Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

cryvate · Post by **cryvate** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 1:46 am

I applied early January and have my appointment this Thursday (17th January). I got the following email today (I cannot see anyone mentioning this before, so thought I would share, sorry for the copious whitespace, this is a literal copy paste...):

Dear XXXX,

Thank you for uploading your supporting evidence to the UK Visas and Citizenship Application Service website. We have now completed the following checks of the files that were available as of 15/01/19:

· Checked for the presence of all mandatory documents

· Checked that all documents are legible

· Checked that all documents been uploaded to the correct category

· Checked for any obvious missing pages

· Checked that all uploaded documents are in either English or Welsh language, or have an accompanying English or Welsh translation.

þ No action required: Following a review of supporting evidence available, we can confirm that:

o Mandatory documents are present in all required categories

o All documents are legible

o All documents have been uploaded to the correct category

o There are no obvious missing pages in any of the documents

o All documents are in either English or Welsh language, or are accompanied with an English or Welsh translation that obviously relates to the original

Please ensure that you have read and understood the full requirements for supporting evidence by referring to the applicable guidance notes available on GOV.UK.

If you are unable to correct any of the recommendations above, you have the option of bringing your paper supporting evidence with you to your appointment and one of our Service Agents will be able scan and upload this for you (charges may apply).

UKVCAS Customer Services

This service is managed and provided by Sopra Steria

Please do not reply to this email address; this email is not monitored. Please use the Contact Us page on www.UKVCAS.co.uk to make an enquiry.

Sopra Steria is the trading name of the following companies (all registered in England & Wales): (i) Sopra Steria Limited (No. 04077975) (ii) Sopra Group Ltd (No. 01643041) (iii) Sopra Group Holding Ltd (No. 01588948)

bookerw100 · Post by **bookerw100** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 8:48 am

cryvate wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 1:46 am
I applied early January and have my appointment this Thursday (17th January). I got the following email today (I cannot see anyone mentioning this before, so thought I would share, sorry for the copious whitespace, this is a literal copy paste...):

Dear XXXX,

Thank you for uploading your supporting evidence to the UK Visas and Citizenship Application Service website. We have now completed the following checks of the files that were available as of 15/01/19:

· Checked for the presence of all mandatory documents

· Checked that all documents are legible

· Checked that all documents been uploaded to the correct category

· Checked for any obvious missing pages

· Checked that all uploaded documents are in either English or Welsh language, or have an accompanying English or Welsh translation.

þ No action required: Following a review of supporting evidence available, we can confirm that:

o Mandatory documents are present in all required categories

o All documents are legible

o All documents have been uploaded to the correct category

o There are no obvious missing pages in any of the documents

o All documents are in either English or Welsh language, or are accompanied with an English or Welsh translation that obviously relates to the original

Please ensure that you have read and understood the full requirements for supporting evidence by referring to the applicable guidance notes available on GOV.UK.

If you are unable to correct any of the recommendations above, you have the option of bringing your paper supporting evidence with you to your appointment and one of our Service Agents will be able scan and upload this for you (charges may apply).

UKVCAS Customer Services

This service is managed and provided by Sopra Steria

Please do not reply to this email address; this email is not monitored. Please use the Contact Us page on www.UKVCAS.co.uk to make an enquiry.

Sopra Steria is the trading name of the following companies (all registered in England & Wales): (i) Sopra Steria Limited (No. 04077975) (ii) Sopra Group Ltd (No. 01643041) (iii) Sopra Group Holding Ltd (No. 01588948)

Did you pay for any complimentary services with sopra i.e document checking etc?

johnhkg · Post by **johnhkg** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 9:34 am

cryvate wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 1:46 am
I applied early January and have my appointment this Thursday (17th January). I got the following email today (I cannot see anyone mentioning this before, so thought I would share, sorry for the copious whitespace, this is a literal copy paste...):

I had this too. I paid for document checking by UKVCAS. It costs £35 and you can choose it at the time you book your appointment. Some people get it as a "free" add on if they pay for a premium appointment.

anilondon2018 · Post by **anilondon2018** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 11:03 am

I agree, I applied on 15th Nov and have not yet got any reply. People who applied after me using NCS got their approvals. I paid for Premium Service but they there was a chaos at the centre. They delayed my biometrics by 3 hrs. There is nothing premium about the service.

aaliya1986 · Post by **aaliya1986** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 11:29 am

naturalisation time is nearing and after going through the thread it makes me worried regarding the whole process of UKVCAS. It seems more like a hit or miss.

Konsog · Post by **Konsog** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 11:37 am

anilondon2018 wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 11:03 am
I agree, I applied on 15th Nov and have not yet got any reply. People who applied after me using NCS got their approvals. I paid for Premium Service but they there was a chaos at the centre. They delayed my biometrics by 3 hrs. There is nothing premium about the service.

