UK Visa Settlement Processing Time

So, to the folks who are on day 30+ with the New York office, had you purchased the expedited option, or just stuck with the standard processing?

Just wondering, since the Chicago consulate isn't going to be taking them anymore, and I'll probably have to submit through NY. 

Woadgrrl, I will be on day 36 of processing on Monday! No, I didnt purchase the priority fee, not because I did not want to, but because it was very poorly advertised.  My best advice; purchase the priority service!!! Luckily for me, I have lots of family to keep me occupied! However I have noticed a few visa applicants on here that have been extremely stressed by the waiting time! 

I've always intended on getting priority service.  I think even that short wait time will kill me; I can't stand suspense of any sort!  And particularly since they're reducing the number of processing consulates, I can't imagine just waiting it out.

I just wanted to make sure, before I shelled out the extra hundreds, that I'd actually be getting my money's worth in terms of processing time.

Thanks!

Hey Nickiboo17...I'm in waiting day 9 with the NY Consulate so it seems I will have many more waiting days!  Like you, I have family all around me and we have a bunch of planned events that is helping out with the stress.  My fiancee is coming to visit me for 15 days next friday so that will help also! 

This forum is helping a lot too!  I'm not checking my email every 30 mins now hoping for an approval email because I basically have accepted it to take atleast 30 days.  Also, the priority service was poorly advertised!!  I am a little upset about that but I'm coming into the mind frame on it's not if but when.  Someone said that here on the forum and I appreciated reading it !

Hugz to everyone!
Nikki

Hey Nickiboo17...I'm in waiting day 9 with the NY Consulate so it seems I will have many more waiting days!  Like you, I have family all around me and we have a bunch of planned events that is helping out with the stress.  My fiancee is coming to visit me for 15 days next friday so that will help also! 

This forum is helping a lot too!  I'm not checking my email every 30 mins now hoping for an approval email because I basically have accepted it to take atleast 30 days.  Also, the priority service was poorly advertised!!  I am a little upset about that but I'm coming into the mind frame on it's not if but when.  Someone said that here on the forum and I appreciated reading it !

Hugz to everyone!
Nikki

Hi Mystec,

Welcome to waiting around and your life being in limbo lol! My best advice is not to check your email continuously anytime before 30 business days.  Most people who did not purchase priority service for the settlement application have been waiting at least 35 business days (at least since I have been on UK yankee). Some people have even waited over 45 business days!!! Crazy, right?

A lot of people on UK Yankee have also felt that the priority service was not advertised well!  You are definitely not alone!  I knew about the priority service before I submitted my application because of my lawyer, but at that time I was not entitled to use it. Literally a few days before my application was submitted, the priority service rules have changed, and I was entitled to it; however I did not notice it in time! I found out that the rules have changed from this forum. It was a bummer, but I guess this is how God wanted things to be!

Enjoy your family!! Prior to this, I have been in the UK for 5 years plus so I really missed my family. Of course I came home for vacations, but I never stayed more than a couple weeks.  Make the best of this situation!  You may not get the chance to spend so much time with your family. 

You are so lucky your fiancee is visiting you!!! I am sure that it will make time go by quickly. My partner is unable to visit me due to business so I am missing him terribly! But hey, distance makes the heart grow founder!  We definitely appreciate each other more. It has been a great learning experience!

Sit tight and enjoy all your time with your family. I am sure the time will pass by quickly! This forum is great for any questions you may have so take full advantage of it!!!

I would hope it would not go over 35 days as that is a bit much, most of the student visas should be done now.

We definitely appreciate each other more. It has been a great learning experience!

This is so true, the time apart and distance just makes you appreciate everything a lot more and makes you see things in a whole new way. Now with this wait even moreso, we expected to be together in two weeks now it will maybe be a bit more.

That said I think next week should see a lot of people here getting their visas, I mean most courses start in just over a week! So staying positive and have the mindset that it is going to be then. : )

I think what would be useful on the website would be to be able to view processing times from previous years too so you can get an idea how busy it is at each time of year. If we had those stats from the start I would have paid for priority.

I think what would be useful on the website would be to be able to view processing times from previous years too so you can get an idea how busy it is at each time of year. If we had those stats from the start I would have paid for priority.

Actually the statistics are avialable:

Oct - Dec 2009
Jul - Sep 2009
April - Jun 2009
Jan - Mar 2009
Oct - Dec 2008

Keep in mind that these statistics are from a time period when you could use a Visa Expediter to get your visa processed in 24-48 hours so anything processed in 5 - 10 business days will most likely be from a visa submitted in that fashion.

Nickiboo,

If you don't mind me asking, where are you going to be living in the UK??  I'm going to be staying in a small town called Deal, UK (Kent)...very close to the beach and about 1.30 hours from London.  I'd love to actually meet some people going through this process once I get there and have lunch or something if someone is going to be around the area I'm staying.  That would be just fantastic!!

Yes, I'm VERY excited to see my fiancee again...it's been since the end of June since we saw each other last (aside from Yahoo video chat).  My daughter, who will be 4 Oct 1st, is excited too!!  Both my fiance, Simon and my daughter's birthdays are in the time period he is coming into town so it will be a great time!  Although, financially, it's crushing me having their birthdays around the same time lol. 

I'm just trying to work as much as possible and visit friends and family with my daughter to make the time go by faster and it's actually working.  Being able to talk to others in my situation helps SOOOO much it's unbelievable!!  Thanks for the pick me up advice !

Hugz,
Nikki

Actually the statistics are avialable:

Thanks for that, it would be better to see a breakdown into type of application and if these were more visible next to the processing time table on the website. Still it does not really matter now, just one of those in hindsight things!

