How do I track the progress of my fiancé visa application?

I've finally submitted everything for my fiancé visa!

I went to the biometric appointment on the 20th, and mailed my passport and supporting documents that same day to the UKVI Visa Processing Centre in NYC. UPS tells me that my package has been delivered, which is great news. This forum literally saved my life the last couple of weeks, and my mental health would be a lot worse off right now if it wasn't for you all.
However, it looks like I've found something new to stress over. Yay!
Here are my many questions that hopefully some of you lovely people can answer ❤

- I have a confirmation from UPS that my package is there, but will I get any confirmation from the actual office?
- I've seen people on here talking about a Sheffield office, but I was directed to send my stuff to the one in NYC. Will it be sent to the UK from there, or is everything going to stay in the US?
- I have like no idea what happens to my application once it's arrived. Does it just wait in a big pile of other applications until it can be read?
- What is the best way to check up on the progress of my visa? Or is the best move to just sit tight and wait?

I purchased the priority service, but I know that with covid and all it may take longer than usual. I really really hope that I can make it to the UK before Christmas so that my fiancé won't be alone then. Do you think this is a realistic hope?

Thank you for any answers you may be able to give me!! 

Here are my many questions that hopefully some of you lovely people can answer ❤

- I have a confirmation from UPS that my package is there, but will I get any confirmation from the actual office?
- I've seen people on here talking about a Sheffield office, but I was directed to send my stuff to the one in NYC. Will it be sent to the UK from there, or is everything going to stay in the US?
- I have like no idea what happens to my application once it's arrived. Does it just wait in a big pile of other applications until it can be read?
- What is the best way to check up on the progress of my visa? Or is the best move to just sit tight and wait?

1. You should normally get an email when they log your documents into the system, but they don't always send one. As long as you know they were delivered, your visa will be processed.

2. While you send your passport to New York, the visa application itself is actually processed in Sheffield (your documents and passport are transferred to Sheffield electronically for processing). Once the visa decision has been made by Sheffield, the New York office will issue the visa sticker into your passport and mail it back to you. It used to be that you had to mail your passport and all your documents to Sheffield directly, but now you upload the documents to VFS Global and mail your passport to New York.

3. Yep, pretty much. If you purchased the settlement priority processing service (about $760), your application will be put to the front of the pile, but behind all the other priority applications, meaning it will be looked at faster than without priority. It only takes 1-2 hours to process your application once someone picks it up, so about 99% of the processing time is your application just sitting in line waiting for someone to get to it. Once they get to it, it should be processed and decided that same day.

4. There is no way to check the progress of your visa application, so all you can do is wait until you either get the email to say it has been processed, or the visa just arrives on your doorstep!

I purchased the priority service, but I know that with covid and all it may take longer than usual. I really really hope that I can make it to the UK before Christmas so that my fiancé won't be alone then. Do you think this is a realistic hope?

We just had someone get an approval for a fiance visa in 41 working days from their biometrics date (https://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=98692.0), so if it's the same for you, then that would take you to December 15th... so you might be lucky and get it by Christmas .

1. You should normally get an email when they log your documents into the system, but they don't always send one. As long as you know they were delivered, your visa will be processed.

2. While you send your passport to New York, the visa application itself is actually processed in Sheffield (your documents and passport are transferred to Sheffield electronically for processing). Once the visa decision has been made by Sheffield, the New York office will issue the visa sticker into your passport and mail it back to you. It used to be that you had to mail your passport and all your documents to Sheffield directly, but now you upload the documents to VFS Global and mail your passport to New York.

3. Yep, pretty much. If you purchased the settlement priority processing service (about $760), your application will be put to the front of the pile, but behind all the other priority applications, meaning it will be looked at faster than without priority. It only takes 1-2 hours to process your application once someone picks it up, so about 99% of the processing time is your application just sitting in line waiting for someone to get to it. Once they get to it, it should be processed and decided that same day.

4. There is no way to check the progress of your visa application, so all you can do is wait until you either get the email to say it has been processed, or the visa just arrives on your doorstep!

We just had someone get an approval for a fiance visa in 41 working days from their biometrics date (https://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=98692.0), so if it's the same for you, then that would take you to December 15th... so you might be lucky and get it by Christmas .

You are the most wonderful person! Thank you so much for all of your answers. That is so amazing to hear that I might get my visa by December 15!! So exciting! I'll repost here if I get any updates!

You are the most wonderful person! Thank you so much for all of your answers. That is so amazing to hear that I might get my visa by December 15!! So exciting! I'll repost here if I get any updates!

An update for Ksand24 and anyone else who may be reading, I got my visa!! I can't believe I've forgotten to post here, but I got it on November 16, 27 days after biometric appointment with the priority service. Thank you so much for all your help!!

An update for Ksand24 and anyone else who may be reading, I got my visa!! I can't believe I've forgotten to post here, but I got it on November 16, 27 days after biometric appointment with the priority service. Thank you so much for all your help!!

That’s awesome! Congratulations !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congratulations!

Congratulations

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An update for Ksand24 and anyone else who may be reading, I got my visa!! I can't believe I've forgotten to post here, but I got it on November 16, 27 days after biometric appointment with the priority service. Thank you so much for all your help!!

Did either of you pay the extra charge to make it 6 weeks at most or did you just go with the up to 12 week timing?
I'm hoping to do mine in January and wondering if it is worth paying extra for the 6 week time frame.
Thanks
Kathy

Did either of you pay the extra charge to make it 6 weeks at most or did you just go with the up to 12 week timing?
I'm hoping to do mine in January and wondering if it is worth paying extra for the 6 week time frame.
Thanks
Kathy

Her post mentions that she used priority service, so yes, she did pay the extra charge.

The majority of applicants pay the extra for Settlement Priority processing, because it usually gets the visa processed in about half the normal processing time. If you can afford to pay for it, I would definitely recommend it.

Note that there is no '6-week service' or '12-week service'. There is Settlement Priority Service (about $800) and standard service (free).

They say Settlement Priority Service should take 30 working days, but there is no guarantee that it will be processed in that time.

They say Standard service should take up to 12 weeks (3 months), though it can take up to 24 weeks in some cases.

All you are paying for when you buy Settlement Priority Service is for your application to be placed at the front of the line ahead of standard applications, but behind all the other priority applications. After that, it takes as long as it takes to be processed.

Did either of you pay the extra charge to make it 6 weeks at most or did you just go with the up to 12 week timing?
I'm hoping to do mine in January and wondering if it is worth paying extra for the 6 week time frame.
Thanks
Kathy

The priority service was so worth it, if anything just for peace of mind. I was particularly anxious during this process. Even if the standard service may have given me my visa in time for Christmas, it was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders just to have my passport back with absolute confirmation that I'd be with my Fiancé in a month's time.
I would definitely recommend purchasing if you can afford it, especially with the global pandemic etc. Getting everything together for the application before you apply takes enough time on its own. And like Ksand24 said, there really is no guarantee what the timeline will be like either way.