OLD FLR(M) waiting times Thread

[waitwaitwait]

Aus25

I'm just curious to know if you have had any news yet?

Your timeline was on par with a few on here that have received their BRP.

Fill us in.

Hi Skonky

Thanks for asking. I am pleased to report that Friday afternoon, 4:45pm, I received an email from my immigration lawyer stating that he had received my BRP! I have been quietly celebrating with my partner all weekend. I'm not properly celebrating until I have our passports, the evidence pack, and the elusive BRP in my hands, which I hope will be this week. I've been let down so much by this process that I now can't trust anything! I'll update my timeline once I have received everything.

Anyone that used a lawyer/solicitor - did they also send the evidence pack to them, or just the BRP? I'm not sure what to expect from whom.

Just for the record - I didn't end up contacting UKBA to request anything back or to hurry them. I think ID29 was right - it doesn't help.

My wait has been just under 5 months. My heart aches for those waiting much, much longer.

Hey,

Congratulations. Well your solicitor will receive everything. BRP which would have been sent by DX courier and your file (passports and all the supporting documents including a letter from UKBA confirming it) which is sent via royal mail.

I used a solicitor and she emailed me after she received both the things as they are sent separately.

Enjoy the moment

I waited from 8feb to 22oct to get mine.

[backagain]

We have said for a while that all the actions we have taken to try to get our visa seen by a caseworker is of no avail. We didn't say a word to UKBA until I reached the dreaded six month mark in September. Up until that time there seemed to be a delay on everybody's progress which was blamed on the Olympics wave.

Since then, we have tried countless methods of jarring an accurate and verifiable response from any government official regarding the delay of processing applications from Feb - May 2012. As far as we can tell, none of those methods have worked. The only approach we have not taken is going to the media.

That being said, I can tell all of our fellow applicants waiting since Feb - May that we have ascertained a few observations:

1. The system failure of 3 May could be the biggest problem we (Pre-May 3 applicants) all face. Something happened at UKBA that tossed us into some kind of bureaucratic/logistical black hole.

2. The UKBA has received a lot of pressure to perform from the HASC and the Home Office. We believe that is why post May applications are being processed out of date-received order. Q1-Q2 applications are so far behind the UKBA processing standard, that the agency will never catch up that stat so they have abandoned the effort to try.

3. The Temporary Migration Team (TMT) access to files is being handled for expediency not first-in/first-out. What I've discovered through research is that our files likely go into boxes in a storage facility. The amount of files are approximately 300,000. Imagine a system of 300,000 files that are not tracked by barcode or other system identifiers. Just a name in a system with a few details and hard copy documents filed in a folder someplace in a warehouse. The TMT workers are going for (shudder) the easiest ones to find. At the moment that appears to be applications from July.

4. The old adage that the squeaky wheel gets the grease is true here as well. Unless Feb - May (esp) applicants make some noise, this bureaucratic machine will ignore you indefinitely. Will it make a difference? I don't know. But if we don't do something, I can guarantee you....nobody else will.

[Paragraph removed as it was deemed as combative]

[Paragraph removed for sake of less conflict...don't need more stress]

[Still.Waiting]

Hello everybody!

Finally, after almost 7 month of waiting, I've got the great news this week!

Tamuna

Congrates Tamuan, can you please tell me if you had contacted your MP and if UKBA requested additional docs from you??

Thanks

[mishfitt]

FLR(M) posted: 7/9/12
Receipt: 14/9/12
Biometrics letter: 1.12.12
Biometrics submitted: 5.12.12
Passport/Docs:
Biometric Card:
Visa Type : FLR(M) Spouse
Visa From: P

...getting there!

[auzaman]

We have said for a while that all the actions we have taken to try to get our visa seen by a caseworker is of no avail. We didn't say a word to UKBA until I reached the dreaded six month mark in September. Up until that time there seemed to be a delay on everybody's progress which was blamed on the Olympics wave.

