OLD FLR(M) waiting times Thread

[fizza]

Hi, I have been posting on another immigration forum.. but this one seems a lot more active. Won't go into every little detail, but as one could imagine have been thru hell with the home office, everything from mis-spelt names to claiming intial payment couldn't be accessed. I am pretty sure they do little mind games like that just to catch ppl out. I am also convinced these massive waiting times are to boost the holiday market within the UK. Applying to stay doesn't mean we want to be trapped here. Aussie teacher sick of waiting..

Confirmation letter; 24/01/2012 (Name spelt incorrectly) Yep they only have 40 documents with my name on it
Bio's: Mid March

Called at 6 month mark got given no info apart from 'still processing'.

I am approaching the 7 month mark.

Those who have got theres much sooner your lucky but i actually hate you (sorry)...

[fizza]

Just to add a question to the rest of the frustrated out there....my visa expired in march 2012... does any body know when they actually do process our FLR will it start from the date it gets processed ie; august 2012 (being optimistic there) or will it back date to march?? If it is back dated I will actually lose the plot!

[waitwaitwait]

Just to add a question to the rest of the frustrated out there....my visa expired in march 2012... does any body know when they actually do process our FLR will it start from the date it gets processed ie; august 2012 (being optimistic there) or will it back date to march?? If it is back dated I will actually lose the plot!

They never backdate the visas so ur new one will be from the day they make a decision. Make sure you keep the acknowledgement letter safe as it can happen that if you travel and come back to UK they might ask you from march(when ur visa expired) to august(when u got a new visa)
What was your status? I know it sounds silly as they should hav it on system that they made u wait, but we all know their style of work so no point taking a chance. Also u said you will not be happy if they backdate it, well if they did that in my case then i will be extremely happy cuz that would mean i will be able to apply for indefinite leave in feb 2014 which is roughly 18 months rather than 2 years so the 6 month wait can be adjusted but unfortunately its not gonna happen.
So dont worry and relax
I am waiting since feb too -
Date Docs sent: 08/02/12 
Date Ack. Letter received: 20/02/12 
Date biometrics booking letter received: 20/03/12 (dated 16/03/12) 
Date biometrics enrolled (at Holborn post office): 22/03/12 
Date BRP received: waiting 
Date Docs received: waiting 

Visa type: FLR(M)
From - Tier 4 

[neveragain]

[quote="fizza"]Just to add a question to the rest of the frustrated out there....my visa expired in march 2012... does any body know when they actually do process our FLR will it start from the date it gets processed ie; august 2012 (being optimistic there) or will it back date to march?? If it is back dated I will actually lose the plot![/quote]


Fizza......We applied in January and eventually received our docs and BRP in late July. The decision letter was dated 25 July and the BRP showed the same date. Other earlier posts in this forum seem to show the same format. So for you (hopefully) it will be August. Your immigration status at time of application remains in force until your case is decided. Good luck!

[fizza]

This forum is great, super quick responses... good to hear about the no back date. It would make no sense to back date it, but it is the UKBA we are talking about. Why does the Bio's card and documents come back separately? So if I get my docs back first can I travel with out the bios card? As soon as we get our passports we are on a last minute holiday somewhere far far away from the UK!

[badger111]

This forum is great, super quick responses... good to hear about the no back date. It would make no sense to back date it, but it is the UKBA we are talking about. Why does the Bio's card and documents come back separately? So if I get my docs back first can I travel with out the bios card? As soon as we get our passports we are on a last minute holiday somewhere far far away from the UK!

You are not allowed to travel without biometric card. In the past visas used to be in the passport, and now you get BRP instead, so it serves a s a proof of your status. But some people get it on the same day, or a day after they receive all the documents, so fingers crossed!

I guess they come separately because some other company produces them or something...

[badger111]

Hi, I have been posting on another immigration forum.. but this one seems a lot more active. Won't go into every little detail, but as one could imagine have been thru hell with the home office, everything from mis-spelt names to claiming intial payment couldn't be accessed. I am pretty sure they do little mind games like that just to catch ppl out. I am also convinced these massive waiting times are to boost the holiday market within the UK. Applying to stay doesn't mean we want to be trapped here. Aussie teacher sick of waiting..

Confirmation letter; 24/01/2012 (Name spelt incorrectly) Yep they only have 40 documents with my name on it
Bio's: Mid March

Called at 6 month mark got given no info apart from 'still processing'.

