UKM applicants for BC--what is "too long" a wait from UKBA?

[elizadoo]

Question of those who have been there, done that, as I can't see a thread on this particular subject:

What is considered a "long" wait to hear back from the UKBA for those of us UKM applicants?

US citizen born 1961
Acknowledgment received: 23 February 2015
Payment by cc debited: 26 February 2015

Mine is a very clear cut case. I'm a 54 year-old female US citizen born of a British mother, born and raised in England. She married my father, US serviceman, in 1959 and moved to the USA with me while pregnant, I was born in the USA shortly thereafter.

In my application packet I included my mother's TWO original British passports, one with her maiden name, one when she was married, I included her original birth certificate, my own passport and birth certificates, perfect letters of referee, no legal/criminal issues, I'm now retired and married to a retired attorney. As boring as boring can be.

Should I be concerned? I see others who are receiving their approval back in THREE weeks, and for me it's going on almost 6 months. Who should I call, if anyone?

I've got overseas trips planned in October and November and I will need the return of my US passport.

[lijogrg444]

you can ask for return of your passport without cancelling application

[mavdi]

You should ask for your passport back, it won't affect the outcome.

https://eforms.homeoffice.gov.uk/outrea ... ments.ofml

Make sure you select NO in "Do you want to withdraw the application?"

I say you should because doing so might just shake up your application a bit and get your results sooner now that it has been 6 months. It might be just a coincidence but I received my approval two weeks after I asked for my documents.

[elizadoo]

Thank you both. I will DEFINITELY request my passport be returned to me as I have other international travel planned!

I think these cases sit in a pile on someone's desk and are not attended to unless a gentle nudge nudge wink wink (such as a request for a return of passport) brings the file to the top of pile.

[lijogrg444]

If its more than 6 months , ask your MP to send a letter. Even though it has no official power, there is a chance that you could come to the top of similar pending applications . Good luck .

Thank you both. I will DEFINITELY request my passport be returned to me as I have other international travel planned!

I think these cases sit in a pile on someone's desk and are not attended to unless a gentle nudge nudge wink wink (such as a request for a return of passport) brings the file to the top of pile.

[Cloverbea]

Eliza,

Have you been notified to do your biometrics yet? The reason I am asking is that in another thread, another poster has been notified that there are no biometric centres for him to do his enrolment in the USA and I am wondering if this is why your application is taking so long. My husband just applied via UKM on September 1 from the US and I'm wondering if we're going to have the same issue. I'm looking for someone who was successful from the USA in getting their UKM approved, biometrics and all!

[mikeg333]

Eliza,

Have you been notified to do your biometrics yet? The reason I am asking is that in another thread, another poster has been notified that there are no biometric centres for him to do his enrolment in the USA and I am wondering if this is why your application is taking so long. My husband just applied via UKM on September 1 from the US and I'm wondering if we're going to have the same issue. I'm looking for someone who was successful from the USA in getting their UKM approved, biometrics and all!

I also applied using UKM from the US. I applied back in April. I'm still waiting for a decision but was never sent any biometics invitation letter like applicants in the UK are receiving. I contacted the HO regarding this and they said to wait for my application decision which can take up to 6 months. I have about 1 month left before the 6 month mark. I haven't seen anyone applying from the US who had to do biometrics so maybe its just UK applicants that need to do this?

[Cloverbea]

Mike we all have to do biometrics.

My hubby applied from the US on Sept.1, received in Liverpool Sept. 3 and fees were taken on Sept. 11.
That is super fast from everything I've been reading and a couple of other people who have applied months before us like April and May are just now having their fees debited, so I'm hoping this is the process being finished for all of us!

[mikeg333]

Mike we all have to do biometrics.

My hubby applied from the US on Sept.1, received in Liverpool Sept. 3 and fees were taken on Sept. 11.
That is super fast from everything I've been reading and a couple of other people who have applied months before us like April and May are just now having their fees debited, so I'm hoping this is the process being finished for all of us!

Now being told the US applicants aren't required to do biometrics if you applied before the official roll out date which was in May. They said my application made it before the deadline for rollout which was in May.

