HO letter delayed in the mail. Should I start worrying?

Hi everybody,

I applied for the HSMP on early June. I live in Quito, Ecuador (South America).

I sent the application by courier on May 31st, the HO received it on June 3rd, CC was charged on June 7th.

I never received a Reference Number, so I contacted the HO about my application; they confirmed that it was approved and that they mailed the letter on June 14th.

So far, I have not received anything yet. It's been 26 days already. When I received the letter from NARIC, it only took 15 days to arrive.

So, should I start worrying about the delayed letter?. What is the average mailing time for international applications? Does anybody have the same problem?.

Please, any input would be really appreciated.

Juan

International posting (especially for small packets) can vary considerably, so it's difficult to give you an average time frame. To North America it can take 4-7 days, but am not sure about Latin America. Are you positive about the posting date? Sometimes on the phone they indicate the decision date, even though the letter (and your documents) might be posted at a later date after upper-level review.
AG

Thanks for the reply Gordon.

Yes, they mentioned that they mailed the letter on June 14th :

Dear Customer
Thankyou for your e-mail.

A decision letter and your documents were despatched by airmail on 14/06/2007.

I am really worried. Hopefully, it is not lost. Waiting 12 weeks + for the reprint is too long. Not to mention loosing my Msc. Diploma....

Juan

Ah, well there's that theory gone for a burton. Nonetheless, I think you could safely wait another week before properly starting to worry. For now, you should just sit tight. AG

Thanks to Everybody.

The Approval Letter arrived today. After 30 days of stressful wait.

The final sequence of events:

Application sent via DHL: May 31st, 2007
Received HO: June 3rd, 2007
CC charged: June 7th, 2007
Decision made: June 14th, 2007
Approval letter and documents arrived: July 14th, 2007

Never received a Reference Number.

Now, I have to go for the EC.

Best Regards.

Juan Franco
Quito, Ecuador.

Congratulations! Good luck with EC.