I am approaching the 7 month mark.

Those who have got theres much sooner your lucky but i actually hate you (sorry)...

7 month mark? Jesus! Sorry to hear that. It's been 23 weeks today for me, and no sign of anything yet, and I have no hope for it to come in the next week. And what's more, I come from a country that is going to join EU next year, so all this waiting will be for nothing...so much about their prioritizing.

[kid13]

I previously sent in my bank savings statements to show our financial situation for the FLR(M). I'm thinking of moving my savings (ISA) to a different bank that is actually offering a decent rate of interest - should I notify the UKBA so they don't think I suddenly lost my savings? Not sure they have the time or inclination to do any detective work themselves...

[fizza]

Loving this venting... on the phone to them again today. Why do they make such a big deal by saying 'only after 6 months we will give you any progress on you application)... because once the 6 months is up all they do is tell you it's still being processed. The 6 month mark is a joke and means nothing!!!!

[vnkotak]

Yipeee,

Got my wife's visa... Finally after a long wait of 3 and half months....

Final timelines..
Docs sent: 26/04/12
Ack. Letter: 11/05/12
Biometrics letter: 14/05/12
Biometrics taken: 18/05/12
Docs arrived: 16/08/12
Biometric Card: 15/08/12
Visa Type : FLR(M) for spouse
Visa From: Tier 1 Dependant


Yes, BRP card came yesterday and Docs came today

Hi,

Here are my timelines:

Docs sent: 26/04/12
Ack. Letter: 11/05/12
Biometrics letter: 14/05/12
Biometrics taken: 18/05/12
Docs arrived: waiting
Biometric Card: waiting
Visa Type : FLR(M) for spouse
Visa From: Tier 1 Dependant

My wife's original visa expired in May 2012. I am quite sure that we should get the extension for my wife...

However, one question suddenly came in my mind and I thought let me check with the guys over here...

As my wife's original visa is expired now and just in case, if her extension is denied, so does she need to go back to origin country and reapply / appeal??? or Can she reapply / appeal from UK itself??

Fingers crossed.. I should not fall in that stituation, but just want to get an idea about what happens next?

[vnkotak]

Just to add a question to the rest of the frustrated out there....my visa expired in march 2012... does any body know when they actually do process our FLR will it start from the date it gets processed ie; august 2012 (being optimistic there) or will it back date to march?? If it is back dated I will actually lose the plot!

Hi Fizza,

I am sure you would have got your answer by now, as couple of guys above has replied to it..

But just to add as one more confirmation... My wife's visa expired in May 12, but yesterday while we got BRP card, it was from Aug 12...

[ken2mj]

Update:

Biometrics enrolled yesterday in Belfast. Quick and painless, in and out in 10 minutes.

Now it's just time to hunker down and wait the long wait.

Good luck! I hope something will be done by this Government long before you join our "6 month wait I am going to lose my mind" elite club...

Is that what they're calling themselves now? 'A government?'

That word. I do not think it means what they think it means.

LOL yes, politicians should look for a definition of that word.

If only we had someone to tell us to pay extra and get everything done in matter of days, but you go by the logic and think that everything will work ok. We just thought it was unnecessary to pay 400£ extra for something they would do anyway, and we weren't in a hurry. But there you go. We have ended up being puppets for UKBA who control our lives how they want, and as long as they want.

Postman has been today, and nothing again. It will be 23 weeks tomorrow.

We looked at the option of withdrawing our postal application and paying the additional £800ish fee for an in person appointment. However, we were advised by the Home Office that there are currently 0 available slots in Belfast at all with no update as to when more would be released. We were advised that the waiting list is huge though. Looks like we've no option but to tough it out.

[blueboy]

I had a message from my MP today to say that the UKBA had contacted him & that my wife's visa was now being actively looked at, they would not say a timescale but we would hear shortly ref. decision.

Been waiting since 7th March 2012, biometrics done end of June, we did put in a medical certificate to MP for wife's mother who is not well at this time & we need to go see her. I guess this has helped, our 6 months waiting would have been up on the 7th September.

Finally something is happening.

[kid13]

After looking at the information UKBA provide via FOI requests and the like, I'm now certain that average processing times they provide are way out because the UKBA include same-day processing in the figures!!!

Therefore, these ridiculous average processing times of a few weeks include the people each month who receive their visas in-person in 24 hours.

