Priority Spouse Visa FALL Timeline (Oct-Dec)

Congrats on all of the approvals that came in! Excellent news! 

This doesn't make it complicated. It's completely routine and as long as you have included the divorce decree, they will just tick that box and move on to the next requirement! 

Awesome, thanks! It was making me a little nervous.

Personal circumstances such as relationship length, kids, financial category, living in other countries, previous marriages etc. won’t affect the processing time.

The things that can affect the wait time are:
- criminal convictions
- previous refused visas/entry to the UK
- previous illegal overstaying or working in the UK
- missing documents/not meeting the requirements


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That’s good to know! Thanks! 

I would hope they would allow you to pay only the original £600 for it, since you applied before the increase, but I guess it depends how the website is set up. Or you might have to pay the higher fee and get a refund for the rest back?

Hopefully they won't implement the increase until after you get your visas though .

Cross fingers for the best I suppose! :3

You count from the day you received the confirmation email from Sheffield... because that is the day Sheffield log your application into the system and start their processing time count.

In other countries you submit your documents at the biometrics appointment, so it makes sense to count from that date in those countries... but in the US you mail your documents yourself after attending biometrics.

Since Sheffield have no control over how long it takes you to mail the documents, it wouldn’t make sense for them to include that time in their processing time calculation.


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Thanks ... I thought the wait is almost over but apparently not yet.


Update: I just checked with our lawyer who had previously said it was counted from the day of biometrics. I also found this on the USA specific VFS website where we paid for Priority (https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/usa/user_pay_services.html#Settlement-priority-visa-service) which says:

How long does a Priority Visa (family migration / settlement) application take?

UKVI aims to make a decision on your Priority Visa (family migration / settlement) application, and contact you to let you know that your passport is ready to be collected within 30 working days from when you submit your biometric information.

This makes it sound like it is from the day of biometrics. Very confusing but I guess we will just count from the day they received the documents and we can only be pleasantly surprised.

Congrats to everyone the past couple of days! I always like your posts, and today was the start of Spring Break here so I was a bit busy, but, I'm so happy for you all! <3

can we get an update on this for november 2017 - now?  i've got about 12 days before i head back to america to send in my stuff and start my wait.  i'm not looking forward to that. not just the stress of the wait and being apart, but because my parents (who i'm staying with during the wait, as i just sold my condo) have guests staying in the "guest house" (my apartment in the barn), so i'll be stuck in a tent   would love to see how long the most recent apps are without searching for individual posts.

can we get an update on this for november 2017 - now?  i've got about 12 days before i head back to america to send in my stuff and start my wait.  i'm not looking forward to that. not just the stress of the wait and being apart, but because my parents (who i'm staying with during the wait, as i just sold my condo) have guests staying in the "guest house" (my apartment in the barn), so i'll be stuck in a tent   would love to see how long the most recent apps are without searching for individual posts.

About a month for priority currently.

Thanks ... I thought the wait is almost over but apparently not yet.


Update: I just checked with our lawyer who had previously said it was counted from the day of biometrics. I also found this on the USA specific VFS website where we paid for Priority (https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/usa/user_pay_services.html#Settlement-priority-visa-service) which says:

How long does a Priority Visa (family migration / settlement) application take?

UKVI aims to make a decision on your Priority Visa (family migration / settlement) application, and contact you to let you know that your passport is ready to be collected within 30 working days from when you submit your biometric information.

This makes it sound like it is from the day of biometrics. Very confusing but I guess we will just count from the day they received the documents and we can only be pleasantly surprised.

For applications in the USA, it's from the date the "application received" email and the "decision made" email.  We've had this clarified a number of times over the years.  UKVI has no control over how long it takes from biometrics until someone sends their application to Sheffield (versus virtually every other country where biometrics are submitted when you submit the application as a visa partner).  So the calculation from biometrics is the norm.  But the USA is not the norm.  I'm not surprised your lawyer doesn't know this as they probably don't specialise in applications from the USA.  And UKVI famously has a lot of incorrect information on their website.

Ah, that's a shame. Thank you for clarifying, we did think that was the case initially but got our hopes up when we saw some people counting from biometrics.

Another week to go then!

Ah, that's a shame. Thank you for clarifying, we did think that was the case initially but got our hopes up when we saw some people counting from biometrics.

Another week to go then!

In reality it actually doesn't matter because you'll get your decision when you get it! 

In reality it actually doesn't matter because you'll get your decision when you get it! 

Never a truer word.....

In reality it actually doesn't matter because you'll get your decision when you get it! 

Yup, this.  All. Day. Long.

I've just been looking through the documents sent back along with the visa.

UKVI sent back both of the passport photos but kept the copies we sent of everything else. Do they not usually keep the passport photos? The photo on the visa vignette is the one taken at biometrics, but wondering why they ask for an additional photo if they don't keep it.

UKVI sent back both of the passport photos but kept the copies we sent of everything else. Do they not usually keep the passport photos? The photo on the visa vignette is the one taken at biometrics, but wondering why they ask for an additional photo if they don't keep it.

No idea why they still ask for a passport photo, since they no longer use it for the visa. I have a feeling it's not needed anymore, but because it's still listed on the supporting documents guidance, we still recommend sending one just in case.

No idea why they still ask for a passport photo, since they no longer use it for the visa. I have a feeling it's not needed anymore, but because it's still listed on the supporting documents guidance, we still recommend sending one just in case.

They kept the passport photos that I sent of myself, but they sent back all of the other photos that I submitted (I didn't include copies because I printed them for less than 10 cents at CVS). The only thing that I really cared about getting back was our marriage certificate since that damn thing had me making a 2 hour round trip to get it and it was $15. Don't want to have to do that again any time soon and we got it back, so all good.

Hi, @larrabee & all.
Tomorrow is BD #26 for me. Getting very nervous having waited this long. Just wondering if lack of a letter from the property company saying, 'yes, your fiancee' can live with you' would be grounds for them to refuse the application, even if everything else is in proper order? My fiance' is part owner of his flat & we forgot to include the letter in the original mailing of our application (though I took someone's advice here on the forum & obtained it in case UKVI come asking for it.) Should we be worried? We did include lease information, etc. & indicated the partial ownership.
My mind is running nonstop these days and I am quite worried about a refusal, which would just suck.

In reality it actually doesn't matter because you'll get your decision when you get it!