Priority Spouse Visa FALL Timeline (Oct-Dec)

Congrats to all with recent approvals and safe travels and hugs to Alice especially!


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Congrats Elee and Alice!! Thanks for giving the rest of us hope!! 

Congrats Elee and Alice!! Thanks for giving the rest of us hope!! 

I’m confident there will be approvals all around!

Congrats to all with recent approvals and safe travels and hugs to Alice especially!


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Thank you!

Elee and I will see all of you on the flip side (in the UK, because I know you'll all get approvals!)

Hi guys,

I could really use some advice on how to proceed as I am pulling my hair out and crying every time I see other people get decisions (not personal and I am happy for them, just feeling sorry for myself). I'm currently sitting at 47 WD, having applied priority to NY. After contacting our MP, I received an email on Thanksgiving asking to send proof that I had purchased priority service (I sent this receipt to NYC so I guess they neglected to scan it?). I emailed the receipt on Friday the 23rd, on Monday the 26th I got the email that my application was being prepared for consideration by an entry clearance officer. I did not get any confirmation they had seen the receipt I sent. In the Facebook group I've seen people get decisions days after this email and others weeks. Our MP said to contact them again if the wait became unbearable.

I guess I'm not sure what to do? Keep waiting to see if I get a decision? Send them an email to confirm they actually have fixed the issue with my application being labeled standard? Contact the MP again?

I feel like I am going a bit crazy and I'm about to start all my final exams and papers for the end of my program, so I could really use some news that things aren't just stagnating forever.

Sorry if it seems like I am raining on everyone's parade. I'm just really sad and I have no one around me in the States that understands or cares to listen. Thanks for any advice or even just taking the time to read this!

Hi guys,

I could really use some advice on how to proceed as I am pulling my hair out and crying every time I see other people get decisions (not personal and I am happy for them, just feeling sorry for myself). I'm currently sitting at 47 WD, having applied priority to NY. After contacting our MP, I received an email on Thanksgiving asking to send proof that I had purchased priority service (I sent this receipt to NYC so I guess they neglected to scan it?). I emailed the receipt on Friday the 23rd, on Monday the 26th I got the email that my application was being prepared for consideration by an entry clearance officer. I did not get any confirmation they had seen the receipt I sent. In the Facebook group I've seen people get decisions days after this email and others weeks. Our MP said to contact them again if the wait became unbearable.

I guess I'm not sure what to do? Keep waiting to see if I get a decision? Send them an email to confirm they actually have fixed the issue with my application being labeled standard? Contact the MP again?

I feel like I am going a bit crazy and I'm about to start all my final exams and papers for the end of my program, so I could really use some news that things aren't just stagnating forever.

Sorry if it seems like I am raining on everyone's parade. I'm just really sad and I have no one around me in the States that understands or cares to listen. Thanks for any advice or even just taking the time to read this!

Some people from the Facebook group have escalated again and also have the MP to ask again. It really sucks that purchasing priority is really not a guarantee but I say use the resources you already have.

Ask MP to get in touch again, you can even make a complaint officially on the vfs global site, but if you did receive the application is with ECO, then maybe it's already being worked on.

Also your exams will be a good distraction so focus on that. Its busy season and alot of us applied to a new 'faulty' system. Which just seems to be up and running.
Honestly though alot of approvals have been going out, so maybe they are trying to get them done as soon as possible.

Hang in their, I'm behind you but I havent heard anything, not even received an email. I did manage to file a complaint and they told me to email my reference # to another address, hopefully that will give me the confirmation that I need.

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The package they mailed back to me included everything I sent to them but reorganized. I thought I'd flip through & see if any notes were made while they had it - thought I'd share what I noticed with you all. 

First things first - wanted to throw it out there that I only sent copies (US letter sized) of ALL of my original supporting docs from the UK (bank statements, payslips, letters from my husband's employer & landlord, 2 leases [1 joint and his current]) and I was approved. I sent the originals of my US stuff because it was already US letter sized. So it looks like copies are a go!

