Settlement Visa - very simple - 3 months and waiting

Please see details below. How do people recommend we proceed?

I am a UK citizen (born and bred)
My wife of 17 years is a US citizen who previously held a Settlement Visa and lived in the UK with me from 2001-2008
From 2008 to date we have both been living (together) in the USA. We are now trying to move back to the UK.
Timeline
=======
1 Sep 2018: Online application made with travel date requested of 1 Dec 2018
1 Sep 2018: NHS payment made
1 Sep 2018: Priority processing paid (VFS)
4 Sep 2018: All payments (Visa, NHS and Priority appear on bank statement
4 Sep 2018: Biometrics appointment in Phoenix, AZ
4 Sep 2018: All documents express couriered to UK Immigration lawyer who put the documents together and couriered them to Sheffield.
21 Sep 2018: Standard email saying application has been received
....... nothing

The Home Office web site still says that all but the most complex applications are being completed in 3 months and VPS Priority says that most priority applications are completed in 1 month unless very complicated

This application should be SUPER UNCOMPLICATED. We have been married (and living together) for 17 years (6.5 in the UK and 10.5 in the USA). My income as sponsor is considerably more than required. My children and grand children all live in the UK. My wife speaks perfect English  (almost, well, she is American) and has previously held a Settlement Visa. We have rented somewhere (property report provided) suitable to live when we get to the UK. We have provided all the documents required and they have been vetted by our immigration lawyer (previous Home Office Immigration Officer) so there should not be any issues.

Help!

Please see details below. How do people recommend we proceed?

I am a UK citizen (born and bred)
My wife of 17 years is a US citizen who previously held a Settlement Visa and lived in the UK with me from 2001-2008
From 2008 to date we have both been living (together) in the USA. We are now trying to move back to the UK.
Timeline
=======
1 Sep 2018: Online application made with travel date requested of 1 Dec 2018
1 Sep 2018: NHS payment made
1 Sep 2018: Priority processing paid (VFS)
4 Sep 2018: All payments (Visa, NHS and Priority appear on bank statement
4 Sep 2018: Biometrics appointment in Phoenix, AZ
4 Sep 2018: All documents express couriered to UK Immigration lawyer who put the documents together and couriered them to Sheffield.
21 Sep 2018: Standard email saying application has been received
....... nothing

The Home Office web site still says that all but the most complex applications are being completed in 3 months and VPS Priority says that most priority applications are completed in 1 month unless very complicated

This application should be SUPER UNCOMPLICATED. We have been married (and living together) for 17 years (6.5 in the UK and 10.5 in the USA). My income as sponsor is considerably more than required. My children and grand children all live in the UK. My wife speaks perfect English  (almost, well, she is American) and has previously held a Settlement Visa. We have rented somewhere (property report provided) suitable to live when we get to the UK. We have provided all the documents required and they have been vetted by our immigration lawyer (previous Home Office Immigration Officer) so there should not be any issues.

Help!

Hi barraclm! Unfortunately, just as there are those who have their applications processed super quickly, there is always someone who takes much longer than expected
.
It looks like you applied when applications were being sent directly to Sheffield but instead of sending the application there directly from the US, as was the norm, it was sent from within the UK instead.

Do you know if your lawyer marked the outside of the package with SETTLEMENT PRIORITY PROCESSING and placed the priority receipt on the very top of the package?

Do you know if your lawyer marked the outside of the package with SETTLEMENT PRIORITY PROCESSING and placed the priority receipt on the very top of the package?

He should have - he's the expert!

He should have - he's the expert!

It doesn't work that way, unfortunately.

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A property inspection report is not required.  Sadly that's usually the first red flag for a lawyer that doesn't know what they are doing... well, they do know what they are doing, they get a kick back for the fee from the inspection.  Hoping he didn't have testimonial letters from friends and family.

I'd contact your lawyer and see what's going on.  The last of our Non-priority applications to be processed through Sheffield (before NYC scanning was introduced) are complete.  As a priority application, you should have heard no later than mid-October.  So something has gone wrong somewhere along the way.  Even if the application was sent in as non-priority, it should still have been processed by now. 

As he's former HO staff, can he call a buddy there and have them personally check on it.  Otherwise once you hit 12 weeks (which is soon), you can contact your MP and see if he/she can find out where it is and why it's taking so long to be processed.

Hugs!  UKVI isn't fun!

UPDATE
Heard back form email enquiry service that the application has been decided. No indication of how long until they send the documents back. Anyone have any knowledge about what they have to do between deciding and sending the documents back. Also, can the enquiry service response be believed?

UPDATE
Heard back form email enquiry service that the application has been decided. No indication of how long until they send the documents back. Anyone have any knowledge about what they have to do between deciding and sending the documents back. Also, can the enquiry service response be believed?

Well, unfortunately the enquiry service is notorious for giving incorrect information and in the past they have told people a decision has been made when in reality their application was still waiting in line and hadn’t even been looked at yet. They do sometimes give correct information, but not all the time.

The only way to know for sure if the application has been decided is if:
- you get the official decision made email from Sheffield
And/or
- your passport and documents arrive in the mail

Under the old system (sending documents to Sheffield), usually once Sheffield send the decision made email out (and they will also send a tracking email for the shipping), the visa is issued and packaged up the same day, then it’ll arrive with you within about 2-4 days, depending on when UPS pick up the package.




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As he's former HO staff, can he call a buddy there and have them personally check on it. 

From what these staff have said when they post of forums, they seem to work on different teams, that deal with different aspects of immigratiom. e.g sponsorship licences, ILR applications,  citizenship etc.  I remember the government stated a few years ago that they would have an EEA team, when they brought in the need for these to have a DCPR or PRC , to check they had complied with EEA law continuously as they claimed.

If he doesn't know anybody on the correct team...