Any updates from recent applicants?

Just a quick update... Today at around 4:30 PM (UK time) I received and email from the UKVI stating that they received a response on my enquiry of my visa.  They quoted the decision making centre: "a decision have been made on your visa application and will be dispatched shortly." Yes, they used have.

Quick timeline...
25 May - Fiance settlement visa online application submitted (non-priority)
28 May - Biometrics taken and application with documents mailed
4 June - documents delivered
9 June - email from Sheffield stating my visa was received
5 August - emailed UKVI for information/status on visa
7 August - Email from UKVI saying they'd escalate app
13 August - Email from UKVI saying the decision making centre has made a decision and will be dispatched

Now the wait is on... Nervous and excited all in one!! Hope this helps others and the non-priorities waiting for a while.

Can anyone tell me how long I have to get to the UK on the fiance settlement visa (hopefully!) if approved

So happy for you that your wait is nearly over.  Since you applied before May 31st, your visa will be in your passport valid for 6 months.  As long as you move to the UK, marry, and apply for your FLR(M) in those six months, you'll be good to go.

So, I tried to pay for a priority upgrade last night but it was hopeless. I was able to view my previous receipt but when I tried to pay for priority I kept getting an error message. I also wrote to UKVI last night and received this response: "I have tracked the status (GW... and date of birth) and found it is yet to be assessed by an Entry Clearance
Officer (ECO)." Great, so absolutely nothing has happened yet.

As I mentioned earlier, my mother-in-law in England is terminally ill so I am very worried about not being able to get there soon. We are shipping our household on Sept 8th and my husband is flying back to England on Sept 9th to spend time with his mother. At this point it looks like I may end up staying in our rental house in NY which will be completely empty as of Sept 8th and I don't have any family nearby. Feeling a bit sad and discouraged at the moment. Hoping for a miracle.

So, I tried to pay for a priority upgrade last night but it was hopeless. I was able to view my previous receipt but when I tried to pay for priority I kept getting an error message.

Sorry to hear that - hopefully it was just a glitch and you can try again.

I also wrote to UKVI last night and received this response: "I have tracked the status (GW... and date of birth) and found it is yet to be assessed by an Entry Clearance
Officer (ECO)." Great, so absolutely nothing has happened yet.

Not quite nothing - you know they have the application, you know someone has gone through it and you know it is waiting to be assessed by an ECO. The only other step is for it to be assessed by the ECO, which should hopefully only take a couple of hours once they get to it.

If your application HAD already been assessed by an ECO, then your visa would have already been processed by now and there would be no need to upgrade to priority processing.

At this point it looks like I may end up staying in our rental house in NY which will be completely empty as of Sept 8th and I don't have any family nearby. Feeling a bit sad and discouraged at the moment. Hoping for a miracle.

Not necessarily - if you do manage to upgrade to priority processing, you'd likely have your visa by the end of August .

Don't give up yet .

Thanks for the pep talk I'm definitely feeing a bit overwhelmed at the moment. It's been a really tough summer and it's bittersweet that we are finally on the verge of moving to the UK to be near the family only to have my mother-in-law get diagnosed with a terminal illness. I have a very close relationship with her so it's just awful to be separated right now. I spent two weeks with her in June and we Skype every day so that helps.

I have also written an email to "visasheffield@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk" and included my GWF# and "compassionate circumstances" in the title with a brief explanation of my circumstances. I thought it was worth a try and I received a generic response that included this paragraph:
"CAN YOU EXPEDITE MY APPLICATION?
We are unable to expedite any applications unless they are exceptional and/or compelling reasons to do so, e.g. a serious medical reason for travel. Prepaid flight tickets or hotel bookings are not considered to be a compelling reason to prioritise an application. If you are making an enquiry that relates to compassionate or compelling circumstances please include as much information as possible."

I wonder if anyone will actually read my email and whether it will make a difference. I'll keep you posted. I'll also try to upgrade to priority again tonight and see if the website will work.

Thanks everyone. This forum has been very helpful. I only wish I had found it before I applied because I definitely would have gone the priority route from the beginning.



 

Just a quick update... Today at around 4:30 PM (UK time) I received and email from the UKVI stating that they received a response on my enquiry of my visa.  They quoted the decision making centre: "a decision have been made on your visa application and will be dispatched shortly." Yes, they used have.

Yay! Congrats!!  My non-priority app was acknowledged a week after yours, and escalated on 5 Aug, so fingers crossed we'll hear back soon too.

Has anyone recently tried to upgrade to priority? I've tried everything and I can't get the VFS site to allow me to pay for priority.

It keeps giving me this message:
"Applicant with same GWF Number already exists. Please use "Track Previous Order" from Quick Links in home page in order to proceed with the pending payment."
When I try the "track your previous order" it says that it can't find an account with my GWF number. Am I missing something?

Another issue:
I feel like an idiot. I somehow missed the "sponsorship form". I don't even know how I missed it. Can I have my sponsor send it in now to be added to the application or will they ask for it when they realize it's missing? Ugggh. This process is so stressful.

Another issue:
I feel like an idiot. I somehow missed the "sponsorship form". I don't even know how I missed it. Can I have my sponsor send it in now to be added to the application or will they ask for it when they realize it's missing? Ugggh. This process is so stressful.

From my experience, it's best to be proactive. They won't assess your application until it's complete.  Be sure to include your GWF# in the subject line. It can take awhile for them to attach it to your file, but if you don't get a response in 2 weeks follow up.

We were missing our airway bill and it took them a week to follow up. They didn't confirm they received it until I asked.

Thanks so much. I'll have my husband complete it and email the file to them. I hope they manage to attach it to my application.

Another issue:
I feel like an idiot. I somehow missed the "sponsorship form". I don't even know how I missed it. Can I have my sponsor send it in now to be added to the application or will they ask for it when they realize it's missing? Ugggh. This process is so stressful.

I'm pretty sure that you only need this form (SU07/12) if you are applying as an "adult dependent relative". This does not relate to you if you are applying for a spouse visa. (Please someone correct me if I'm wrong). So you should be ok!

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/270197/sup-docs-settlement.pdf

The link above is a guide to the supporting documents that you need to send.

I'm pretty sure that you only need this form (SU07/12) if you are applying as an "adult dependent relative". This does not relate to you if you are applying for a spouse visa. (Please someone correct me if I'm wrong). So you should be ok!

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/270197/sup-docs-settlement.pdf

The link above is a guide to the supporting documents that you need to send.

I think you might be right! That's a relief as I think I submitted everything else on the list. Thank you for your reply.

I'm pretty sure that you only need this form (SU07/12) if you are applying as an "adult dependent relative". This does not relate to you if you are applying for a spouse visa. (Please someone correct me if I'm wrong). So you should be ok!

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/270197/sup-docs-settlement.pdf [nofollow]

The link above is a guide to the supporting documents that you need to send.

It may be the case that we filled  out  unneeded forms, but my fiancé did complete sponsorship information. Either way, it won't hurt the app if you supply extra info!

Correct, you do NOT complete the sponsorship form for a fiancé or spouse visa.

As QuantumG (and KFDancer) said above, the sponsorship form is not required for a fiancé or spousal visa so you were correct not to send it in.

No need to email it to them as you aren't supposed to send it at all.

The form is only required in specific circumstances - if you are applying for an adult or elderly dependant relative visa (where the applicant cannot look after themselves and is completely relying on the UK sponsor to support them financially and care for them on a daily basis).


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Thanks everyone!