I share your concern, as I also applied through UKVCAS (in early Dec). I guess we just have to stay hopeful, and remember that the discrepancy could be caused by a bunch of other reasons too.

I guess we won't know if UKVCAS works well for a little while, not at least until everyone has to apply through it and we measure how long applications are taking on average vis-a-vis NCS.

johnhkg · Post by **johnhkg** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 12:26 pm

Konsog wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 11:37 am

anilondon2018 wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 11:03 am
I agree, I applied on 15th Nov and have not yet got any reply. People who applied after me using NCS got their approvals. I paid for Premium Service but they there was a chaos at the centre. They delayed my biometrics by 3 hrs. There is nothing premium about the service.
I share your concern, as I also applied through UKVCAS (in early Dec). I guess we just have to stay hopeful, and remember that the discrepancy could be caused by a bunch of other reasons too.

I guess we won't know if UKVCAS works well for a little while, not at least until everyone has to apply through it and we measure how long applications are taking on average vis-a-vis NCS.

I totally agree with everyone's concerns. When I was faced with having to use the UKVCAS system in early December I somehow knew there would be problems and delays. But nothing I could do to avoid this and at the same time retain my important documents.

However, there are only 7 or 8 timelines for November where applicants have used UKVCAS. One has already been approved. Who's to say that the others in that category are not straightforward applications that may take longer than the approved applicant? On the other hand, there are 30+ NDRS and NCS applicants in the same timeline. Hard to compare such statistics to be honest.

anilondon2018 · Post by **anilondon2018** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 2:13 pm

I'm following November Timeline. I can see people who applied through NDRS + JCAP, have almost received their decisions within 6 weeks. I applied on 15th Nov and still waiting. I spoke with my friend who also applied at the same time at the UKVCS Sopra Steria premier centre in London. He has also not received any confirmation.

I remember I had my appointment scheduled at 5 pm and they took my bio metrics at 8 pm (3 hrs waiting time). The staff is casual and not bothered to verify my original paper docs (the papers which i had uploaded myself before attending the appointment). I forced them to scan all pages of my passport because the person only scanned first & last page and told me that all pages are not required. When i questioned him that how would you confirm my last 5 yrs travel history then he unwillingly scanned my remaining pages.

I'm 100% sure people who applied through NCS would get fast results and I need to suffer I don't know how long before I get any sort of further communication.

DocKnow · Post by **DocKnow** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 4:44 pm

I am in exactly the same situation. I applied through UKVCAS as well and had to insist they scan my whole current and previous passport (to cover the stamps for 5 years). They seemed reluctant but were nice and courteous.

Frankly, I wouldn't worry about it. If UKVCAS are incompetent then it is HO's problem and not ours. They either need to resolve it or ask us for additional evidence. Given that most UKVCAS applicants here have not been asked for additional evidence, I am guessing it either is not a problem or HO will resolve it themselves.

Also, if you're a non-EU migrant, HO probably have all the information on you anyway. They collect our documents every couple of years, take our biometrics regularly (applications, airports etc). Trust me, we have left enough paper trail and evidence over the years!

Dave12560 · Post by **Dave12560** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 5:04 pm

DocKnow wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 4:44 pm
I am in exactly the same situation. I applied through UKVCAS as well and had to insist they scan my whole current and previous passport (to cover the stamps for 5 years). They seemed reluctant but were nice and courteous.

Frankly, I wouldn't worry about it. If UKVCAS are incompetent then it is HO's problem and not ours. They either need to resolve it or ask us for additional evidence. Given that most UKVCAS applicants here have not been asked for additional evidence, I am guessing it either is not a problem or HO will resolve it themselves.

Also, if you're a non-EU migrant, HO probably have all the information on you anyway. They collect our documents every couple of years, take our biometrics regularly (applications, airports etc). Trust me, we have left enough paper trail and evidence over the years!

there is one user who got aprooval by ukvcas we shud ask his exprience was with ukvcas

DocKnow · Post by **DocKnow** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 5:25 pm

DocKnow wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 4:44 pm
I am in exactly the same situation. I applied through UKVCAS as well and had to insist they scan my whole current and previous passport (to cover the stamps for 5 years). They seemed reluctant but were nice and courteous.

Frankly, I wouldn't worry about it. If UKVCAS are incompetent then it is HO's problem and not ours. They either need to resolve it or ask us for additional evidence. Given that most UKVCAS applicants here have not been asked for additional evidence, I am guessing it either is not a problem or HO will resolve it themselves.

Also, if you're a non-EU migrant, HO probably have all the information on you anyway. They collect our documents every couple of years, take our biometrics regularly (applications, airports etc). Trust me, we have left enough paper trail and evidence over the years!

