Adam17 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 04, 2020 11:04 pm
ajitu92 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 04, 2020 10:53 pm
There is no more
IDV. Once you submit your application, click on the link on the "further steps" page. Create your UKVCAS account,
log in and start looking for appointments. Make sure you check all the centres
in the UK. New appointments are released at 12am every day, when one extra day becomes available (28th day from the current date) on a rolling basis. Also upload your documents up to 48 hours before your appointment and make use of the self-submission feature once you have uploaded all your supporting documents. Make sure to click submit at the very end as you can only submit ONCE.
Thanks very much for the detailed answer, super helpful!
One last thing, does it mean that if i book an appointment 28 days from the current date, my application will not be assigned to a CW until then, meaning that i will have to wait 4 weeks, plus the time the CW will take to process the application, so i could be looking at at least 5 weeks waiting time

that's just great, considering that i got my hopes high when i saw ppl here reporting a decision within 2-3 weeks, but i guess they got lucky with getting an earlier appointment right?
UKVCAS are saying "Over the next few weeks, we are introducing more free and chargeable appointments across most of our Core sites so it will be easier for you to find an appointment at a time and date to suit you." not sure how far "next few weeks" is though.
No worries, glad I could help!
So essentially, it is the date that you submit your application and pay that is of utmost importance. The UKVCAS website does say that the date of registration with UKVI/UKVCAS, matters
in terms of processing order (i.e. when your application will be picked up by the Home Office) but it is still quite unclear as to how exactly that works/affects the process. There has been some anecdotal evidence on this forum that UKVI was "pre assessing" applications
in the previous lockdown as UKVCAS centres were shut (hence the introduction and usefulness of the "Submit to UKVI" button for the supporting documents) but it is unclear whether they are still doing so (extremely unlucky given UKVCAS is back to normal operations).
What is certain though, is that your decision cannot be made until biometrics are verified. So generally speaking, yes, the later your appointment, the longer it will take (overall) for your decision to come through. So your latest assumption (at least 5 weeks on the basis of a biometric appointment being done 4 weeks from tomorrow) is correct.
All my posts are my personal opinion based on my reading of the immigration rules and guidance. NOT to be taken as professional/legal advice.