Putting the same-day service and postal service figures together, that is enough to bring average postal waiting times of 6 months or more down to a few weeks. So the average timelines thy give us are meaningless unless they specifically use only postal application data. Which they don't at the moment, because it doesn't make their figures look good.

[badger111]

Good luck! I hope something will be done by this Government long before you join our "6 month wait I am going to lose my mind" elite club...

Is that what they're calling themselves now? 'A government?'

That word. I do not think it means what they think it means.

LOL yes, politicians should look for a definition of that word.

If only we had someone to tell us to pay extra and get everything done in matter of days, but you go by the logic and think that everything will work ok. We just thought it was unnecessary to pay 400£ extra for something they would do anyway, and we weren't in a hurry. But there you go. We have ended up being puppets for UKBA who control our lives how they want, and as long as they want.

Postman has been today, and nothing again. It will be 23 weeks tomorrow.

We looked at the option of withdrawing our postal application and paying the additional £800ish fee for an in person appointment. However, we were advised by the Home Office that there are currently 0 available slots in Belfast at all with no update as to when more would be released. We were advised that the waiting list is huge though. Looks like we've no option but to tough it out.

I see. I have friend who's partner got here from Taiwan, and they are going to pay for premium service. He got an appointment on 21st this month in Liverpool, and he phoned them like 2 weeks ago.

Plus the fact if you wanted to withdrawn your application they wouldn't give you your money back would they?

[badger111]

I had a message from my MP today to say that the UKBA had contacted him & that my wife's visa was now being actively looked at, they would not say a timescale but we would hear shortly ref. decision.

Been waiting since 7th March 2012, biometrics done end of June, we did put in a medical certificate to MP for wife's mother who is not well at this time & we need to go see her. I guess this has helped, our 6 months waiting would have been up on the 7th September.

Finally something is happening.

That's good news. We wanted to contact our MP, but when I read other people's experiences we just gave up as it seemed pointless.

But good to hear something is happening.

[cityboy25]

I had a message from my MP today to say that the UKBA had contacted him & that my wife's visa was now being actively looked at, they would not say a timescale but we would hear shortly ref. decision.

Been waiting since 7th March 2012, biometrics done end of June, we did put in a medical certificate to MP for wife's mother who is not well at this time & we need to go see her. I guess this has helped, our 6 months waiting would have been up on the 7th September.

Finally something is happening.

Hi blueboy, I met my MP and she promise to write UKBA and send me a copy and have not receive the copy of the letter or mail since, so my question is that did you normally received a copy of all corresponding between the MP and UKBA.
thanks

[kuzey50]

I had a message from my MP today to say that the UKBA had contacted him & that my wife's visa was now being actively looked at, they would not say a timescale but we would hear shortly ref. decision.

Been waiting since 7th March 2012, biometrics done end of June, we did put in a medical certificate to MP for wife's mother who is not well at this time & we need to go see her. I guess this has helped, our 6 months waiting would have been up on the 7th September.

Finally something is happening.

Hi blueboy, I met my MP and she promise to write UKBA and send me a copy and have not receive the copy of the letter or mail since, so my question is that did you normally received a copy of all corresponding between the MP and UKBA.
thanks

Hello,

I also contacted my MP, twice, and i have not received a copy at all. I had to send a 3 page letter + a few extra paperworks + a letter from doctors in Turkey (regarding grandsads illness) and requested them to make a decision urgently. Our 23rd week begins on monday. Hopefully we will get something back soon.

[ken2mj]

Is that what they're calling themselves now? 'A government?'

That word. I do not think it means what they think it means.

LOL yes, politicians should look for a definition of that word.

If only we had someone to tell us to pay extra and get everything done in matter of days, but you go by the logic and think that everything will work ok. We just thought it was unnecessary to pay 400£ extra for something they would do anyway, and we weren't in a hurry. But there you go. We have ended up being puppets for UKBA who control our lives how they want, and as long as they want.

Postman has been today, and nothing again. It will be 23 weeks tomorrow.

We looked at the option of withdrawing our postal application and paying the additional £800ish fee for an in person appointment. However, we were advised by the Home Office that there are currently 0 available slots in Belfast at all with no update as to when more would be released. We were advised that the waiting list is huge though. Looks like we've no option but to tough it out.