Fast debit of fees I don't think means the application will be looked at faster. I applied April 10th, received by HO on April 14th and my fees were taken out April 22nd. Its now September and still waiting. Looks like 5-6 months is what they are taking for most applications.

[elizababa]

I received a letter from the Home Office today stating that there is a delay in implementing the necessary technical infrastructure to enable the US and the UK systems to communicate biometrics information, and that I would receive a written update no later than January 2016.

Eligibility Criteria: UKM
Nationality: USA
Method of Application: Fedex International Priority USA to UKVI Liverpool
Date of Sending Application: 02-OCT-2015
Date of Application Delivery: 05-OCT-2015
Date of Debit of Fees: 09-OCT-2015
Date of Acknowledgement by Home Office: 05-NOV-2015 (biometrics delay letter)
Date of Receipt of Approval: Waiting
Date of Ceremony: Waiting

[Cloverbea]

Eligibility Criteria: UKM
Nationality: USA
Method of Application: UPS 2Day Global Delivery
Date of Sending Application: 01/09/15
Date of Application Delivery: 03/09/15
Date of Debit of Fees: 11/09/15
Date of Acknowledgement by Home Office: Nothing.....
Date of Receipt of Approval: Waiting
Date of Ceremony: Waiting

Hubby is the applicant, but we haven't received anything from the Home Office, nothing about biometrics in October or January.....thinking of calling the MP in the county his parent(and where we'll be living) to see if I can get something rolling...I know its only been two months, but our plan was to move to England in March having given it plenty of time for the 6 months Home Office said it would take. Another option is to send hubby to England where he could walk into any post office and register those stupid biometrics...but then we'd have to get his passport back :\ ....something else I just thought of, applying for a second passport for hubby and letting him go to Canada or the UK and get it done....this is getting crazy. They offer you the option of going to Canada or Mexico, yet they have your passport

[SK413]

Eligibility criteria: UKM
Nationality: Barbadian
Method of application: FedEx International Priority
Date of application: 27/10/2015
Payment method: Credit Card
Date of receipt by UKBA: 29/10/2015
Date of acknowledgement : Acknowledgement letter received by post on 17/11/2015
Date money gone off account: 2/11/2015
Date of letter requesting biometrics: Received by post on 17/11/2015
Biometrics done: Yes. 18/11/2015
Date of approval : Waiting
Date of ceremony :Waiting
Date applied for passports :
Date passports received :

Summary of biometrics enrolment. Might be helpful for someone and also info for mods.

Biometrics enrolment letter explains how to book appointment via website www.vfsglobal.co.uk/Global/
Biometrics for Barbados and other Caribbean Islands are done at Hilton Hotel. Appointments are twice a month and the dates of every month of the year are fixed and listed on website. Other visa applicants are given date and time for appointment. Two employees from the British High Commission in Jamaica comes to Barbados and sets up for biometrics. It's called Temporary Enrolment Location (TEL).
The website has its challenges. After setting up my account and paying the £10.00 fee (there is a list for countries that have to pay) for some strange reason I could not get my receipt printed as I kept getting the message "There are no records found for given reference number." In my haste to get my receipt and also not miss my booking for 18/11/2015 I tried reprinting and unfortunately payment went through 5 times. I took a screen shot print out of payment and took that with me.
I went for my biometrics today, (my name was not on the list for todays appointments but the lady said its not an issue as mine is UKM and there is no appointment for this and the biometrics enrolment letter is ok. I stressed out myself unnecessary over receipt ) I presented my biometrics enrolment letter and explain the issue of receipt and presented print out of screen shot of payment. I was told all is well, I was called in second and biometrics was done. I must say, the two ladies where very professional and courteous. They explained how I can get my refund and they said that the website is having challenges.

Now it's wait. One thing I learnt very quickly in all of this is, don't panic and stress yourself out.
Cheers.

[CR001]

Eligibility criteria: UKM
Nationality: Barbadian
Method of application: FedEx International Priority
Date of application: 27/10/2015
Payment method: Credit Card
Date of receipt by UKBA: 29/10/2015
Date of acknowledgement : Acknowledgement letter received by post on 17/11/2015
Date money gone off account: 2/11/2015
Date of letter requesting biometrics: Received by post on 17/11/2015
Biometrics done: Yes. 18/11/2015
Date of approval : Waiting
Date of ceremony :Waiting
Date applied for passports :
Date passports received :

Summary of biometrics enrolment. Might be helpful for someone and also info for mods.

