UKVCAS Super Priority Service

[CR001]

Called again today at 14:31 and xxxx picked up. He said to wait till end of the day today as I called yesterday at 2:11PM and HO could reply to the end of the day today (if at all) and to call tomorrow as per the escalation.

So... fingers crossed.

xxxxx was the one who told me that problem with the system and the HO will contact you immediately. However other person who pick the phone still say you have to wait for 3-5 days. Lot of contradiction... and chaos. I hope we have some resolution soon.

@ users 'badhodor' and 'sunnysakhi' - DO NOT name HO or call centre staff on the forum. They have NOT given you permission to post their names, even a first name, on a public internet forum for all to see and have the right to their privacy!!!

[sunnysakhi]

Called again today at 14:31 and xxxx picked up. He said to wait till end of the day today as I called yesterday at 2:11PM and HO could reply to the end of the day today (if at all) and to call tomorrow as per the escalation.

So... fingers crossed.

xxxxx was the one who told me that problem with the system and the HO will contact you immediately. However other person who pick the phone still say you have to wait for 3-5 days. Lot of contradiction... and chaos. I hope we have some resolution soon.

@ users 'badhodor' and 'sunnysakhi' - DO NOT name HO or call centre staff on the forum. They have NOT given you permission to post their names, even a first name, on a public internet forum for all to see and have the right to their privacy!!!

Hi CR001
pOINT nOTED.. will not mention names.

[madihaali_304]

I called again this afternoon to re-escalate my case and the lady who answered the phone said she's done it again and put urgent on the request. I asked her to confirm if my application was being processed as standard or super priority, and she said she can't see that information. I asked her if she was sure it was being escalated to the team dealing with super priority service and she said yes. She was really polite on the phone but said this is all she can do for me and that if I haven't heard back again, there's no other option for me but to call back again!

I'm not sure if making it urgent would have made any difference but I will let you all know if I hear back from anyone. It's been two full weeks today since my Sopra appointment on 28th Nov...

[X LIN]

Hi everyone I have book super priority appointment this week. I have one question to ask. My solicitor have uploaded all document already. So the day I come to the service center do I need to upload again? Because I have been told even I have uploaded before the appointment day, I still need to take all the original document to the service center. So do I need to upload again in the service centre? Is anyone know the answer will very appreciate. Thanks

[X LIN]

Hi I have a question to ask you please. You mentioned you uploaded the document before come to the appointment. My solicitor have uploaded document already so the day I come to center do I need to upload again? Thanks

Hi all,

Also wanted to share my experience with the new process:

- Paid £60 for 12pm appointment in Cambridge on Friday 16 November (Set M, premium service)
- Arrived early (11.30am)
- Was told to make sure that I was in the general area 5 minutes before appointment by a worker at the library
- Sat in the cafe area adjacent to the desk
- Happened to ask a member of staff if I needed to inform them that I was here to be told that there were significant delays and they handed me a ticket basically meaning that the paid appointment was void and that other people who should have been after me were probably seen before me
- Other people that had an appointment at 10am had not been seen still when I turned up
- No clear signs up anywhere detailing the delay and what visitors need to do when they arrive
- We were finally seen at around 4.30pm and the appointment took approximately 25 minutes (all of my documents were scanned in prior to the appointment so the 25 minutes were for the biometrics and to confirm all scanned documents were legible)
- Many people were turned away from their appointments because of the delays (biometric machine and internet connections issues)
- There was only 1 station to deal with appointments, it wasn't closed off so it wasn't very private so others could hear and see what was going on
- The staff that were carrying out the appointments were doing the work on behalf of Sopra Steria and did receive a lot of abuse from angry customers which was uncalled for as they were not from Sopra Steria
- Overheard one of the staff say that too many appointments had been issued which also caused a backlog so FYI, be prepared for a very long day!
- Have since sent a complaint to Sopra Steria and requested to have the appointment fee refunded and will also be asking for a contribution to our £25 car park fee because we were there for over 5 hours.
- As another FYI, please do your best to upload your documents in advance as the equipment seemed from reliable.

Now I just wait for my outcome which hopefully will be Monday/Tuesday as the application was submitted just after 5pm so that might cause a slight delay.