I see. I have friend who's partner got here from Taiwan, and they are going to pay for premium service. He got an appointment on 21st this month in Liverpool, and he phoned them like 2 weeks ago.

Plus the fact if you wanted to withdrawn your application they wouldn't give you your money back would they?

Nope, but we were seriously considering forfeiting the fee we had already paid. If the wife was able to work say 3 months earlier that way than by remaining on the postal route, in the long run, we'd have been better off. (Assuming of course she was able to get a job quickly, but that's all a moot point now.)

Dealing with the UKBA: Everyone's argument is invalid.

[2222]

23 weeks waiting time and still no news!!!

My time line:

From - Tier 4 (Valid till 30th Sep 2012)
FLR M applied on 27th February
Payment out of the bank: 29th February
Acknowledgement letter: I didn't get one!!
Biometric letter received on 16th March
Biometric completed in Glasgow office on 28th March
Document return: still waiting!!!
Biometric card: still waiting !!!

I am just wondering, may be the delay due to my current Tier 4 Visa still valid till 30th Sep 2012??? Any advise guys??
I am hoping to hear something soon.

[kid13]

I am just wondering, may be the delay due to my current Tier 4 Visa still valid till 30th Sep 2012??? Any advise guys??
I am hoping to hear something soon.

I doubt it, it's just due to their huge backlogs which is affecting all applicants. It's not an unusually long time to be waiting, judging from other posts here.

[waitwaitwait]

23 weeks waiting time and still no news!!!

My time line:

From - Tier 4 (Valid till 30th Sep 2012)
FLR M applied on 27th February
Payment out of the bank: 29th February
Acknowledgement letter: I didn't get one!!
Biometric letter received on 16th March
Biometric completed in Glasgow office on 28th March
Document return: still waiting!!!
Biometric card: still waiting !!!

I am just wondering, may be the delay due to my current Tier 4 Visa still valid till 30th Sep 2012??? Any advise guys??
I am hoping to hear something soon.

Seems to be some confusion cuz u keep asking the same q again n again.
I did mention earlier to ur same q that its not due to the expiry date of your tier4 visa. Moreover others r giving u the same answer so i hope it clarifies ur doubts.

[blueboy]

Hurray, all documents received today with letter saying residency card will follow within seven days.

What a relief that its just about over, looking for flights now to go see mum who has been unwell for a while now.

Never want to go through this again, will certainly be going in person for the grand finale (ILR)

[blueboy]

I had a message from my MP today to say that the UKBA had contacted him & that my wife's visa was now being actively looked at, they would not say a timescale but we would hear shortly ref. decision.

Been waiting since 7th March 2012, biometrics done end of June, we did put in a medical certificate to MP for wife's mother who is not well at this time & we need to go see her. I guess this has helped, our 6 months waiting would have been up on the 7th September.

Finally something is happening.

Hi blueboy, I met my MP and she promise to write UKBA and send me a copy and have not receive the copy of the letter or mail since, so my question is that did you normally received a copy of all corresponding between the MP and UKBA.
thanks

Well, I just kept on emailing my MP, my wifes mum is not well & we got a medical certificate from the doctor thats treating her indicating what she is suffering from.

My MP sent that to the UKBA & now things have moved on, I would just like to say that the problems with my mum in law are genuine, I was not trying to jump any que.

The PA of my MP told me that it was always phone calls to UKBA apart from the last time when he submitted the medical certificate via email.

I was always courteous when I emailed my MP, its not his fault whats going on & if you want their help then the last thing you want to do is cause any upset.

[backagain]

We are very happy for those that have received word or BRP on their visas. However, I have a couple burning questions. Several folks from June onward have received their BRP or docs back while scores of us with biometrics taken and submitted from January to April linger in information limbo. So my questions are:

1. How is it that June applicants have been processed before applicants submitted months earlier?

2. What does that mean for the limbo applicants that have reached, surpassed, or are nearing their six month mark? Where the heck are our docs? Is there some black hole zone in UKBA where the January to April visa applications are in stasis?

We even used a solicitor to ensure our docs were correct before submitting the application! What the heck?

3. Does anybody really have an inside scoop on that section of applications? MPs don't seem to have the power to move things along for that group.

Hungry for information

Docs received by UKBA: 5 April 2012
Biometrics letter recd: 20 April 2012
Biometrics taken: 20 April 2012 (Harlow site)
Waiting: 19 weeks!