Any updates from recent applicants?

That's what I thought too, we sent them in very quickly. We've seen no info on tracking (have alerts set to notify us if anything comes up)...don't understand what the delay is. Part of me wonders if matching up the email I sent to the application could be taking longer than usual, but I addressed it using the same info they sent etc. ughhhhh!!! We're flying out next Tuesday...come hell or high water I was just really hoping to have it by then. It's been 5 days since they sent the email stating it was being processed and asked for more documentation....


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That's what I thought too, we sent them in very quickly. We've seen no info on tracking (have alerts set to notify us if anything comes up)...don't understand what the delay is. Part of me wonders if matching up the email I sent to the application could be taking longer than usual, but I addressed it using the same info they sent etc. ughhhhh!!! We're flying out next Tuesday...come hell or high water I was just really hoping to have it by then. It's been 5 days since they sent the email stating it was being processed and asked for more documentation....


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The fact is they don't know what they're doing.  It's pretty obvious.  They can't even stick to their own 'strict' rules.

Hopefully you here something soon!

An update to our timeline:

UK job offer: 27/07/15
Applied online: 28/07/15
Biometrics: 03/08/15
Sending application: 04/08/15
App received in Sheffield: 07/08/15
Acknowledgement email: 12/08/15
UK citizen flying out 01/09/15...

Days since applying online - 15
Days since app arrived in Sheffield - 5
Days since app was acknowledged - 0

An update to our timeline:

UK job offer: 27/07/15
Applied online: 28/07/15
Biometrics: 03/08/15
Sending application: 04/08/15
App received in Sheffield: 07/08/15
Acknowledgement email: 12/08/15
UK citizen flying out 01/09/15...

Days since applying online - 15
Days since app arrived in Sheffield - 5
Days since app was acknowledged - 0

Are you counting business days or all days. Cause they only count the business days!

Ha! Yes I know...I'm counting the weekends too cos I'm a real person ;-)

Guess we will be letting y'all know how the second passport route goes on Wednesday morning...husband has reassured me it will be fine...spoken to many sources, even paid the damn GBP1.87/minute to speak with them border people themselves and confirmed this.

Was really hoping the visa would make it first....my hopes have been dashed. I was hoping by today we would have some kind of news...I just don't get it...it's like the family law system in the UK.

Bleak...mysterious and just downright disappointing in most regards.

Guess we will be letting y'all know how the second passport route goes on Wednesday morning...husband has reassured me it will be fine...spoken to many sources, even paid the damn GBP1.87/minute to speak with them border people themselves and confirmed this.

Was really hoping the visa would make it first....my hopes have been dashed. I was hoping by today we would have some kind of news...I just don't get it...it's like the family law system in the UK.

Bleak...mysterious and just downright disappointing in most regards.

The phone line is useless and are notorious for wrong advice.  That's how I found this forum!  They told me the wrong thing and I wouldn't have my visa now if I followed what they told me.  Never pay to talk to them.

This whole service is shameful.

It's messing with people's lives.  Outrageously costly for some, which is fine, if that's the way it has to be, but then the customer should be kept up to date on every little step of the way. 

This idea of leaving people guessing is atrocious.

That's the thing... we aren't 'customers.' We're applicants.

We are applying to enter the UK to live with our partners. It's not like going to a restaurant or a hair salon where you are a customer. Does the IRS treat us like customers? Hell, no. It's sh*t trying to deal with them. Think of the Department of Motor Vehicles, how much does that blow? And most of the time you're guaranteed to walk out with your license or whatever after however long you are standing in line or waiting in a chair for your number to be called. That's actually a pretty apt comparison to the UKVI come to think of it.

I know how sucky it is to wait. I was denied for my first application because we didn't understand the financial requirement. It was before they updated the website and I didn't know about UK Yankee back then. I had to wait another 6 months after I sent in my first application before I was able to make my plans to move to the UK. I had nothing good to say about the UKVI (or UKBA as it was called then) and I don't now either. It's just a necessary department we have to work with.

Finally !!! Phew !! I got the courier with my UK Visa in the passport.

First of all sorry for panicking ppl on my application dates. Yes it was May 26th that I had applied. Thank you Ksand for clarifying it. I was bit frustrated at that time because of the delays and had mistyped the month. My wife was here in the US and I had taken 2 weeks vacation to spend time with her. We went to Mackinack islands and Florida. I was hoping my Visa would come through by that time as my anticipated Travel date listed in the application was Aug 2nd.

However I got the Visa sticker on my passport stating valid from 30/7/15 to 30/4/18. I don't see anywhere mentioned on the Visa that states that I have to enter UK within 30 days. I also don't see any accompanying letter from Visa authority just my supporting documents. So does that mean I don't have to panic again trying to move to UK before Aug 30th. There are so many things to take care of ... resign from job, sell stuffs, book tickets, pack stuff, ship stuffs ...list goes on..

Could anyone who have received their Visa recently please share their thoughts/experience. Also on the Visa sticker instead of putting my partner's full name only her first letter of the name with her last name written. Is that fine?

Special thanks to Ksand and others who have put lot of valuable information here to help the applicant.

Finally !!! Phew !! I got the courier with my UK Visa in the passport.

Congratulations .

However I got the Visa sticker on my passport stating valid from 30/7/15 to 30/4/18. I don't see anywhere mentioned on the Visa that states that I have to enter UK within 30 days. I also don't see any accompanying letter from Visa authority just my supporting documents. So does that mean I don't have to panic again trying to move to UK before Aug 30th.

Yes - this is a good thing. You applied online before May 31st, so you should never have got a 30-day visa anyway, since the 30-day vignettes weren't introduced until May 31st.