Since then, we have tried countless methods of jarring an accurate and verifiable response from any government official regarding the delay of processing applications from Feb - May 2012. As far as we can tell, none of those methods have worked. The only approach we have not taken is going to the media.

That being said, I can tell all of our fellow applicants waiting since Feb - May that we have ascertained a few observations:

1. The system failure of 3 May could be the biggest problem we (Pre-May 3 applicants) all face. Something happened at UKBA that tossed us into some kind of bureaucratic/logistical black hole.

2. The UKBA has received a lot of pressure to perform from the HASC and the Home Office. We believe that is why post May applications are being processed out of date-received order. Q1-Q2 applications are so far behind the UKBA processing standard, that the agency will never catch up that stat so they have abandoned the effort to try.

3. The Temporary Migration Team (TMT) access to files is being handled for expediency not first-in/first-out. What I've discovered through research is that our files likely go into boxes in a storage facility. The amount of files are approximately 300,000. Imagine a system of 300,000 files that are not tracked by barcode or other system identifiers. Just a name in a system with a few details and hard copy documents filed in a folder someplace in a warehouse. The TMT workers are going for (shudder) the easiest ones to find. At the moment that appears to be applications from July.

4. The old adage that the squeaky wheel gets the grease is true here as well. Unless Feb - May (esp) applicants make some noise, this bureaucratic machine will ignore you indefinitely. Will it make a difference? I don't know. But if we don't do something, I can guarantee you....nobody else will.

Besides now being in my ninth month of waiting, I know one day I'll have to apply again for an ILR. Many, if not all, of you will be doing the same in two years. For those lucky July and forward applicants that have recieved your visas. you may sadly be on the receiving end of neglect by UKBA. While you may be free to work, volunteer, travel, see loved ones, attend weddings, have two incomes, and be on the path to Oz....many of us still suffer under the UKBA neglect.

Your voice is all the more needed to create awareness. Those of us frozen in life because of this system are either too afraid or cautious to do anything that brings public awareness because of the fear of its impact on our visa status. YOU are not now. Please help us.

--
backagain I wil let you know if I hear anything from UKBA. Have you complained to UKBA complaint department? I did complain but nothing happened. I received a letter from them saying we cannot do much and that I should wait for my turn. This is complete non-sense as there are people who applied after me and their application is already sorted.

[luckyjinx]

Besides now being in my ninth month of waiting, I know one day I'll have to apply again for an ILR. Many, if not all, of you will be doing the same in two years. For those lucky July and forward applicants that have recieved your visas. you may sadly be on the receiving end of neglect by UKBA. While you may be free to work, volunteer, travel, see loved ones, attend weddings, have two incomes, and be on the path to Oz....many of us still suffer under the UKBA neglect.

Your voice is all the more needed to create awareness. Those of us frozen in life because of this system are either too afraid or cautious to do anything that brings public awareness because of the fear of its impact on our visa status. YOU are not now. Please help us.

Believe me, I'm sure every June/July or later applicant is entirely sympathetic to those waiting longer, even while we have our anxieties about our applications. It's not our fault if they are trying to reduce the backlog by taking applications out of order, and anyone even slightly clever has realised by now that our ILR applications are going to be equally as hellish if we don't do something about it now. I personally have written John Vine, the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, to let him know of my situation and also that there are people who have been waiting 6-10 months for resolution, so that he can be sure to focus on this topic when he investigates marriage-based visa applications in Spring 2013. I have also written my MP and written a response to The Guardian to thank them for highlighting so many stories about the UKBA lately. Trust me, we're not all sitting back doing nothing, and if I get my visa before an earlier applicant I will feel equal parts happiness and guilt.

If you post contact details for HSAC, I will be happy to write to them too.

There's also this: if you're "too afraid or too cautious to do anything that brings public awareness" - why should those who have applied later do anything? We all must stand up for ourselves and each other.