From how everything is organized, it looks like they went through my app at the scanning hub and only pulled out certain documents to scan over. The docs I don't think they scanned are still organized / labeled EXACTLY how they were when I sent them & they were in a stack at the bottom of the pile.

Here is what I don't think they scanned:

• the printout of my completed online application
• my sponsor's payslips from 2017 (I sent ones covering 31 August 2017 - 28 September 2018)
• all pages of the 2 leases I sent that did NOT have one or both of our names, the address of the property, and/or our signatures
• most of the boarding passes showing we've visited each other (4 from 2018, 1 from 2017, and 1 from 2016)

Here is what they definitely scanned, in the order I received them:

• cover page of my application
• biometrics page
• priority processing receipt
• IHS receipt
• cover letter & contents list
• appendices to my online app (copy of a fine & spreadsheet showing international travel history)
• marriage license
• both photos of me and my husband (I sent copies, 1 per sheet)
• 2 cards from me to my husband and 2 from him to me (copies)
• proof of communication (WhatsApp calls 2018, WhatsApp chats 2016-2018, phone logs 2016-2018)
• joint lease from 2017 (front page showing our names + address & last page showing signatures ONLY)
• mail jointly addressed to us (all pages of all 5 things I sent)
• screenshots of Flixbus / Scotrail tickets from 2016-2017
• SOME boarding passes showing visits - mine visiting him in June 2016, receipt for a joint trip to Spain in January 2017, Airbnb receipts from a joint trip to Nashville in April 2018
• complete VAF4A appendix 2 (even the instruction sheets at the back)
• husband's passport page (US copy of his certified copy)
• sponsor letter
• employer letter
• husband's job contract
• husband's latest P60
• payslips from 31 January 2018 - 28 September 2018 (interestingly, the total from these is about £2000 short of the £18600 requirement)
• all bank statements I sent (covering 1 August 2017 - 4 October 2018)
• landlord letter (which was written by the letting agency on the landlord's behalf)
• husband's current lease - only first 2 pages + page showing his name & the address + page that he / the agency signed
• boarding pass from husband's visit in April 2018

To me, it looks like they went through the boarding passes / confirmations I sent and scanned only 1 per year of our relationship.

I want to emphasize that I think you should ABSOLUTELY still send everything our lovely experts recommend - it is 100% better safe than sorry & they are the reason me (and lots of others!) got approved.

Since I was one of the first on here to go through NY, I just wanted to share my experience & the things I noticed in what they sent back to me. 



EDIT: Wanted to add that there was a sheet with 2 address label stickers in mine (hope you know what I mean). They both read:
SHEFFIELD VAC
PV
GWF(my app number)
my name (first & last)
Fri Oct 26 2018 05:39:00

I'm thinking those stand for Sheffield Visa Application Center / Priority Visa & the timestamp is when they actually scanned my docs. It was 9 days after my docs were signed for in NY & 5 days before I got the application received email.

I agree with you elee, i also got the impression that not all that i gave was scanned.  I noticed that my vaf appendix came back in segments, and it just seemed odd to me, my online application was also returned  in a broken manner, it just seemed bizarre to me.

Not sure if this is an appropriate question to ask, and I was not certain if this deemed making a separate thread for.  But for the recent visa approvals, how are you guys taking your life savings over to the UK?   I have less than $7 k  so I know i can carry it on with me on the plane.  My bank is a small branch, so them transferring to a new bank account that i plan to make in the UK will not work.  I could also get them to turn all my funds into a cashiers check.  Not sure which method would incur the least amount of fees.  Again, sorry if this is an uncool question to ask.

The package they mailed back to me included everything I sent to them but reorganized. I thought I'd flip through & see if any notes were made while they had it - thought I'd share what I noticed with you all. 