Good luck to everyone that has to go through this and also let me know if there are any other topics that I can post this to so more are aware.

[shah4404]

HEllo guys
Applied ILR LR supera service on 5th December 2018
Appointment on 11-12-2018
As we are promised 24 hours decesion time I don’t think that is the case in 90% cases
And very disappoint to see so many people waiting for more then 2 weeks after paying 3000 pound fee for quick service anyways good luck everyone

[Dave12560]

HEllo guys
Applied ILR LR supera service on 5th December 2018
Appointment on 11-12-2018
As we are promised 24 hours decesion time I don’t think that is the case in 90% cases
And very disappoint to see so many people waiting for more then 2 weeks after paying 3000 pound fee for quick service anyways good luck everyone

look its inside information that home office making more money using this sirvice

[swskum]

Just so you know, I received an email today, the day after my wife's appointment at the premium lounge in London, confirming the granting of my wife's further leave to remain (extension under FLR(M) route). We will receive the mail with the BRP in due course it said. Quick and efficient.

By the way, we paid for our application and appointment before the last 28 days of my wife's visa although we had the biometric appointment in the 28 day period.

[michali]

Congratulations!

[allyf]

Just so you know, I received an email today, the day after my wife's appointment at the premium lounge in London, confirming the granting of my wife's further leave to remain (extension under FLR(M) route). We will receive the mail with the BRP in due course it said. Quick and efficient.

By the way, we paid for our application and appointment before the last 28 days of my wife's visa although we had the biometric appointment in the 28 day period.

Hi swskum congratulations. How much earlier did you apply online? I’m starting to find this frustrating that those people who applied earlier than within their 28 day period are getting a response quicker. It’s almost as if they want us to go against their so called policy of “submission date is application date”.

[Saninsts]

I think a few of us are still confused about date of submission / appointment as date of application and i can't find any guideline to support this. Can you please explain how you mean on the highlighted below?

I wrote a cover letter explaining that I called the UKVI on 5 November asking about which date is considered my date of application before I submitted my online application and they confirmed to me over the phone that it is the date of appointment (which is true). I explained all of that in my cover letter which I submitted with my documents and uploaded it under category 'proof of application'

I also included the period between the entry clearance being issued and me entering the UK in my 5 years period and it went fine

I mean it is true that the UKVI staff advised me over the phone that the date of application will be the date of appointment and NOT the date of submitting the application online. I have noticed that some people were advised the opposite...I am not sure how the HO thinks about this to be honest but what I am sure about that it worked in my case

mahmoudsayed86 you mentioned your date of entry is delayed than entry clearance date. Could you tell what was that delay in days and whether you are Main applicant in the application.

[mahmoudsayed86]

I think a few of us are still confused about date of submission / appointment as date of application and i can't find any guideline to support this. Can you please explain how you mean on the highlighted below?

I wrote a cover letter explaining that I called the UKVI on 5 November asking about which date is considered my date of application before I submitted my online application and they confirmed to me over the phone that it is the date of appointment (which is true). I explained all of that in my cover letter which I submitted with my documents and uploaded it under category 'proof of application'

I also included the period between the entry clearance being issued and me entering the UK in my 5 years period and it went fine

I mean it is true that the UKVI staff advised me over the phone that the date of application will be the date of appointment and NOT the date of submitting the application online. I have noticed that some people were advised the opposite...I am not sure how the HO thinks about this to be honest but what I am sure about that it worked in my case

mahmoudsayed86 you mentioned your date of entry is delayed than entry clearance date. Could you tell what was that delay in days and whether you are Main applicant in the application.

Hi

Yes, I entered the UK 60 days after my visa was issued. The period between entry clearance and entering the UK can be counted in SPECIFIC VISA ROUTES INCLUDING TIER 2 GENERAL (NOT SURE ABOUT OTHER ROUTES). This period may be up to 180 days as long as you do not break teh 180 days rule in any 12 months.

Yes, I am the main applicant.