You have the old style 33-month visa and can enter the UK any time between now and April 30th 2018. However, don't leave it more than 3 months and 28 days from 30th July to arrive in the UK because you won't qualify for ILR before your next visa expires... so just make sure you make your first entry to the UK before the end of November 2015 .

Also on the Visa sticker instead of putting my partner's full name only her first letter of the name with her last name written. Is that fine?

I would imagine that's fine - I don't know how they usually write it, but as long as the name is spelled correctly with the right initial, I don't see why it would be a problem.

Ksand you are the best! I will be moving close to London. Are you somewhere close by?
I was having a panic attack as to how I am going to get all things done in next two weeks. My work keeps me super busy so I never had opportunity to start winding up things here.
Just want to be double sure that it's fine if I move by Sept end? In that way I will have sometime to do job search through my networks..
Is it stated on Gov.uk website about the below for me to look at it.
"You applied online before May 31st, so you should never have got a 30-day visa anyway, since the 30-day vignettes weren't introduced until May 31st.
"

I'm in a weird situation because we still haven't heard back from our non-priority fiance settlement visa, so I had to continue working. (I'm a school teacher and have started back up again). Our application was submitted online 25 May.

If I hear back with good news soon (fingers crossed) how long do I have to get to the UK? Is it a three month time frame?

I am trying to figure out a good time, if approved, to resign from my position if need be. Of course I would like to get there as soon as possible, but my job makes it a little more difficult to leave so quickly.

Any help / advice would be great!

Ksand you are the best! I will be moving close to London. Are you somewhere close by?

No problem . I live about 150 miles from London, so no, not particularly close .

Just want to be double sure that it's fine if I move by Sept end? In that way I will have sometime to do job search through my networks..
Is it stated on Gov.uk website about the below for me to look at it.

It used to be stated on the UKVI what you had to do if you delayed your initial entry to the UK more than 3 months, but they seem to have changed it now.

However, it's really just common sense and a bit of maths.

- In order to qualify for ILR, you have to live in the UK on a settlement visa for 60 months.
- Your spousal visa is valid for 33 months.
- Your FLR(M) visa will be valid for 30 months.

That's 63 months in total, but you only need to be in the UK for 60 months to qualify for ILR.

So, that gives you 3 months (and 28 days) leeway to enter the UK after the spousal visa starts and still be able to reach 60 months in the UK for ILR before the FLR(M) expires (as you can apply 28 days before you reach the 60 months).

The only thing that will happen if you leave it more than 3 months is that you will have to apply for an extra FLR(M) visa instead of ILR to make up the difference until you reach 60 months, and then apply for ILR when you qualify.

For example,

- Your visa is valid 30th July 2015 to 30th April 2018
- You enter the UK on 1st March 2016
- You apply for FLR(M) in person in April 2018
- Your FLR(M) visa is valid 30th April 2018 to 30th October 2020
- However, as you didn't enter the UK until 1st March 2016, you cannot qualify to apply for ILR until 28 days before 1st March 2021
- But your visa expires on 30th October 2020... more than 4 months before you can apply for ILR
- So, you apply for another FLR(M) to bridge the gap until March 2021 (it will be valid 30 months)
- Then you apply for ILR when you are eligible.

The guidance for applying for ILR using SET(M) form does talk about this, but in the context of qualifying for ILR after 2 years (old rules from before July 2012), as no one will be applying under the new rules (5 years to ILR) until at July 2017, so they haven't changed the form yet.

But the same principle applies - just replace 2 years with 5 years on page 3 of the SET(M) guidance:

5. When To Apply

You and any children under 18 who are applying with you should apply before the end of your/their permitted stay in the UK when you are nearing completion of the 2-year qualifying period required by the Immigration Rules.

Please do not apply more than 28 days before completing that period. If you apply earlier than that, your application may be refused. If that happens, we will not refund the fee and you will have to pay again when reapplying.

For visa holders only. If, after receiving your visa, you delayed your journey such that you will reach the “valid until” date on your visa before completing 2 years in the UK, you may need to apply for an extension of stay to complete the 2-year period before applying for indefinite leave to remain on form SET(M). An application for an extension of stay must be made on form FLR(M)

"You applied online before May 31st, so you should never have got a 30-day visa anyway, since the 30-day vignettes weren't introduced until May 31st.

If you had to enter within 30 days, you would have been told this online when you applied and given an address of a UK post office. Plus, your visa sticker would only be valid from 30th July to 29th August 2015 and you would have been sent a letter in the package with guidance on which post office to pick up a BRP from within 10 days of arriving in the UK.

See this page for the roll-out dates of when they were starting to issue visas in this way:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418544/BRP_International_Rollout_Schedule_v2.pdf

You'll notice that it says May 31st for the United States.

The guidance for how you would receive your visa and BRP if you had been issued with a 30-day vignette:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/440255/Final_-_v.9_overseas_BRP_leaflet.pdf

Could anyone who have received their Visa recently please share their thoughts/experience. Also on the Visa sticker instead of putting my partner's full name only her first letter of the name with her last name written. Is that fine?

Hi Shants, I recently received a spouse visa but I had to get a BRP so it has been a slightly different situation for me than for you. My visa came with a letter which provided info for getting a BRP,  as you applied before May 31 and will only need the visa vignette and not a BRP. I've read here in the forum that it seems in the past applicants did not receive letters if they were successful in their visa application.

My wife's name is written in my visa sticker in the same way that you have described; it has the initials for her first and middle names while her last name is written in full.

Congratulations again on getting the visa! Good luck with your move.

What time of day did most people receive their "decision has been made" email?


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