Thanks for that, it would be better to see a breakdown into type of application and if these were more visible next to the processing time table on the website.

It's at the bottom of the processing time page. The pages I linked in the previous post were from the UK Visas webpage on Customer Service Standards (which links off of the processing times page) found here: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/customerservices/customerservicestandards/

Nickiboo,

If you don't mind me asking, where are you going to be living in the UK??  I'm going to be staying in a small town called Deal, UK (Kent)...very close to the beach and about 1.30 hours from London.  I'd love to actually meet some people going through this process once I get there and have lunch or something if someone is going to be around the area I'm staying.  That would be just fantastic!!

Yes, I'm VERY excited to see my fiancee again...it's been since the end of June since we saw each other last (aside from Yahoo video chat).  My daughter, who will be 4 Oct 1st, is excited too!!  Both my fiance, Simon and my daughter's birthdays are in the time period he is coming into town so it will be a great time!  Although, financially, it's crushing me having their birthdays around the same time lol. 

I'm just trying to work as much as possible and visit friends and family with my daughter to make the time go by faster and it's actually working.  Being able to talk to others in my situation helps SOOOO much it's unbelievable!!  Thanks for the pick me up advice !

Hugz,
Nikki

Good to hear that you are enjoying your time in the US before you depart!  It seems as if you have your hands full with a four year old!! There is so much to do with kids at that age, especially with Halloween approaching and birthdays!

Since I have been in the US I have been doing loads of shopping for my home and clothing.  Clothing in the UK is very expensive. I find the clothing to be expensive and of a cheap quality. I have done loads of Ralph Lauren, DKNY, Calvin Klein clothing and home shopping in the US as the prices in the UK are ridiculous (import).  Even the shops that sell British clothing are very expensive too. Funny, I have also started to shop for christmas home decor as the selection in the Uk (London) is very slim. You should bring a few items that you have just in case you cannot find what you are looking for in the UK!

I live in central London, Marylebone area, near Regents Park. It is a beautiful area. If you are in London and fancy a coffee, let me know  I have never been to Kent but I heard its beautiful! It would be lovely to go there some day and know somebody there

I am sure you will fall in love with the UK!  Have you been yet? I originally came for a semester abroad but decided to stay permanently lol. I fell in love with the place and a fell in love with a Brit  Since then I completed two masters and worked in the UK for awhile.  I just cant get enough of this place! 

I would hope it would not go over 35 days as that is a bit much, most of the student visas should be done now.

Hi Dukespecial,

I will be on processing day 36 on Monday! Crazy, right? I hoping for an answer this coming week. I am sure this would not only put me at ease but the rest of applicants on this particular forum!

I hope there are loads of successes this week!!!

Hey everyone.

I just mailed my application and supporting documents to the NY branch yesterday, and they will get it Monday. The waiting has begun! And as I read some of your experiences, I'm getting more and more anxious and, well, petrified that my visa is going to be rejected. Anyone else have these fears?

I'm mostly wondering what the standard procedure is. From what I've gathered, I'll get a confirmation email that they've received everything, and most likely will get a phone call and I'll have to defend/explain my application and/or relationship with my husband. How soon after sending in your things did any of you get this phone call? How many people have actually had to go in for an in-person interview? What happens after that? What's the longest any of you have taken to get your visa? And the big one: what the heck does the visa look like? Is it just a stamp in your passport, or is it an actual paper document?

I'm pathetic, I know! :-p

I'm mostly wondering what the standard procedure is. From what I've gathered, I'll get a confirmation email that they've received everything

Most people get confirmation emails, but some people don't get an email at all... so it's not definite that you will get one. If you don't receive an email, it doesn't mean that your visa is not being processed.

and most likely will get a phone call and I'll have to defend/explain my application and/or relationship with my husband. How soon after sending in your things did any of you get this phone call?

Hardly anyone gets a phone call... it happens fairly rarely, and only if the ECO needs to request more information regarding your paperwork. If you have included all the required information with your application documents, it's unlikely that you'll get a phone call.

How many people have actually had to go in for an in-person interview?

I've never heard of anyone on this board having an in-person interview for a settlement visa. I don't believe they actually carry out in-person visa interviews in the US (mostly because all applications must be mailed in and no one is actually allowed into the consulate buildings).

What's the longest any of you have taken to get your visa?

The maximum time for a visa to be processed is 6 months, but the majority are processed within 12 weeks, some in less time than this (if you purchased the $300 settlement priority processing at the Worldbridge website, it shouldn't take more than 15 working days). I think the average is about 7-8 weeks (35-40 working days) at the moment if you don't use the priority processing service, but it could be quicker once all the student visa applications have been dealt with.

And the big one: what the heck does the visa look like? Is it just a stamp in your passport, or is it an actual paper document?

It's a sticker in one of your passport pages. It looks something like this: http://www.rathburn.net/visa/uk/Entry%20Clearance.jpg

The usual procedure for getting the visa is: send your documents to the consulate, usually get a confirmation email from them (but not always), wait for the visa to be processed, get an email saying that it has been processed and then receive your visa in the mail a few days later.

To everybody waiting for a settlement visa, lets hope this week we all receive answers 

Hopefully most of the student visas are processed so that they can focus on us!!

I know, it needs to be this week so much, for flights as well, they get more expensive soon!

They DO need to be this week! I am on day 33 and it's my birthday so it would be a good day for it! I have applications in for myself and my 3 kids though so I don't know if that adds extra time or not.....