Maybe I'm understanding you incorrectly, and sorry if I am, but please let's not make this a "Q1/Q2 versus July applicants" thing - we're all in it together and I'm sure we all know that our fates are in the fickle, disorganised hands of the UKBA. There are some July applicants who are just getting biometrics letters after 3-5 months - can you imagine what they're thinking of their wait time prospects, when people earlier in the year could expect a biometric letter after 2-4 weeks? I don't blame anyone for having negative feelings about later applicants being processed faster, but like I said, that's up to the UKBA, not us.

[backagain]

backagain I wil let you know if I hear anything from UKBA. Have you complained to UKBA complaint department? I did complain but nothing happened. I received a letter from them saying we cannot do much and that I should wait for my turn. This is complete non-sense as there are people who applied after me and their application is already sorted.

Oops. Forgot that series of correspondence Auzaman. I've copied UKBA complaints on all my ministry (is that the right word for UK government) correspondence and sent them four letters of complaint directly. Not one of them has received a response from UKBA. In order here we go:

1. 21 Oct UKBA FLR(M) Processing Times

2. 19 Nov Clarification for use of wife's former name

3. 27 Nov UKBA FLR(M) Processing Deviations

4. 2 Dec Requested UKBA Guidance on File, Document, and Electroni Information Management

I understand that a response on 2-4 is too early, but #1 is now two weeks overdue. My only hope in all my correspondence is that I might drag out some answers. We all understand bureaucracy. We understand courteous behavior of a queue. What we don't understand is when we are lied to, deliberate lack of communication, and institutional incompetence. If we only had answers it may be a salve to the wounds we incur every day that passes where we cannot work, volunteer, and are forced to overcome the ravages of an absolutely unnecessary wait.

My timeline to convert a fiance visa to a FLR(M)

April 4, 2012 - Overnight documents to UKBA Sheffield
April 5, 2012 - Documents received
April 18, 2012 - Acknowledgement letter from UKBA
April 20, 2012 - Biometrics completed at Harlow
Sept 6, 2012 - Called UKBA at 6 month as instructed [I'll leave all the communication dates out]
____________ - Documents received
____________ - Biometric (BRP) card received

On 6 December we start our ninth month of waiting. Our one year anniversary is on 12/12/12. As of today, the UKBA have not even opened our file or assigned it to a caseworker.

[backagain]

There is a reason why I raise the issue of Q1-Q2 on a regular basis. If the UKBA can do that to us and the thousands of others in this category, they can do it to you or others in the future unless they address the issues that cause the problems. The incredible stress the UKBA places on these new marriages is unbelievable. My word, nobody can ever accuse any of us of being marriages of convenience. We love deeply and are paying a dear price to live our lives with the person whom we have chosen to be with. We have left home, friends, family, jobs, and all we know to be with the person we love. Each of us deserves the respect of honesty, protection of human right and dignity, and the right of self-determination.

That said, there is a reason or are reasons why UKBA is neglecting that group of Q1-Q2 applications and instead processing latter months. The issues have less to do with fairness as it has to do with process. It is important to know why the process is failing or has failed. Even the HASC is aware that UKBA are not giving them the truth.

The diversity of those on this forum range a globe of applicants and cultures. For some, the idea of challenging the status quo or governmental authority is indeed a deeply fearful and intimidating fact of their life experience. You, I, and others that rattle the bureaucratic cages of UKBA and the government speak for those that won't for various reasons. Once free of the chains of UKBA's psuedo-control over a life (BRP received), some of us may even be willing to go to the press, write public articles, chase down leads that expose the truth.

Congrats to all that receive their BRP, whichever month they applied.

[samestory]

backagain I wil let you know if I hear anything from UKBA. Have you complained to UKBA complaint department? I did complain but nothing happened. I received a letter from them saying we cannot do much and that I should wait for my turn. This is complete non-sense as there are people who applied after me and their application is already sorted.