Also, don't forget that plenty of UKVCAS ILR applicants got their approval within a week or 10 days. I know citizenship and ILR applications are covered by different laws but the evidence requirements are pretty much the same (in fact ILR is more onerous when it comes to evidence requirements). If the quality of evidence collected by UKVCAS was good enough for ILR, it should be good enough for citizenship.

dbld03 · Post by **dbld03** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 7:05 pm

SidiBou wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 08, 2019 8:43 pm

allyf wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 08, 2019 8:20 pm

codem2013 wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:43 pm

SidiBou wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:50 pm
Hello-

I just received my ILR and would like to to register both of my children (3 and 4) as British citizen using the new online service (form MN1). My questions is related to the referee piece:

I was able to download and print out the referee declaration forms. The forms need to have referee full name, be dated, and signed.

What I’m not clear on is how to capture the referee details: DOB, Relationship, address, passport, citizenship, etc. I know it is part of the online application, but, is there a separate form I can hand to the referee to fill out so I can enter it electronically or am I supposed to create my own template and say’ Please fill this out for me’ in addition to signing the declaration forms.

Thanks!
Check out p20 of mn1 paper for
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... -07-18.pdf
This is a question I was pondering over as well...
To provide the information on our referees (ie profession,Passport details etc), do we use the paper form referee section? It shows as pages 19-21 for the paper AN form....
Hi Codem2013,
I appreciate your reply and support. I already printed that out but I believe it is a bit suspicious for most of us to go to a daycare manager or a GP or someone ‘strange’ and provide 2 separate documents requiring 2 signatures, etc.

In my opinion, very clumsy and may discourage the referee from helping (not that it is always easy to find one for a 3 year old).
I believe that is a miss from the HO and hopefully they can improve it in the future. I will try to explain to potential referee that only one signature is needed and that page 19/20 needs to be filled out to capture details so I can add to online application. I will give it a try and hope for the best.
Thanks!
@ Allyf, unless someone can provide us with a better option we have no choice but use the p19/20 out if the paper form.

Same issue here. Actually with all that GDPR and Facebook business my daughters' teacher has agreed to share their data with HO having read their policy but is not very comfortable with me typing it in in the online application. Did someone come across something similar ? Is there any other way around it without me actually knowing their address, passport no etc ?

CR001 · Post by **CR001** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 7:09 pm

Can members please desist from asking application form questions in this topic. Only post here once you have experience using the new system.

For citizenship, ask your questions in your own topic in the British citizenship sub forum please!!!

shankar981 · Post by **shankar981** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:03 pm

Same issue here. Actually with all that GDPR and Facebook business my daughters' teacher has agreed to share their data with HO having read their policy but is not very comfortable with me typing it in in the online application. Did someone come across something similar ? Is there any other way around it without me actually knowing their address, passport no etc ?

Unfortunately, the information is deemed mandatory in the online form. With strict regulations such as GDPR, it is surprising that HO is expecting the referee to share their personal information with the applicant. An attempt has been made to raise this here -> https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ ... feree_natu

lobalwyn · Post by **lobalwyn** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:11 pm

i applied for my naturalisation application through ukvcas. I attended my appointment on 18th december in croydon,my appointment was at 14.00, had to wait an hour. First i did my biometrics and then i was called to scan my documents. Although i only received a confirnation when i finished my online form begining of december, after i finished my uk vcas appointment i did not recieve any confirmation.
i had called ukvcas begining of january and was informed my documents were successsfully uploaded and my application is pending with HO, reading through all the posts , seems like a lot of people waiting through the new vcas system. I do have a feeling its go to do with the volume of applications HO is dealing with, on the 18th the croydon vcas was completely full, oh yes when i left i was told it would rake 6-8 weeks to process

alterhase58 · Post by **alterhase58** » Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:20 pm

shankar981 wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:03 pm

Same issue here. Actually with all that GDPR and Facebook business my daughters' teacher has agreed to share their data with HO having read their policy but is not very comfortable with me typing it in in the online application. Did someone come across something similar ? Is there any other way around it without me actually knowing their address, passport no etc ?
Unfortunately, the information is deemed mandatory in the online form. With strict regulations such as GDPR, it is surprising that HO is expecting the referee to share their personal information with the applicant. An attempt has been made to raise this here -> https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ ... feree_natu

The Home Office and many other government departments hold most of our personal information in some shape or form. If they have a passport then they have the referee's data anyway. My referees were more than willing to provide their data, on paper in my presence (paper application). UKVI captures the date into their own systems for the purpose of the application. I can understand the concerns, suspicions and fears - however most people on here have probably shared more data on FB than we are giving UKVI on our application. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisat ... on-charter

cryvate · Post by **cryvate** » Thu Jan 17, 2019 12:43 am

bookerw100 wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 8:48 am
Did you pay for any complimentary services with sopra i.e document checking etc?

johnhkg wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 9:34 am
I had this too. I paid for document checking by UKVCAS. It costs £35 and you can choose it at the time you book your appointment. Some people get it as a "free" add on if they pay for a premium appointment.