First things first - wanted to throw it out there that I only sent copies (US letter sized) of ALL of my original supporting docs from the UK (bank statements, payslips, letters from my husband's employer & landlord, 2 leases [1 joint and his current]) and I was approved. I sent the originals of my US stuff because it was already US letter sized. So it looks like copies are a go!

From how everything is organized, it looks like they went through my app at the scanning hub and only pulled out certain documents to scan over. The docs I don't think they scanned are still organized / labeled EXACTLY how they were when I sent them & they were in a stack at the bottom of the pile.

Here is what I don't think they scanned:

• the printout of my completed online application
• my sponsor's payslips from 2017 (I sent ones covering 31 August 2017 - 28 September 2018)
• all pages of the 2 leases I sent that did NOT have one or both of our names, the address of the property, and/or our signatures
• most of the boarding passes showing we've visited each other (4 from 2018, 1 from 2017, and 1 from 2016)

Here is what they definitely scanned, in the order I received them:

• cover page of my application
• biometrics page
• priority processing receipt
• IHS receipt
• cover letter & contents list
• appendices to my online app (copy of a fine & spreadsheet showing international travel history)
• marriage license
• both photos of me and my husband (I sent copies, 1 per sheet)
• 2 cards from me to my husband and 2 from him to me (copies)
• proof of communication (WhatsApp calls 2018, WhatsApp chats 2016-2018, phone logs 2016-2018)
• joint lease from 2017 (front page showing our names + address & last page showing signatures ONLY)
• mail jointly addressed to us (all pages of all 5 things I sent)
• screenshots of Flixbus / Scotrail tickets from 2016-2017
• SOME boarding passes showing visits - mine visiting him in June 2016, receipt for a joint trip to Spain in January 2017, Airbnb receipts from a joint trip to Nashville in April 2018
• complete VAF4A appendix 2 (even the instruction sheets at the back)
• husband's passport page (US copy of his certified copy)
• sponsor letter
• employer letter
• husband's job contract
• husband's latest P60
• payslips from 31 January 2018 - 28 September 2018 (interestingly, the total from these is about £2000 short of the £18600 requirement)
• all bank statements I sent (covering 1 August 2017 - 4 October 2018)
• landlord letter (which was written by the letting agency on the landlord's behalf)
• husband's current lease - only first 2 pages + page showing his name & the address + page that he / the agency signed
• boarding pass from husband's visit in April 2018

To me, it looks like they went through the boarding passes / confirmations I sent and scanned only 1 per year of our relationship.

I want to emphasize that I think you should ABSOLUTELY still send everything our lovely experts recommend - it is 100% better safe than sorry & they are the reason me (and lots of others!) got approved.

Since I was one of the first on here to go through NY, I just wanted to share my experience & the things I noticed in what they sent back to me. 



EDIT: Wanted to add that there was a sheet with 2 address label stickers in mine (hope you know what I mean). They both read:
SHEFFIELD VAC
PV
GWF(my app number)
my name (first & last)
Fri Oct 26 2018 05:39:00

I'm thinking those stand for Sheffield Visa Application Center / Priority Visa & the timestamp is when they actually scanned my docs. It was 9 days after my docs were signed for in NY & 5 days before I got the application received email.

Thanks for the details, this really would suck if they dont scan the original printed application. I made an error on the address and I crossed it out and initialed, but if its not scanned. That correction was pointless. I didnt realize the error existed until it was too late, but the correct address is all over everything else. I hope that works out for me.

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I agree with you elee, i also got the impression that not all that i gave was scanned.  I noticed that my vaf appendix came back in segments, and it just seemed odd to me, my online application was also returned  in a broken manner, it just seemed bizarre to me.

