Any updates from recent applicants?

Country applying from: USA
Type of visa applied for: Spouse/Settlement Non-Priority
Online Application Submitted: March 21, 2016
Biometrics Taken: March 24, 2016
Application Mailed: March 24, 2016
Package Received in Sheffield: March 29, 2016
Email confirming application being prepared for consideration: March 29, 2016
Date Sheffield emailed to confirm decision has been made: TBD
Visa Arrived: TBD

Looks like we're waiting together atlgirl...

Country applying from: USA
Type of visa applied for: Spouse/Settlement Non-Priority
Online Application Submitted: March 04, 2016
Biometrics Taken: March 08, 2016
Application Mailed: March 21, 2016
Package Received in Sheffield: March 29, 2016
Email confirming application being prepared for consideration: March 29, 2016
Date Sheffield emailed to confirm decision has been made: TBD
Visa Arrived: TBD


Any advice on how to keep busy? Losing my mind in this limbo and it's just the first working week 

Country applying from: USA
Type of visa applied for: Spouse/Settlement Priority
Online Application Submitted: March 21, 2016
Biometrics Taken: March 31, 2016
Application Mailed: March 31, 2016
Package Received in Sheffield: April 05, 2016
Email confirming application being prepared for consideration: April 06, 2016
Date Sheffield emailed to confirm decision has been made: April 11, 2016
Visa Arrived: April 14, 2016

It's finally over!! Such a weight off our shoulders. My husband should be flying to the UK in no time.

Congrats abz322!!! 5 days processing is great! Wish we would've gone priority now!


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Congrats abz322!!! 5 days processing is great! Wish we would've gone priority now!


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Thank you! God yeah i was losing my patience with priority I can't imagine what you might have gone through!

I was wondering if anyone knows exactly when they start "counting" the processing days for a settlement visa?
I've assumed it was from the day we received the confirmation email, but have read it starts from the online application and also that it starts from the day we get our biometrics done.
Does anyone have a clue what the right answer is? Thanks!


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They can't start processing it until you have mailed it to them... So the processing time starts from when they receive it in Sheffield.

However your official application date for the purpose of your documents being in date is the online application date.

For US applicants the biometrics date only comes into it in terms of your personal timing of mailing the application... It has to be mailed within 5 days of biometrics.


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According to my application I had 30 days from online application or 14 days from biometrics- which ever was sooner to send everything in.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration/about/about-our-services [nofollow]

- States it starts from the application date

-on expatforum.com an individual stated they had emailed the home office and that they had replied saying it began from the day the biometrics had been stamped.


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According to my application I had 30 days from online application or 14 days from biometrics- which ever was sooner to send everything in.

That's very much out of date, since it changed from 14 days to 5 days in September 2015... and the 30-day deadline seems to have been removed from the website completely.

From the gov.uk website regarding applications made in the US:

Post your application

Your biometric confirmation receipt will be stamped at your appointment. You then have 5 days to post this, your application form, your passport and supporting documents to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/usa-apply-for-a-uk-visa/apply-for-a-uk-visa-in-the-usa#post-your-application)

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration/about/about-our-services

- States it starts from the application date

-on expatforum.com an individual stated they had emailed the home office and that they had replied saying it began from the day the biometrics had been stamped.

Remember the information on the website is for all applications made in all countries - and each country has a different application process - so it depends which country you apply from as to when they start the count.

In some countries, you submit the biometrics and all your documents in person on the same day... therefore the processing time starts from the date they get your documents (which is the biometrics date).

In the US, you apply online, then biometrics are taken by US immigration, then you mail the application to the UK for processing some time after the online application date.

Therefore the processing time can't feasibly start until they have received your documents.... because until they receive your documents, you are in control of the timing - if the processing started from the online application date and you didn't attend biometrics until 3 weeks after applying online, then you would have added 3 weeks onto your own processing time.... which could not then be factored into UKVI's 12 weeks standards processing time, because they have no control over how long it takes you to get the documents to them.

Should I write the home office about this and explain why my visa wasn't sent 5 days after my biometrics since my visa4uk appointment confirmation and biometrics receipt both say 14 days? Or is this glitch in the system not really going to affect my visa?


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Should I write the home office about this and explain why my visa wasn't sent 5 days after my biometrics since my visa4uk appointment confirmation and biometrics receipt both say 14 days? Or is this glitch in the system not really going to affect my visa?


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Should I write the home office about this and explain why my visa wasn't sent 5 days after my biometrics since my visa4uk appointment confirmation and biometrics receipt both say 14 days? Or is this glitch in the system not really going to affect my visa?


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You aren't supposed to contact them unless they contact you first to ask for more information or documents, so all you can do is just wait and see.

I'm not sure how strict they are with the 5 days to be honest - since I think a couple of people have mailed it more than 5 days after the biometrics and I don't recall them having a problem with their visa.

UKVI are terrible at updating their instructions in a timely manner - when they stopped processing settlement visas in New York and started processing them in Sheffield, they didn't update the online application instructions for months... and it still said New York on it. At first, if people sent it to NYC accidentally, UKVI would forward it to Sheffield for them, but after a couple of months they just started returning the applications and telling them to mail to Sheffield instead.

Country applying from: USA
Visa type: Wife settlement (non-priority)
Online application: March 4, 2016
Biometrics: March 8,2016
Email confirmation of receiving application and supporting documents in Sheffield: March 29, 2016
Decision made email: April 27, 2016
 
Waiting for it to arrive and checking my bank account every 10 minutes!!


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Country applying from: USA
Visa type: Wife settlement (non-priority)
Online application: March 4, 2016
Biometrics: March 8,2016
Email confirmation of receiving application and supporting documents in Sheffield: March 29, 2016
Decision made email: April 27, 2016
 
Waiting for it to arrive and checking my bank account every 10 minutes!!


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Good luck!!!

Type of visa applied for: Spouse/settlement (Priority)
Online Application Submitted: March 7, 2016
Biometrics Taken: March 10, 2016
Application mailed: March 11, 2016
Package Received in Sheffield: March 14, 2016
Email confirming Receipt of documents: March 24, 2016
Date Sheffield email to confirm decision: 23rd April (Saturday!)
Date received visa and documents: They are due for delivery today.