Both, I think you are right. All appointments available at the centre I was looking at cost £60 and so was probably a premium appointment including document checking?

It leads me to think the centre (Cambridge) I am going to tomorrow is an 'enhanced service point.' An easy way for them to pick up an extra £60 per appointment at these service points...

cryvate · Post by **cryvate** » Thu Jan 17, 2019 12:52 am

cryvate wrote: ↑
Thu Jan 17, 2019 12:43 am

bookerw100 wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 8:48 am
Did you pay for any complimentary services with sopra i.e document checking etc?

johnhkg wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 9:34 am
I had this too. I paid for document checking by UKVCAS. It costs £35 and you can choose it at the time you book your appointment. Some people get it as a "free" add on if they pay for a premium appointment.
Both, I think you are right. All appointments available at the centre I was looking at cost £60 and so was probably a premium appointment including document checking?

It leads me to think the centre (Cambridge) I am going to tomorrow is an 'enhanced service point.' An easy way for them to pick up an extra £60 per appointment at these service points...

My suspicion was correct:

anilondon2018 · Post by **anilondon2018** » Thu Jan 17, 2019 5:35 am

lobalwyn wrote: ↑
Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:11 pm
i applied for my naturalisation application through ukvcas. I attended my appointment on 18th december in croydon,my appointment was at 14.00, had to wait an hour. First i did my biometrics and then i was called to scan my documents. Although i only received a confirnation when i finished my online form begining of december, after i finished my uk vcas appointment i did not recieve any confirmation.
i had called ukvcas begining of january and was informed my documents were successsfully uploaded and my application is pending with HO, reading through all the posts , seems like a lot of people waiting through the new vcas system. I do have a feeling its go to do with the volume of applications HO is dealing with, on the 18th the croydon vcas was completely full, oh yes when i left i was told it would rake 6-8 weeks to process

I know HO dealing with large no. of applications, concern is not if everyone's applications are getting delayed however if you see the pattern on November timeline you will notice that people who applied through NDRS (even after me) got the approval. I don't understand why then only UKVCAS applications are stuck in the pipeline.

eduleal · Post by **eduleal** » Thu Jan 17, 2019 8:08 am

Same concern here. And I even used the premium service (£200+). If that is actually slower than the old service, Can’t help but feel I was scammed!

jafarkuku · Post by **jafarkuku** » Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:38 am

Jesus, can everyone just calm down and understand that your applications are being processed. No need for the panic. I too used UKVCAS and am waiting. HO says it can take up to 6 months!

Dave12560 · Post by **Dave12560** » Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:46 am

jafarkuku wrote: ↑
Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:38 am
Jesus, can everyone just calm down and understand that your applications are being processed. No need for the panic. I too used UKVCAS and am waiting. HO says it can take up to 6 months!

ukvcas applications from 16th nov to 21 nov are stuck in syestem as we fone home ofice yesterday and got info

Konsog · Post by **Konsog** » Thu Jan 17, 2019 10:00 am

Dave12560 wrote: ↑
Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:46 am

jafarkuku wrote: ↑
Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:38 am
Jesus, can everyone just calm down and understand that your applications are being processed. No need for the panic. I too used UKVCAS and am waiting. HO says it can take up to 6 months!
ukvcas applications from 16th nov to 21 nov are stuck in syestem as we fone home ofice yesterday and got info

What do you mean? You called the HO and they provided you with information about the way their system is running?

rpaw · Post by **rpaw** » Thu Jan 17, 2019 10:06 am

ukvcas applications from 16th nov to 21 nov are stuck in syestem as we fone home ofice yesterday and got info

stuck in system, any more details?

jafarkuku · Post by **jafarkuku** » Thu Jan 17, 2019 10:07 am

Dave12560 wrote: ↑
Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:46 am

jafarkuku wrote: ↑
Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:38 am
Jesus, can everyone just calm down and understand that your applications are being processed. No need for the panic. I too used UKVCAS and am waiting. HO says it can take up to 6 months!
ukvcas applications from 16th nov to 21 nov are stuck in syestem as we fone home ofice yesterday and got info

Im not even going to reply to you. All you do on this forum is cause unnecessary panic. I just hope people are wise enough to see through your tactics.

Immigrationboards.com: Immigration, work visa and work permit discussion board

Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications

Re: Experiences using new UKVCAS for naturalisation/citizenship applications