[passat]

Wanted to touch base with others to see if anyone has made a booking for this week or next with sopra steria. I’m within my 28 days starting next week and I’m hopeful that I’ll get an appointment either the 19th, 20th or 21st...I want this application out of my hair before Christmas!! I read on another post someone didn’t get an appointment until Jan 3. Am I being slightly ambitious that appts will be available before Xmas? I was planning for Liverpool but I’m willing to drive anywhere..!!

I booked an appointment for the Croydon centre for 17th December. I booked it yesterday.

[badhodor]

Called again today at 10:22 am and they found my previous escalation and have escalated again today.

Not sure if the escalation does anything but one can hope.

[norty109]

Hi All,

My Biometric appointment at Croydon centre was on 8 December for T-2 G to ILR under super priority. Received email for grant on 13 December morning. Going by timeline should have been 10 December but looks like some applications like me go through checks with banks and HMRC etc and that can take time depending on organisation response time. Some others have got in 18 calender days as per earlier posts so that could be only logical explanation. Anyway Good Luck to everyone waiting.

[kumar88]

Hi Everyone I applied for ILR under SET(O) on 1st December 2018 using the 24 hours decision service called HO on 6th Dec for an update and I was informed that I should wait for 5 business days to raise an escalation request. I called HO call center on 11th Dec and I was informed that they have raised an escalation and I should hear back from them within 5 working days and I have received an email from UKVI on 12th Dec stating below
"Thank you for contacting UKVI Contact Center.
Unfortunately, we are unable to process your referral as our records show that your application is still within the service standard."
I called the HO call center as soon as I received this email as I am not convinced with this email and the call center agent informed me that HO might want to do further checks on my application so my application might be moved from 24 hours to 6 months decision. I am not sure if this can be case so I called the call center again today and the agent informed me that I should have received a decision by now as I am on 24 hour super priority service and he will raise the escalation again with HO.
I am not sure why would I get two different response from the HO call center. Hope I get a decision on my application soon.

[mail9]

Called again today at 10:22 am and they found my previous escalation and have escalated again today.

Not sure if the escalation does anything but one can hope.

But yesterday, they have told me that now they cant escalate again as it was already done 2 times ( 3rd Dec and 10th Dec) and as i have received a progress update from UKVI and all i can do is to wait till it comes. The first lady told me not to call till Jan 10 that is 4 weeks after i received the email. i had called again in the evening , another lady who sounded much more understanding, told me to wait as the email indicated that they have received the message about escalation. ( i did tell her that i ahve received three emails over the last 2 weeks about progress update but nothing has happened) she said that she cant tell me when and how i will get information , but for now to forget about super priority bit and wait for a decision and take it from there.
i am really worried now. what they tell is not consistent.

[badhodor]

I think it is totally random how things are being done. The new system is probably causing problems and there aren't proper methods of escalation established I am assuming.

That bit about checks and HMRC etc. is not true, my application is extremely straightforward. 5 years with 1 employer and 3 months before ILR changed employer and got a Tier 2 in august. If they were able to grant tier 2 in august using exactly the same data that they have not much has changed in 3 months.

So, i am guessing its just new system being absolutely in shambles at HO end. Sopra is slick but HO as usual is not upto speed.

It's a waiting game unfortunately.

Called again today at 10:22 am and they found my previous escalation and have escalated again today.

Not sure if the escalation does anything but one can hope.

But yesterday, they have told me that now they cant escalate again as it was already done 2 times ( 3rd Dec and 10th Dec) and as i have received a progress update from UKVI and all i can do is to wait till it comes. The first lady told me not to call till Jan 10 that is 4 weeks after i received the email. i had called again in the evening , another lady who sounded much more understanding, told me to wait as the email indicated that they have received the message about escalation. ( i did tell her that i ahve received three emails over the last 2 weeks about progress update but nothing has happened) she said that she cant tell me when and how i will get information , but for now to forget about super priority bit and wait for a decision and take it from there.
i am really worried now. what they tell is not consistent.

[Timothy Tao]

Still nothing since 28 Nov super slow service for ILR set O..hopeless

[sunnysakhi]

I think it is totally random how things are being done. The new system is probably causing problems and there aren't proper methods of escalation established I am assuming.