Biometrics enrolment letter explains how to book appointment via website http://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/Global/
Biometrics for Barbados and other Caribbean Islands are done at Hilton Hotel. Appointments are twice a month and the dates of every month of the year are fixed and listed on website. Other visa applicants are given date and time for appointment. Two employees from the British High Commission in Jamaica comes to Barbados and sets up for biometrics. It's called Temporary Enrolment Location (TEL).
The website has its challenges. After setting up my account and paying the £10.00 fee (there is a list for countries that have to pay) for some strange reason I could not get my receipt printed as I kept getting the message "There are no records found for given reference number." In my haste to get my receipt and also not miss my booking for 18/11/2015 I tried reprinting and unfortunately payment went through 5 times. I took a screen shot print out of payment and took that with me.
I went for my biometrics today, (my name was not on the list for todays appointments but the lady said its not an issue as mine is UKM and there is no appointment for this and the biometrics enrolment letter is ok. I stressed out myself unnecessary over receipt ) I presented my biometrics enrolment letter and explain the issue of receipt and presented print out of screen shot of payment. I was told all is well, I was called in second and biometrics was done. I must say, the two ladies where very professional and courteous. They explained how I can get my refund and they said that the website is having challenges.

Now it's wait. One thing I learnt very quickly in all of this is, don't panic and stress yourself out.
Cheers.

Glad all went well

[SK413]

Thanks. Appreciate it.

[bfrenchfry]

Eligibility Criteria: UKM
Nationality: USA
Method of Application: UPS 2Day Global Delivery
Date of Sending Application: 01/09/15
Date of Application Delivery: 03/09/15
Date of Debit of Fees: 11/09/15
Date of Acknowledgement by Home Office: Nothing.....
Date of Receipt of Approval: Waiting
Date of Ceremony: Waiting

Hubby is the applicant, but we haven't received anything from the Home Office, nothing about biometrics in October or January.....thinking of calling the MP in the county his parent(and where we'll be living) to see if I can get something rolling...I know its only been two months, but our plan was to move to England in March having given it plenty of time for the 6 months Home Office said it would take. Another option is to send hubby to England where he could walk into any post office and register those stupid biometrics...but then we'd have to get his passport back :\ ....something else I just thought of, applying for a second passport for hubby and letting him go to Canada or the UK and get it done....this is getting crazy. They offer you the option of going to Canada or Mexico, yet they have your passport

The letter saying you can go abroad while they have your passport is just icing on the stupidity cake. You can't just walk into any place because the biometric enrolment, because as I understand it, the letter they send you has barcode information that links back to the UK and your application specifically. 3 weeks ago I contacted the email address their letter gave me to contact should I not be able to wait until next year to hear about centers finally opening in the US. I told them I'd go to Canada like they offered, but I need the letter, and yet still no response from them...

[SK413]

Eligibility Criteria: UKM
Nationality: USA
Method of Application: UPS 2Day Global Delivery
Date of Sending Application: 01/09/15
Date of Application Delivery: 03/09/15
Date of Debit of Fees: 11/09/15
Date of Acknowledgement by Home Office: Nothing.....
Date of Receipt of Approval: Waiting
Date of Ceremony: Waiting

Hubby is the applicant, but we haven't received anything from the Home Office, nothing about biometrics in October or January.....thinking of calling the MP in the county his parent(and where we'll be living) to see if I can get something rolling...I know its only been two months, but our plan was to move to England in March having given it plenty of time for the 6 months Home Office said it would take. Another option is to send hubby to England where he could walk into any post office and register those stupid biometrics...but then we'd have to get his passport back :\ ....something else I just thought of, applying for a second passport for hubby and letting him go to Canada or the UK and get it done....this is getting crazy. They offer you the option of going to Canada or Mexico, yet they have your passport

The letter saying you can go abroad while they have your passport is just icing on the stupidity cake. You can't just walk into any place because the biometric enrolment, because as I understand it, the letter they send you has barcode information that links back to the UK and your application specifically. 3 weeks ago I contacted the email address their letter gave me to contact should I not be able to wait until next year to hear about centers finally opening in the US. I told them I'd go to Canada like they offered, but I need the letter, and yet still no response from them...