On 6 December we start our ninth month of waiting. Our one year anniversary is on 12/12/12. As of today, the UKBA have not even opened our file or assigned it to a caseworker.

This is very sad to hear. I walked into this nightmare myself without realizing. Sent in my application by post, then started searching through immigration forums to have an idea of the timeline. The information I found was very shocking as I could not believe this was happening in Britain. I waited 3 months + 2 weeks for one biometric letter and only because I called them. I don't know how much more time to wait for the application to get through. 9 months will be a very long time to wait for a visa since life is stagnant during this period. Something has to be done. Without complaining to them, I think they know this is not right. Is it even legal under human rights laws to hold applications for so long knowing it would cause problems and a lack of freedom to do basic activities within the UK? They cannot try this with immigration from the European Union as they will risk being penalized. We are individuals residing here and have a right to integrate and contribute, if we want to. We should be respected, this is getting too much for me.

[mice]

Here is my time line

Applied FLR (M):28 feb 2012 from student visa
confirmation letter :9 feb 2012
biometrics :21 april 2012
more evidence requested :10 oct 2012
request for spouse passport 27 november
Decision : refused 30 th nov ,no right of appeal

After such a long wait I woke up to this bad news...its such a nightmare

[backagain]

Decision : refused 30 th nov ,no right of appeal

After such a long wait I woke up to this bad news...its such a nightmare

So saddened to read this Mice. I cannot begin to imagine the feelings that you and your spouse are experiencing. No right to appeal sounds terminal. I hope that you can find some way to appeal or at least receive instructions on how to apply again under different terms. While it may be easy to write I know it is harder to live but..."Hang in there."

[backagain]

...this is getting too much for me.

Samestory, although I cannot work or volunteer, UKBA cannot restrain my creativity or intellectual rights. I've consumed numerous business-related books and honed my business concepts to a cultural awareness that I may not have had without this delay. I've even taught myself and built a web site. If you are not doing so already, ready your mind for the long-wait by engaging in something creative, interactive, positive, and rewarding. While I find the wait frustrating at times, it is the impact it has had on my wife over the past year+ that effects me more.

Too bad we are all so spread out over this land. If we could all meet together in person, we might be able to encourage each other and do something with greater meaning.

[Still.Waiting]

Here is my time line

Applied FLR (M):28 feb 2012 from student visa
confirmation letter :9 feb 2012
biometrics :21 april 2012
more evidence requested :10 oct 2012
request for spouse passport 27 november
Decision : refused 30 th nov ,no right of appeal

After such a long wait I woke up to this bad news...its such a nightmare

So sorry to hear about your visa. Can you please share on what grounds they refused your visa?

Many thanks

[Endless wait]

Here is my time line

Applied FLR (M):28 feb 2012 from student visa
confirmation letter :9 feb 2012
biometrics :21 april 2012
more evidence requested :10 oct 2012
request for spouse passport 27 november
Decision : refused 30 th nov ,no right of appeal

After such a long wait I woke up to this bad news...its such a nightmare

Hi mice,
Feel so sad about your news...its totally an inhuman act from ukba.
Just be strong and keep the fate. What was their reason for refusing? I aplied From student visa as well. Has it got anything to do with studies, work or marriage? I think they are really being unfair to students these days.

[luckyjinx]

Believe me, I get it, and I agree (although I do think that people need to stand up for their own selves at the very least). But when you start making it sound like you assume we're all just going to merrily skip along the yellow brick road to Oz and forget about those still waiting or ignore the fact that we'll be doing this all over again for ILR, it is a bit alienating for people who haven't reached the 6+ month club yet. I'm just trying to say a stance that feels a bit less combative toward your fellow applicants might help get more people on board .

Now, again...do you have a contact person for the HSAC that you have been aiming correspondence at, so that I can write to them and add my voice as well?

[luckyjinx]

Sorry to hear about your response, mice. Best of luck to you in finding a solution.

