Sheffield Visa Section - EEA FAMILY PERMIT

[Zemyrk]

Day 28 and still waiting for my Family Permit. I am left here in Madrid, I really hope they tell me if I miss any supporting documents rather than this long wait.... ? Is this normal for my case as a child of Spanish citizens living in London? I emailed them, and no reply yet.

Try emailing them again to escalate it. If possible let your family member in the UK call them, or contact their local MP to aid them

[Zemyrk]

Hi Guys,

Please advise My husband and I, submitted our application on the 22nd of May, we received a message on the 24th of May that our application had been received and followed by:

“UKVI aims to complete all Visit and Points Based System Visa applications within 15 working days and all Settlement Visa applications within 12 weeks of the application date. If it is not possible to complete your application within this timeframe a member of our team will contact you to explain why”.


As of today, 24th September 2019, we have not received any update or correspondence at all. I paid a £5.48 fee on the 31st of July to get an update on my husband’s application. The response I received was that the application is being considered and is currently awaiting a decision. If it had taken more than 15 or 30 working days I should provide details of my husband and the application reference number. I replied back with the details asking for further information. On the 2nd of August I was advised that my case had been escalated to the relevant department and that I would be contacted within 15 working days.

At the end of the SLA period which was given to me, on the 23rd of August, I got in touch again as I hadn’t received any feedback. I received a reply on the 29th of August by a different person saying that my case had been re-escalated so should wait for an additional timeframe of 15 working days and that my patience was greatly appreciated.
I received a response stating that no further information could be provided and I was given a link to complain if I wanted to.
I contacted again on the 11th of September asking for an update as I had still not been contacted and also if we could get the passport we submitted or at least the scanned copy of the original passport for a transaction we needed to make as a matter of urgency, since we didn’t expect the application to take that long. I received a reply on the 13th stating that my case has been escalated once again and I should wait for 15 working days.

I have now submitted a formal complaint and I received an additional email saying that my concerns have been escalated and I should wait a further 15 working days!!!!

The department has published guidelines stating "as a rule EEA Family Permit should be processed in less than 4 weeks and delays of more than 4 weeks are considered unreasonable by the European Commission."
Guidance published online by your department and EC suggests that the manner in which our application has been handled is unreasonable.

Can anyone advise please, I have been reading people's comments but it doesn't look like it has taken anyone more than 4 months to get a response.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

any update on your situation Luisa

[malrad]

Hey guys! I'm still waiting a decision since August 9th. I've applied from Lisbon. Does anyone know if there is any law who says how many days they can "hold" our passport? 61 days is an unreasonable time.

[Luisa87]

any update on your situation Luisa

We were contacted to attend an interview last week, so now we are waiting for an update. Just hoping it doesn't take too long again. This wait is ridiculous

[Zemyrk]

any update on your situation Luisa

We were contacted to attend an interview last week, so now we are waiting for an update. Just hoping it doesn't take too long again. This wait is ridiculous

Wow that’s a really long wait. Sorry to hear about that. I hope you and your husband get your visa soon. 4 and a half months is way too long a wait.

[Zemyrk]

Hey guys! I'm still waiting a decision since August 9th. I've applied from Lisbon. Does anyone know if there is any law who says how many days they can "hold" our passport? 61 days is an unreasonable time.

If you haven’t received a not so straightforward mail, try contacting them to update you on your application.

[malrad]

Hey guys! I'm still waiting a decision since August 9th. I've applied from Lisbon. Does anyone know if there is any law who says how many days they can "hold" our passport? 61 days is an unreasonable time.

If you haven’t received a not so straightforward mail, try contacting them to update you on your application.

I contacted them last Thursday. The answer is always the same: " Your application still under consideration, we've escalated your case to the relevant department."

[Zemyrk]

Hey guys! I'm still waiting a decision since August 9th. I've applied from Lisbon. Does anyone know if there is any law who says how many days they can "hold" our passport? 61 days is an unreasonable time.

If you haven’t received a not so straightforward mail, try contacting them to update you on your application.

I contacted them last Thursday. The answer is always the same: " Your application still under consideration, we've escalated your case to the relevant department."

Oh wow. This is serious. Solicitor contacted them & all they said was they’re quite busy because of brexit they have to deal with a lot of applications.

Received a not so straightforward mail yesterday and I can’t begin to imagine how many days/weeks I’m going to have to wait to receive my permit.

[Afiabajan]

What’s up with not straightforward emails
Did u perhaps add a cover letter explaining the circumstances of your application?