Hi bfrenchfry.
You are correct.
There is the biometrics enrolment letter which has applicants name and Enrolment reference number and explanation of how to make appointment and another letter which has applicant's passport number, case reference number and name. This is the one that has the barcode. Without this letter there is no chance of having biometrics done.

[elizababa]

In response to my e-mail sent back on November 6th for more information about how to make an appointment in Canada or Mexico, I received this unhelpful e-mail from the Home Office today:

Thank you for contacting the Home Office.

We are able to arrange you submit your biometrics in another country ie Canada, Mexico etc

At present we are unable to give a definitive answer to when we expect enrolment to be able to take place in the US. This delay will not affect your application.

Thanks

Sean

Sean Heyes EO
Data Processing Team (DPT) & PM Exceptions / Biometrics Team
European Casework
Permanent Migration
UK Visas and Immigration

[elizababa]

An update on my UKM timelines so far:

Eligibility Criteria: UKM
Nationality: USA
Method of Application: Fedex International Priority USA to UKVI Liverpool
Date of Sending Application: 02-OCT-2015
Date of Application Delivery: 05-OCT-2015
Date of Debit of Fees: 09-OCT-2015
Date of Acknowledgement by Home Office: 28-OCT-2015 (biometrics delay letter)
Date of Letter Requesting Biometrics: 21-NOV-2015
Biometrics Done: 15-DEC-2015 (scheduled in Canada, and told that data take up to 7 days thereafter to be received by the Home Office)
Date of Receipt of Approval: Waiting
Date of Ceremony: Waiting

[elizababa]

I just completed my biometrics appointment in Vancouver for UKM. I arrived about 15 minutes early to an office on the 20th floor of the Oceanic Plaza building. I was surprised at what a lovely office it is - not all all what I was expecting. It was more like a well-appointed attorney's office than any kind of public government office. They took me in right away, I was the only one there for a biometrics appointment, and I was out in about 25 minutes. The guy there helping me said that biometrics data is transmitted to the Home Office instantly. For those that are uninterested in taking a trip from the US to Canada or Mexico for biometrics, I was told today that the US *should* have the capability by the end of February 2016.

Now I wait for the claim approval and ceremony letter...

[SK413]

Hi to all.
Just received the brown envelope. I heard the postman come into our yard (heard the motorcycle engine) but instead of putting the post in the postbox he was knocking on the door. I answered and he said I have recorded mail for Mr. ****.**** to sign for. I saw the long brown envelope and knew straight away that that was it. Was shocked as I was expecting 6 months to pass as I received letter from HO saying case has complex issues which will take six months.

I was actually doubting the positive outcome because its only been 2 months. Letter stated that my application is successful. I'm totally happy at the moment.

Just for info. My mum has never had a birth certificate, (born in India in the 50's and never got one). I sent my mum's British Registration Certificate, a notarised copy of her present British passport and her previous expired British Passports including the old blue one. I sent a cover letter explaining why my mum doesn't have a birth certificate. Everything has worked out really well. The complete process has taken 2 months.
Awaiting word from British consulate now for my ceremony..

All the best to all those Waiting..

[Cloverbea]

Eliza,

As you are in the US, did you request your Passport back from Liverpool? I am trying to get my hubby into Canada for his biometrics and besides reporting his passport as lost/stolen and getting a new passport i'm not sure how to go about everything.....

[elizababa]

Congrats on the outcome, and thank you for the update! I hope to be able to report the same here soon.
Cheers!

[Sandra Arhangel]

Hi All,

I am working through a company in Cape Town South Africa to obtain British Citizenship and a British Passport. I submitted a UKM application as part one of my application and was told to submit with this application, my parents marriage certificate, my mothers full British Birth certificate as well as my full birth certificate and South African passport. I am applying through my mother as she is a British Citizen and I was born before 1983. My question is I have read a lot of forums about other peoples experiences once applying and I am rather concerned that I have not submitted the correct information. The company assures me that I have but it has been 5 months. Since; I have only received the birth certificates and passport back but did have my Biometric Enrolment done on the 2 November 2015. Should I be concerned?

