Crazy Statistics - Application Review Time Lines

Was reading through a case study called - An Inspection of Nationality Casework available online and one of the things on there were timelines taking to approve cases.

No matter how complex the case - can't imagine how can it take to process an application. Given most of the checks are automated and not manual as per the guidelines itself.

I've looked at the public Google spreadsheet with the application timelines and it is incredible. Some applications approved within a couple of weeks, yet some people have been waiting over 18 months. It's a wonder if the latter really are exceptionally complex cases or if someone is trying to hit quotas and some applications get fast tracked to an approval.

agree with you sir .. this is simply outrageous - how complex can a case be that it will take 18 months to process. Pure Incompetence it is

I think 6 months time is too much for any application .HO has a checklist to see if criteria is met or not so its an excuse to take as much time as they want.

Its a shame... HO is charging hefty amount of money for their applications and their processing time is disappointing, inconsistent and the whole system in a state of disarray.

Still a paper based application and no online tracking system available.

HO should learn its counterpart CIC (Citizen and Immigration Canada). Their application fee is nominal and their application forms/ application tracking system is online. You become permanent resident of Canada (UK ILR equivalent) at the time of landing to their country.

ohara wrote:I've looked at the public Google spreadsheet with the application timelines and it is incredible. Some applications approved within a couple of weeks, yet some people have been waiting over 18 months. It's a wonder if the latter really are exceptionally complex cases...

After what I've seen on this board, I'd definitely say yes. Some of these cases have so many winding caveats and discretionary possibilities in them that I'm amazed that the Home Office just doesn't end up tossing the whole application into the bin.

ohara wrote:... or if someone is trying to hit quotas and some applications get fast tracked to an approval.

I do believe (though there is nothing official or confirmed) that some cases are automatics for getting shoved onto the bottom of the pile, i.e., asylum cases, long residence with illegal stay, discretionary leave cases, etc....

And then you have the cases that uncover potential fraud/deception or some other illegal behavior at some stage in the previous immigration process.... Just look at how many posts are on this board are about tax issues, so many that there is now a policy for automatically locking and deleting them. That's just tax issues.

ILRapplication80 wrote:agree with you sir .. this is simply outrageous - how complex can a case be that it will take 18 months to process.

Mind bogglingly so. So complex that even the group of experts here just tell the poster to find a qualified experienced immigration attorney - we can't help. Consider that in the context of the expertise and experience of the people on this board.

fbutt50 wrote:I think 6 months time is too much for any application. HO has a checklist to see if criteria is met or not so its an excuse to take as much time as they want.

There is just too much discretion involved in a good number of cases for any 'checklist' to conceivably have scope over the myriad of possibilities. In fact I think the every application (not registration or confirmation) for citizenship is discretionary. Throw in the fact that so many posters on here seem to think that their application is 'straightforward', often only to later drop the bombshell of critical detail that throws the whole thing into a big open question.

Arsal385 wrote: HO should learn its counterpart CIC (Citizen and Immigration Canada). Their application fee is nominal and their application forms/ application tracking system is online. You become permanent resident of Canada (UK ILR equivalent) at the time of landing to their country.

Canada's immigration/population issues are vastly different from UK's and have been so from inception. I'm not sure there is an analogue anywhere else in the world. Even so, throw in cultural and historical effects, and you can't really compare them fairly.