Conflicting Information after Biometric Appointment

Hello everyone, I just joined the forum and am currently applying for a fiance visa. Wish I discovered this site earlier!

I have a question regarding the amount of time I have to submit my documents after the biometric appointment. When I scheduled the appointment, the confirmation email mentions: "After the biometrics appointment, you then have 2 weeks to send in the supporting documents, passport, etc..."

However, after my biometrics appointment, they handed me a paper off the UK Visa & Immigration website, and that paper states that I have only 5 days to submit the paperwork. Does anyone know which one is more accurate?

The reason I ask is I had fully intended to send my papers 2-3 days after, but unfortunately it seems that some documents I was waiting for got lost in the mail (talk about terrible luck!). Now I will have to regather them and have them sent to me which will obviously take time.

So my second question is, assuming worst case scenario it is only 5 days and NOT 2 weeks- what are my options if I miss this deadline? I have paid for the visa application already, and I'm really hoping I won't lose all that money, it cost a fortune.

Any advice will help- thanks in advance.(And yes, I have learned my lesson- to never submit the application and pay until I have all my documents ready. Sadly I have learned this the hard way.)

You have 5 days to mail the documents.

Correct, we advise to not submit the application until you have every document in hand.   

No one has had an issue *yet* for submitting the application late.  But you never know when this may change.  I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Have you sorted out health insurance for while you are in the UK?  As you can't use the NHS with a fiancé visa (you can use it, you just have to pay for services rendered and need the proof of payment for the next visa).

It is 5 days in which you have to mail it.

The deadline was changed from 2 weeks to 5 days in September 2015, but for some reason it usually takes them months (years?) to actually update the information on the website/emails.

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

From that page:

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). All applications must be accompanied by a valid passport with at least one page without any endorsements. If the application arrives at the decision making centre without a passport the application will be refused.

If you can get the documents overnighted to you using DHL/UPS/FedEx, that would save some time (and should always be done anyway to prevent the documents getting lost in the mail).

Alternatively, you could mail your package to your fiance in the UK using FedEx/UPS/DHL and then he can add his documents and forward them on to Sheffield, which would save him having to mail them to the US first. Obviously, you wouldn't be able to use the VFS Global shipping TO the UK, but you could use the return shipping for the documents to be mailed back to you in the US.

There have been a couple of people who missed the 5-day deadline (one by almost a month) and just mailed the package as soon as they could - as far as I know, they didn't have any issues and still got their visas - so it shouldn't be the end of the world if you do have to miss the deadline.

KFdancer and ksand24, thank you for the quick responses!

I guess I will just have to hope that they will process it for me without giving me an issue.

I am curious though, can my fiance in the UK actually send in my paperwork for me? That might definitely save us some much needed time.

I'd also like to point out that Royal Mail is absolutely terrible. This is the second time in 1 month that they have lost our documents, I just don't understand- are they really that incompetent?


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Never use USPS or Royal Mail for anything important.  They are too big and things can get held for a long time.

UPS, FedEx, and DHL have their own customs teams that they employee, keeping their mail moving.  It's why it costs more.

Yes, you can mail your bits to your fiancé and then have him send them from there.  Just make sure everything arrives in the same package (don't send your stuff separate from him).  Also purchase the rerun postage from VFS so that you don't have any issues with the return of the passport and visa (to you, not your fiancé).

Never use USPS or Royal Mail for anything important.  They are too big and things can get held for a long time.

UPS, FedEx, and DHL have their own customs teams that they employee, keeping their mail moving.  It's why it costs more.

Yes, you can mail your bits to your fiancé and then have him send them from there.  Just make sure everything arrives in the same package (don't send your stuff separate from him).  Also purchase the rerun postage from VFS so that you don't have any issues with the return of the passport and visa (to you, not your fiancé).

That makes sense, lesson learned. Thank you.

I guess that leaves one question- what postal service should my fiance use within the UK? Is there something other than Royal Mail?


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That makes sense, lesson learned. Thank you.

I guess that leaves one question- what postal service should my fiance use within the UK? Is there something other than Royal Mail?

Domestically it's a little different. I used Royal Mail Special Delivery (not recorded delivery) for our FLR(M) postal application there and back.  It is pretty safe.

As KFDancer said, Royal Mail services within the UK are fine. The problem comes when you try to send something internationally.

The reason it's so bad is that:

1) It's slow - it can take 1-2 weeks for mail to arrive in the US, compared with 24-48 hours using a courier like UPS.

2) The package can only be tracked through Royal Mail until it leaves the UK. However, I believe it can then be tracked on the USPS website after that.

3) It can get stuck in US customs... sometimes for several weeks, sometimes forever... especially if it's an important document, like a passport or documents for a visa application.

A few years ago, my brother moved to the US on a J-1 visa to work in a summer camp. He accidentally left the vital immigration form he needs to produce to get into the US at home (the DS-2019). They let him in, but only gave him 30 days to produce the DS-2019 or he would have to leave the US. My mum mailed it to him using a Royal Mail service - it never arrived. Unfortunately, I didn't realise she had done this until after she had mailed it... otherwise I would have told her to use UPS or FedEx instead.

When it got to day 28 or 29 of the 30 days with no sign of it, my brother contacted Washington DC and asked them to issue a new DS-2019 because the original one had been lost in the mail. Thankfully they did, and he was able to stay in the US. The original form never turned up and was presumably lost forever.

My American wife sent all her documents to me in the UK which I then forwarded on to Sheffield. I am such a perfectionist that I wanted to send it to ensure everything was in the application.

I just used Royal Mail special delivery (I'm pretty sure that you must not use signed delivery).

Please ensure however that you include a part-filled (pre-paid) return label back to you in the US. My wife started an account with FedEx and just put her account number on the form so it charged her when they returned it

Please ensure however that you include a part-filled (pre-paid) return label back to you in the US. My wife started an account with FedEx and just put her account number on the form so it charged her when they returned it

UKVI announced a while ago that they no longer deal with Fedex.
You were lucky that they didn't ask you to send alternative details.

UKVI announced a while ago that they no longer deal with Fedex.
You were lucky that they didn't ask you to send alternative details.

I think Ben's application was a few years ago.  Which we know means EVERYTHING has changed since then.   

I think Ben's application was a few years ago.  Which we know means EVERYTHING has changed since then.   

Yes, my application was early 2014

Yes, my application was early 2014

Yeah, things have changed since then - Sheffield stopped accepting FedEx for return shipping around November 2014.

A few months ago, UKVI set up their own pre-paid return shipping service, which is 2-day, pre-paid UPS shipping purchased through the VFS Global website (where you purchase priority processing), so most people seem to use that service now. You either send it both ways (directly to Sheffield) using that service, or you can just purchase the return shipping label if you want to send it to the UK a different way.

As a result, not too many people open an account with a courier (UPS/DHL) and include the account number anymore, though it can still be done.

Okay, so in that case if I decide to have my fiance send it in the UK, I will make sure we use "Special Delivery." I appreciate everyone's input and advice- and please send good thoughts this way as we will be sending our documents after the 5-day deadline and are extremely nervous and worried!

Hopefully they won't think much of it.

Was wondering, is there a specific envelope I should be using or will anything be okay?

Okay, so in that case if I decide to have my fiance send it in the UK, I will make sure we use "Special Delivery." I appreciate everyone's input and advice- and please send good thoughts this way as we will be sending our documents after the 5-day deadline and are extremely nervous and worried!

Hopefully they won't think much of it.

Was wondering, is there a specific envelope I should be using or will anything be okay?

You are given a Special Delivery envelope free at the Post Office when you pay for the service.