Hi All,
I've been lurking and reading on this forum for the past few months now, despite being a New Zealander, as I've found the quality of the information, particularly around process, requirements and evidence etc, so much better here than anywhere else I've read on-line. (In fact, I really wish I had discovered this place before I applied - I would have saved myself so much time, anxiety, and hair-pulling.)
I met my partner in Nov 2014 online. We progressed to meeting in person the following year, in 2015, when I traveled to the UK to meet him, and visited for 10 days. This was followed by another visit the following Christmas/New Year 2015/2016 for a month; my partner visiting me in NZ in July 2016 for a month, and then I headed to the UK March 2017, staying for 6 months under the 6 month visitor visa waiver rules. I returned to NZ in September 2017 to begin the process of applying under the Fiancee Visa category.
A brief time-line/synopsis of my Non-Priority application:
Type: Fiancee Visa
Online application submitted: 26/11/2017
Appendix and evidence/docs etc sent to Sheffield 4/12/2017
Biometrics Appointment: 13/04/2018
Application Received email from Sheffield: 18/04/2018
Yes, there was a big gap between submitting/sending off my application, and having my biometrics taken, as (And I realize how daft this sounds now) I didn't attend the first booked appointment, as I misunderstood the requirements, and believed that as the Fiance/e visa was for 6 months or less, biometrics were not required. (I thought the system must have glitched and thrown up the booking calendar part by accident, based on the "This a a BETA testing site" designation.) I did seek clarification of this from the contact center via email, but didn't hear back from them until January - a month after my appointment was to have taken place.
Had I known the difficulties I would have to book another appointment here in New Zealand, I never would have been so complacent to assume that as I hadn't heard back from the contact center, the appointment wasn't needed. (You've no idea how idiotic I now feel about this after having read here for the past few months...
)
After a zillion emails via the contact center, escalated to the Sheffield Decision Making Center, my passport was returned to me in order to attend a new Biometrics appointment. The problem was, that the Sheffield decision-making center could not organize a new appointment, this had to be done via the Australian VFS Global Office who oversees/manages the 3 New Zealand Biometric Centers. An even bigger problem - there was no way to directly contact the biometrics center to re-book - or any way to contact the VFS Global office in Australia directly either. (When I tried, I would simply be sent back in a truly circular fashion to the contact center - who are hopeless and awful and a total rip-off. It became a catch 22. Although the Sheffield Decisions Office emailed the VFS office to help me procure a new appointment, the VFS office simply never did.
Finally, at the end of March, I got fed -up waiting, filled out and paid for a new visa app online in a different visa category that also required Biometrics (The marriage visa - $87.00GBP), and booked a new appointment. I took a copy of my original fiancee visa application, the original appointment confirmation print-out, my passport, and the email trail between myself, the contact center and Sheffield. I held my breath, crossed my fingers, turned up to the appointment, explained what had happened - and they allowed me the appointment. It was a bit of a punt - I was so worried they would not take my biometrics and proceed - but they did.
Anddddd.... then like you all....I began waiting, waiting, waiting. Again.
It's now so close to the 60 business day mark - and I am increasingly anxious and stressed out! And horribly grumpy.
I know we meet the requirements (My partner earns well over the $18,500.00 British pounds working as a Senior Lecturer at a N.Eastern University, and owns his own home; we had ample evidence of having met etc etc) but I worry endlessly that we haven't
shown we meet them with the right documents. I think we probably have, but I find myself going over it all incessantly in my head. Which isn't very useful at this stage.
In any case, I wanted to stop in and add my dates to the thread, and wait with baited breath with other people going through the same thing, as this really is such a lonely and brutal process.
