

3-5 days with a courier,

maybe 3-5 weeks without a courier.

Thanks for clarifying that--it's easy for me to remember As I figure, the dates you get in those emails are assuming that you're *not* using a courier, so if you use one your mileage will vary (generally shorter wait times, IMHO).

If you see something that says 20-40 days, it probably means they used UPS or FedEx, which are technically couriers, but they can't expedite your visa. To find the kind of courier that can get you your visa within a day, look here:

List of approved couriers/facilitators: (just select United States, close the page and re-click the link(s) below and the proper page should open).

New York: https://www.visainfoservices.com/Pages/Content.aspx?tag=Independent_visa_services--New_York_City_area

Chicago: https://www.visainfoservices.com/Pages/Content.aspx?tag=Independent_visa_services--Chicago_area.txt

Los Angeles: https://www.visainfoservices.com/Pages/Content.aspx?tag=Independent_visa_services--Los_Angeles_area

I used Expert Visas in Chicago. I mailed it to them on March 4th and got my visa approved on March 17th. Just because you use a courier does not mean that it will happen in 24 hours as each case is different.

Just because you use a courier does not mean that it will happen in 24 hours as each case is different.

Yeah, I should have clarified that the 24-48 hours was mostly for straight-forward applications. If you have prior immigration history (i.e. refused entry to UK in the past, refused a visa etc.) or if you have criminal convictions or anything else that makes an application non-straightforward, it will likely take longer, whether you use a courier or not.

Thanks everyone. I talked to Global VIP today and she told me it shouldn't take longer then 48 hours. Fingers crossed. I have no criminal back round, previous refusals, or anything else suspicious so I think/hope I'm good to go as soon as DF's end of all the paperwork gets here.