[Zemyrk]

What’s up with not straightforward emails
Did u perhaps add a cover letter explaining the circumstances of your application?

No o, Afia, didn’t attach a cover letter. We just submitted the necessary documents they asked. They were all scanned and returned to us though. Did you submit your application in Accra? What’s your timeline.

[Hola_]

What’s up with not straightforward emails
Did u perhaps add a cover letter explaining the circumstances of your application?

No o, Afia, didn’t attach a cover letter. We just submitted the necessary documents they asked. They were all scanned and returned to us though. Did you submit your application in Accra? What’s your timeline.

I did not attach a cover letter too and I got the " not straightforward email" . Is it because of that? I emailed them and they escalated it.

[Zemyrk]

What’s up with not straightforward emails
Did u perhaps add a cover letter explaining the circumstances of your application?

No o, Afia, didn’t attach a cover letter. We just submitted the necessary documents they asked. They were all scanned and returned to us though. Did you submit your application in Accra? What’s your timeline.

I did not attach a cover letter too and I got the " not straightforward email" . Is it because of that? I emailed them and they escalated it.

Yeah I guess we've got to be a bit patient.

[Afiabajan]

Yes a cover letter is very necessary in this rush hour of brexit
They expect u to explain the circumstances before
On most trends I’ve been on
Those who receive not straight forward mails are those who don’t add cover letters
I applied first in 26th August
Got a refusal letter on 18th September
The lady didn’t scan one important document which I was refused on
New application and biometrics
8th October
And yes from Accra

[Hazani]

What was that important document that you didn’t scan?

[Afiabajan]

@hazani
Marriage certificate of my mom

[Hazani]

Ok hope you will get positive answer.
Me my application was 30 September
Biometric done 4
Hope next week I will get answer

[malrad]

Yes a cover letter is very necessary in this rush hour of brexit
They expect u to explain the circumstances before
On most trends I’ve been on
Those who receive not straight forward mails are those who don’t add cover letters
I applied first in 26th August
Got a refusal letter on 18th September
The lady didn’t scan one important document which I was refused on
New application and biometrics
8th October
And yes from Accra

I added a cover letter and got a not straightforward email

[Zemyrk]

Yes a cover letter is very necessary in this rush hour of brexit
They expect u to explain the circumstances before
On most trends I’ve been on
Those who receive not straight forward mails are those who don’t add cover letters
I applied first in 26th August
Got a refusal letter on 18th September
The lady didn’t scan one important document which I was refused on
New application and biometrics
8th October
And yes from Accra

Mine was in Accra as well. You’ll get a positive answer this time. Just hoping they process it quickly enough. The wait is quite stressful

[Northern_Lights]

Yes a cover letter is very necessary in this rush hour of brexit
They expect u to explain the circumstances before
On most trends I’ve been on
Those who receive not straight forward mails are those who don’t add cover letters
I applied first in 26th August
Got a refusal letter on 18th September
The lady didn’t scan one important document which I was refused on
New application and biometrics
8th October
And yes from Accra

Have you receieved the email from Home Office confirming "Your online application has been received at the UK Decision Making Centre.  Your application is currently being prepared for consideration by an Entry Clearance Officer."?

[Hazani]

What does that mean your mom marriage certificate? Are applying for your Mom

[Hazani]

Please help . What does this mean . Is decision is imminent thinking

Thank you for contacting UK Visas and Immigration International Contact Centre.

With regards to your enquiry about the status of your application, I can confirm that your application is being considered and is currently awaiting a decision.

[Zemyrk]

What does that mean your mom marriage certificate? Are applying for your Mom

It means she’s applying as direct family member of an EEA National

[Zemyrk]

Please help . What does this mean . Is decision is imminent thinking

Thank you for contacting UK Visas and Immigration International Contact Centre.

With regards to your enquiry about the status of your application, I can confirm that your application is being considered and is currently awaiting a decision.

Just as it’s written. It means your application is at the Decision Making Centre and they’re currently considering your application. They have not yet decided the outcome yet. I guess all you have to do is be patient.

[malrad]

What does that mean your mom marriage certificate? Are applying for your Mom

It means she’s applying as direct family member of an EEA National

I only provided my birth certificate as it have my mother's name.

[Zemyrk]

What does that mean your mom marriage certificate? Are applying for your Mom

It means she’s applying as direct family member of an EEA National

I only provided my birth certificate as it have my mother's name.

That’s really good evidence tbh. Added documentations like screenshots of WhatsApp chats also help. Other documents showing dependency like bank statements, pay slips & others are also encouraged. They help make your decision process faster.