Not sure if this is an appropriate question to ask, and I was not certain if this deemed making a separate thread for.  But for the recent visa approvals, how are you guys taking your life savings over to the UK?   I have less than $7 k  so I know i can carry it on with me on the plane.  My bank is a small branch, so them transferring to a new bank account that i plan to make in the UK will not work.  I could also get them to turn all my funds into a cashiers check.  Not sure which method would incur the least amount of fees.  Again, sorry if this is an uncool question to ask.

It's not uncool, it's logistics.

Honestly, I wouldn't carry all of that money with you on the plane.

What I did when I moved originally was to keep my US account and then opened a UK account where I transferred money. You can likely authorise a bank transfer from the Internet at your current bank to the bank in the UK once you have your details.

I've not shut my US bank account down as it was helpful when visiting and avoiding fees. Now, though, my UK bank doesn't seem to charge people fees for using their card in the US, so it's a bit moot. Still, it's a good thing to have, I think, in case of emergency. 

You can carry any amount of money with you on the plane, you just have to declare anything  over 10k.

That being said,  open a Transferwise account and just transfer your money over after you open a UK account.  You will get the best rate this way.

I agree with you elee, i also got the impression that not all that i gave was scanned.  I noticed that my vaf appendix came back in segments, and it just seemed odd to me, my online application was also returned  in a broken manner, it just seemed bizarre to me.

Not sure if this is an appropriate question to ask, and I was not certain if this deemed making a separate thread for.  But for the recent visa approvals, how are you guys taking your life savings over to the UK?   I have less than $7 k  so I know i can carry it on with me on the plane.  My bank is a small branch, so them transferring to a new bank account that i plan to make in the UK will not work.  I could also get them to turn all my funds into a cashiers check.  Not sure which method would incur the least amount of fees.  Again, sorry if this is an uncool question to ask.

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I agree with you elee, i also got the impression that not all that i gave was scanned.  I noticed that my vaf appendix came back in segments, and it just seemed odd to me, my online application was also returned  in a broken manner, it just seemed bizarre to me.

Not sure if this is an appropriate question to ask, and I was not certain if this deemed making a separate thread for.  But for the recent visa approvals, how are you guys taking your life savings over to the UK?   I have less than $7 k  so I know i can carry it on with me on the plane.  My bank is a small branch, so them transferring to a new bank account that i plan to make in the UK will not work.  I could also get them to turn all my funds into a cashiers check.  Not sure which method would incur the least amount of fees.  Again, sorry if this is an uncool question to ask.

I'm going to second that using Transferwise is going to get you the best rate! Currently my life savings will only amount to a few hundred dollars when all is said and done, though. 

Cool, i will look into transferwise,  my current bank is small and will not send money internationally, already asked. They also charge me when i use my atm or credit card over in the UK, so for sure i would rather move the full amount of my savings over.  Thank you all so much for the responses.

Cool, i will look into transferwise,  my current bank is small and will not send money internationally, already asked. They also charge me when i use my atm or credit card over in the UK, so for sure i would rather move the full amount of my savings over.  Thank you all so much for the responses.

TransferWise is really easy to use .

Personally, though I would try to keep some money in the US account, so you can use it for visits back to the US, or for purchasing things through US websites which won’t accept UK cards (like iTunes, or some US retail stores).

I’m British, and only lived in the US for a few months 10 years ago, but I still keep some money in my US bank account (currently registered at my aunt’s US address), and it comes in really handy sometimes. When I visit the US I just transfer my spending money to it by TransferWise so I don’t lose out on foreign transaction fees by using my UK card while I’m there .


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Cool, i will look into transferwise,  my current bank is small and will not send money internationally, already asked. They also charge me when i use my atm or credit card over in the UK, so for sure i would rather move the full amount of my savings over.  Thank you all so much for the responses.

The system Transferwise uses means that when (going in the direction of US to UK) you make the payment to them, it is to a US bank so you should be fine there.
I wouldn't close the US account though, unless you're loosing money by paying a fee. I use mine often when paying for online purchases from the US and if you plan to visit at all, it will be useful then too.