Timeline: Eligibility criteria: UKM (decent by Mum, and born before 1983)
Method of application: Through a company in Cape Town South Africa
Date of sent to Liverpool office: 1 September 2015
Date of receipt by UK Liverpool HO: 03/09/2015
Date of debit of fees: not sure as the funds were taken from comany but they confirmed it was taken
Date of receipt of acknowledgement: Never received anything
Date of Biometric Enrollment: Received a letter dated 5 October 15 and had the (B/E) done 2 November 2015
Date of receipt of approval: Waiting
Date of Ceremony: Waiting

[Antsmall]

The VFS Global appointment system doesn't seem to work.

I am a UKF applicant (same as UKM but through fathers) and I applied in May, so now I have been waiting an incredible eight months even though my application is astoundingly straightforward and I provided more than the documentation they required.

Yesterday, nearly two months after requesting it, I received (by email) the letter to have my biometrics done in Vancouver. (I live in the USA and in October I received a letter giving me the option of having my biometrics done in Canada or Mexico because biometric centres aren't yet available in the USA even though they've had since April to sort out this non-rocket-science issue which every other country has now solved). In a state of near-ecstasy, I performed all the procedures required by the VFS Global website, including paying their ten-pound fee. But when I chose 'schedule an appointment' from the page containing all my information, including my full name, my UKN number and the acknowledgement of my fee, I only saw a page called 'Applicant List' containing no clickable links (except one which goes back to their home page) and the single sentence "Either Appointment details are not found or appointment has already taken, please check with rescheduling appointment" (the atrocious grammar and punctuation are in the original - I would never perpetrate such linguistic horrors).

I stayed up until 6:30 in the morning trying to solve this problem in various ways, but to no avail. These people are obsessed with automating everything, but they also specialise in having the automation done by people who don't know how to do it. Then they remove all possibility of talking to an actual person because, hey, it's all automated. All 'contact me' things lead back to the website as if it were a panacaea for curing all ailments caused by... the website. Obviously the Vancouver visa centre, in common with all the visa centres in Canada (and perhaps elsewhere) as far as I can see, provides no phone number or even an email address.

What to do? I have printed out the biometrics letter and the receipt for the ten-pound biometric appointment fee (which at present represents merely a donation of ten quid to the estimable VFS Global for services not rendered) as well as a covering letter explaining the situation, and I shall almost certainly send these by post (unless of course I manage to set an appointment on Monday because somehow their automated magic doesn't work during weekends - see how tenaciously I manufacture probably unjustifiable hopes to keep myself nominally sane after being tormented so long by these reprehensible automata). However, I fully expect them to ignore my letter.

Can I simply turn up (in Canada - reaching which is by no means free) with my biometric letter and receipt, explaining that the online appointment centre is kaput, has joined the choir invisible, has ceased to be, has joined the majority, and is in point of fact an ex online appointment centre?

I was hoping to go there on Monday the 18th of January because it is a holiday in the USA and consequently I wouldn't have to take one of my precious days off work for this.

Any help you may be able to give will be much appreciated.

[mbianco21]

OMG!!! Maybe things are starting to move at the Home office. I received my approval letter. Looks like it is about 6 months exactly. Everyone hang in there and let me know if you all have any questions about my case, I'll be happy to share.

USA citizen, living in Arizona. Born 1971 in USA to British born mother and American father.

Timeline:
UKM application submitted: July 8th, 2015
Application acknowledgement: August 25, 2015
Biometric delay letter #1 received: August 25, 2015
Biometric delay letter #2 received: Nov 6, 2015
Sent request for biometric appointment in Vancouver on Nov 7, 2015.
Received Biometric appointment letter for appointment in Vancouver November 21, 2015
Completed Biometric appointment November 24, 2015 in Vancouver
Received UKM approval letter from Home office January 11, 2015
Ceremony invitation (letter says I'll be notified in two weeks): TBD