That bit about checks and HMRC etc. is not true, my application is extremely straightforward. 5 years with 1 employer and 3 months before ILR changed employer and got a Tier 2 in august. If they were able to grant tier 2 in august using exactly the same data that they have not much has changed in 3 months.

So, i am guessing its just new system being absolutely in shambles at HO end. Sopra is slick but HO as usual is not upto speed.

It's a waiting game unfortunately.

Called again today at 10:22 am and they found my previous escalation and have escalated again today.

Not sure if the escalation does anything but one can hope.

But yesterday, they have told me that now they cant escalate again as it was already done 2 times ( 3rd Dec and 10th Dec) and as i have received a progress update from UKVI and all i can do is to wait till it comes. The first lady told me not to call till Jan 10 that is 4 weeks after i received the email. i had called again in the evening , another lady who sounded much more understanding, told me to wait as the email indicated that they have received the message about escalation. ( i did tell her that i ahve received three emails over the last 2 weeks about progress update but nothing has happened) she said that she cant tell me when and how i will get information , but for now to forget about super priority bit and wait for a decision and take it from there.
i am really worried now. what they tell is not consistent.

Really I am not able to understand the reason behind any delay. In my case (Tier 2 G) I have the same employer all along. No complexity in terms of salary, date of appointment, absences, LIUK, English Language requirement. all 5 year P60 attached etc. I don't know the rationale behind some people getting quick decision and in some case delays.Is it extra checks, is it location, service centre where application was submitted... total darkness. If there would have been proper communication from HO side, it would give more peace to us.Very Unfair.

[mail9]

I think it is totally random how things are being done. The new system is probably causing problems and there aren't proper methods of escalation established I am assuming.

That bit about checks and HMRC etc. is not true, my application is extremely straightforward. 5 years with 1 employer and 3 months before ILR changed employer and got a Tier 2 in august. If they were able to grant tier 2 in august using exactly the same data that they have not much has changed in 3 months.

So, i am guessing its just new system being absolutely in shambles at HO end. Sopra is slick but HO as usual is not upto speed.

It's a waiting game unfortunately.

Called again today at 10:22 am and they found my previous escalation and have escalated again today.

Not sure if the escalation does anything but one can hope.

But yesterday, they have told me that now they cant escalate again as it was already done 2 times ( 3rd Dec and 10th Dec) and as i have received a progress update from UKVI and all i can do is to wait till it comes. The first lady told me not to call till Jan 10 that is 4 weeks after i received the email. i had called again in the evening , another lady who sounded much more understanding, told me to wait as the email indicated that they have received the message about escalation. ( i did tell her that i ahve received three emails over the last 2 weeks about progress update but nothing has happened) she said that she cant tell me when and how i will get information , but for now to forget about super priority bit and wait for a decision and take it from there.
i am really worried now. what they tell is not consistent.

yes mine too , super straight forward - got a tier 2 extension for 3 years in jan 2018 with no problem.

[9127]

Has anyone received their BRP card after receiving the approval letter? Especially this week? Thanks

[norty109]

Badhodar - T-2 switching and ILR have different checks so is not the same. T2 Switch does not entail 5 year of HMRC tax /NI payment assurance, does not have absence criteria, switching from t2 to t2 same category does not involve English language proof, police check are different like simple caution has 2 years mandatory refusal in ILR whereas is only 12 month discretionary in t-2 switch. There are lot of differences but yes I agree the applicant must be informed every 5 days of status if they have charged super priority fees.

Mail9 - If you extended in January 18 for another 3 years that means you have not done 5 years in T2 G alone yet and your ILR has other period of stay from where you switched to T2 G. So presumably they will be checking the leave before T2 G and also T2G and that could possibly take time. But again yes HO must inform the status to you.

[sunnysakhi]

Still nothing since 28 Nov super slow service for ILR set O..hopeless

Yes it is. On their website they mention that if application will take longer they will let applicant now. But they haven't communicated anything to me since submission of application. Then there is no way we can track the status. Calling call center is of no use, everytime you talk to different people, they give different information. There doesn't seem to be any procedures or policies. Feeling very helpless.

[oldmankensey]

UKVI will probably go the same way as UKBA, "not fit for purpose".

But it might take another five years for that to happen. Some of us might have got replies to our applications by then.