BD ~72. Called the phone number on the website after some emailing back-and-forth, but didn't have much luck, so I tried calling 442034811736, a different number I found online, and spoke with someone, though not regarding my application specifically (never asked for my case number). The representative told me that applications received/biometrics submitted early Mar/late Feb are looking to take until August for decisions due to backlog.
Hmm, that's interesting, since some people who applied in Feb and March already have their visas.
The representative gave me some helpful advice ... I asked her about my husband going back to the UK as a full-time student (he's above threshold for his US-income, but didn't realize there were these different requirements for if he's been abroad vs in the UK, so needing to have a job offer on his end) and she recommended we send a letter from his father saying he will financially support my husband during his full-time grad program, his father's bank statement/tax form to show he has the means to support my husband financially ... so his father who lives in the UK just submitted those along with my husband's offer accepted letter from the school, along with a letter from hubby's work's HR verifying employment and pay (we submitted paystubs but not that before) and the most recent paystubs ... Hoping that helps.
Hang on a minute, did you apply without your husband having a guaranteed job offer in the UK?
If so, then that will be the reason your application is taking so long... because he doesn't meet the financial requirement.
Normally, that would mean an automatic visa refusal, however, your application may be being held for consideration outside the visa rules, under Article 8 (right to family life - usually only granted where UK citizen children are involved), rather than being refused outright.
If your husband is still living the US, then to meet the financial requirement using his employment income, he must meet TWO requirements:
1) He has earned at least £18,600 in the US in the last 12 months
AND
2) He MUST have a guaranteed job offer in the UK, paying at least £18,600 and starting within 3 months of applying for the visa
You cannot submit any documents after applying, unless you are contacted directly by UKVI to request them... so chances are the extra documents you sent won't be matched with your application.
Also, those documents will not meet the financial requirement either, because you cannot use third party financial support from a family member (while it is permitted under Article 8, I'm not sure your case will qualify for an Article 8 concession).
To meet the requirement, your husband MUST have a guaranteed job in the UK. If he goes back to university as a full-time student, unless he receives an academic stipend of about £16,000 or more per year (I forget the actual amount - it's the tax-free equivalent of £18,600 salary), or unless you have held at least £62,500 or more in cash savings in your account(s) for 6 months, there is no way you will be able to meet the financial requirement to qualify for the visa.
Unfortunately, I think you're probably going to have to wait to see if the visa is refused (which I think it will be) and then see if you can find a way to meet the financial requirement and apply again.
Managed to successfully change test centre (for my solicitor transfer exam) from UK to NYC after some initial pushback ... at first they said my only option was to cancel for a 50% refund (not required if change test center within UK), but it was past the booking deadline so if I cancelled I wasn't sure if I could re-book at the new location ... but sorted it all out so I got a full refund for original booking and could book the new test centre in NYC despite the deadline for new bookings having passed ... was really stressing out there that all this cramming was for nothing - that I wouldn't get to take the exam until next Jan anyway but had been cramming for July ... def hurt my momentum studying while waiting to resolve the uncertainty ...
Glad you managed to sort out the exam
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