Any updates from recent applicants?

Country applying from: USA
Type of visa applied for: Spouse/Settlement Priority
Married: September 11, 2015
Online Application Submitted: September 22, 2015
Biometrics Taken: September 28, 2015
Application Mailed: September 28, 2015
Package Received in Sheffield: October 1, 2015
Email confirming receipt of documents: October 1, 2015
Date Sheffield emailed to confirm decision has been made: December 2, 2015
Visa Arrived: December 4, 2015

They returned all of our items in the binder except for the table of contents. They also didn't use the photographs they tell you to send. They used the photograph from my Biometrics appointment on my visa. Kind of strange.

We are going to try and request a refund for paying for Priority.

Off to England in less than a week!

Wow, congrats to all who got emails today, I hope they were all successful results! I hope mine will be soon. 
 

Package was delivered to Sheffield at 8:30 this morning, how long is it normally for that first email from them to confirm receipt? Or is it a 'how long is a piece of string' kinda thing?


27/11/15 - Online application completed
2/12/15 - Biometric appointment
3/12/15 - Package sent to Sheffield (marked "PRIORITY")
7/12/15 - UPS delivered to Sheffield

Package was delivered to Sheffield at 8:30 this morning, how long is it normally for that first email from them to confirm receipt? Or is it a 'how long is a piece of string' kinda thing?
 


27/11/15 - Online application completed
2/12/15 - Biometric appointment
3/12/15 - Package sent to Sheffield (marked "PRIORITY")
7/12/15 - UPS delivered to Sheffield

A couple of working days looks about right.....could be sooner could be longer lol. Good luck!

Received this email this afternoon after sending an inquiry via the website late this morning. Can someone please tell me if this is a generic reply?

   
 
   
   
 ContactID#XXXXXXX
Monday, 7 December, 2015 13:59
 Mark as Unread

From:
    "donotreply@hgs-ukvi.co.uk" <donotreply@hgs-ukvi.co.uk>
To: XXXXXX@XXXX.XXX
   

Full Headers Printable View
Dear XXXX XXXX

Thank you for contacting the UK Visas and Immigration International Enquiry
Service.

We understand that you would like to know about the current status of your
visa application. I have tracked the status (GWFXXXXXXX and date of birth
XX/XX/19XX) and found that the application has been processed.

Please note that your passport and documentation could still take some time
to reach you whilst being sent back from the decision making centre and
whilst other administrative formalities are completed. The visa application
centre will be in contact with you regarding the collection or delivery.

If you have purchased a courier service then your documents will be
dispatched to the delivery address you have provided. We appreciate your
patience while you wait to receive your documents.

For any further details, or should you need to contact us again please
refer to our website at https://ukvi-international.faq-help.com/ select
appropriate country, click next and then select 'E-Mail form' and complete
as instructed. We will aim to come back to you within 1 day.

Kind regards,

Bernadette

UK Visas and Immigration International Enquiry Service

That is a generic response from the UKVI call centre which is not located in Sheffield and they can't physically see your application. All they do as far as I know is search their computer system for Sheffield applications and see if your GWF number says processed or not.

The thing is that they have been known to give incorrect advice before and have told someone their visa had been processed when actually Sheffield hadn't even looked at it yet and it was still sitting in the queue waiting to be processed!

So personally, I don't recommend contacting the enquiry service at all since it's usually a waste of time, and instead would suggest just waiting until you get an official email from Sheffield directly, as they are the ones who actually have your application in hand.

That email will say something like: 'a decision has been made on your visa application' and it should give you a UPS tracking number as well.

That is a generic response from the UKVI call centre which is not located in Sheffield and they can't physically see your application. All they do as far as I know is search their computer system for Sheffield applications and see if your GWF number says processed or not.

The thing is that they have been known to give incorrect advice before and have told someone their visa had been processed when actually Sheffield hadn't even looked at it yet and it was still sitting in the queue waiting to be processed!

So personally, I don't recommend contacting the enquiry service at all since it's usually a waste of time, and instead would suggest just waiting until you get an official email from Sheffield directly, as they are the ones who actually have your application in hand.

That email will say something like: 'a decision has been made on your visa application' and it should give you a UPS tracking number as well.

I took into account basically everything you have said before writing this post, gut feeling told me  *this is generic* however, because another applicant had mentioned her application had not been upgraded to Priority until her husband contacted Sheffield,  I thought to myself, what the heck..let me email them, just in case we are in the same boat! (What can I say? I'm a Capricorn, we always have to be in control lol, it kills us when we aren't so this is torture) Still smiling here! 

Oh and thanks ksand24, for your very quick response! 

I took into account basically everything you have said before writing this post, gut feeling told me  *this is generic* however, because another applicant had mentioned her application had not been upgraded to Priority until her husband contacted Sheffield,  I thought to myself, what the heck..let me email them, just in case we are in the same boat! (What can I say? I'm a Capricorn, we always have to be in control lol, it kills us when we aren't so this is torture) Still smiling here! 

Fair enough, except you can't contact Sheffield through the website... the email form given on the UKVI website goes to an HGS call centre (who have no access to your personal information or application), not to Sheffield.

You have to actually email Sheffield directly to get in contact with them:
VisaSheffield@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Technically, though, you're not supposed to contact them on that email address unless they have contacted you first and asked you to email them back with more information about your application.

Just to add: when you upgraded to priority did you actually email Sheffield through the direct email address I just gave above to let them know that you had upgraded?

If not, then they may not even be aware that you have upgraded the application.

Unfortunately, the instructions on the VFS Global website tell you to send your priority information to the New York consulate email, which is not helpful for Sheffield applications because Sheffield won't know you've sent that email!

I started using UPS to track my passport. UKVI emailed me on Thursday informing me the decision was made, however no mention of passport tracking. I checked via my UPS tracking number when I used VFS on Sunday and found out UKVI sent out my documentation on Friday and it arrives today.


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I started using UPS to track my passport. UKVI emailed me on Thursday informing me the decision was made, however no mention of passport tracking. I checked via my UPS tracking number when I used VFS on Sunday and found out UKVI sent out my documentation on Friday and it arrives today.

It may depend on how you organised your return shipping as to whether they needed to put the tracking number in the email or not.

If you purchased the VFS return courier shipping you should already have a UPS tracking number for it, whereas if you organise your own shipping and just provide Sheffield with your UPS or DHL online account details so they can charge the return shipping to your account, then they should give you the tracking number in the email as you won't already have it.

Just to add: when you upgraded to priority did you actually email Sheffield through the direct email address I just gave above to let them know that you had upgraded?

If not, then they may not even be aware that you have upgraded the application.

Unfortunately, the instructions on the VFS Global website tell you to send your priority information to the New York consulate email, which is not helpful for Sheffield applications because Sheffield won't know you've sent that email!

yes indeed I did as per your instructions under thread title:-  Priority Service for Settlement/Spouse after application.

yes indeed I did as per your instructions under thread title:-  Priority Service for Settlement/Spouse after application.

Cool - I couldn't remember whether you had that information or not .

"Decision has been made" email received today. Second email arrived 2 minutes later with the tracking number for UPS.