[backagain]

Home Affairs Select Committee
Committee Chair: Rt Hon Keith Vaz
vazk@parliament.uk

[samestory]

'meche83' wat visa were u applying from? did you do yr biometrics in feb as well coz often times processing dnt start till after biometrics. was yrs a straight forward case?

Crowline, I am applying on the basises of my marriage to a British Citizen, changing from tia 4 Genaral, yes did my biometrics on 20th of March 2012, Yes it is a straight forward case.

My Solicitors has written to ukba Judicial Review Unit enclosing a form of authority for them to make a decision on the application not less than 28th working days, if their fall to make a decision on the application, we will be seeking for judicial review for non- determination of application to the High Court Human of Justice and the costs will be pay by ukba,

Hopfully things will change

yr case is fairly straight forward and so shd not take t@ long by all means. besides if they had any queries they would have contacted u by now. my workmate was in a similiar situation, she's a Jan applicant and only got her visa this month. after waiting 8months she wrote to ukba threatening further action. they contacted her and told her they have no record of her biometric enrolment, despite the fact she did it @ Kilburn post office in march. to cut the story short, she had to re-do her biometrics. she got her visa 4wks after t@.best of luck

I am also in the same situation, Applied on 24th of August and no bio matric yet. i called but they are not very helpful, Then my solicitor sent three letters last week, One to Complaint department, 2nd to my MP and 3rd to sefield office, lets hope they might send bio-met letter this week.

I would like to comment on some of the posts above. It is only meant as an advice to help with the FLR(M). Reading some of them, one would generally be amused. If any applicant writes like this to the UKBA, they will get suspicious of you, especially since you were supposed to have written TOEFL or IELTS if applicant claims they were formerly UK students.

A problem with writing in short-hand is that when you need to write serious letters such as to your MP about your FLR(M) application or to the UKBA office, you will forget and write some words in that format. Moreover, this is not a dating website and it pains the eyes to read a post and try to figure out what the poster was trying to say with too many words in short form.

When writing to the UKBA and you cannot even spell correctly words that have previously been included in a letter to you and you claim to have been a student in the UK switching to FLR(M), do you wonder why you have not heard from them? Do they believe that you were a genuine student from the way you have expressed yourself in any material sent to them? Words like 'biomatric', 'basises', 'tia 4 Genaral', 'sefield office' etc., and phrases like 'My Solicitors has written to ukba'; 'if their fall to make a decision on the application; 'We are an April applicant etc. We make mistakes because we are humans but not when there are too many in one sentence. It is best to use MS Word always when you are not sure as it corrects automatically and copy and paste where you like. Also, to use the preview button on this website. If you have problems writing, then always make sure you have someone helping you with any letters sent to the Home Office. Goodluck to all of us.

[backagain]

FLR(M) Application: 26/07/2012
Acknowledgement: 31/07/2012
Called UKBA: 08/11/2012
Biometric letter: received 09/11/2012
Biometrics Taken:12/11/2012
Documents Returned:

Just noticed that you had to wait three months for a biometrics letter. Ouch! Perhaps if UKBA allowed us letter writers an opportunity to work, we could get them caught up on a lot of their backlog. Heck, at this point I'd volunteer my services to help.

[samestory]

...this is getting too much for me.

Samestory, although I cannot work or volunteer, UKBA cannot restrain my creativity or intellectual rights. I've even taught myself and built a web site. If you are not doing so already.........

Thanks Backagain.

Yes, I did build my own website too over this time. I have a daughter who occupies me with baby talk and also trying to get my driving licence. It is getting too much for me because I need to travel, be confident to search jobs that I qualify for and stop feeling trapped like a caged animal.

[badnicki]

Hi all,
I have been waiting for my FLR(M) for ages, though definitely not as long as some of you. I am grateful to have found this board, and a community of people equally as frustrated as I am. So, here's my timeline:

Date Applied/Docs sent: 07/07/12
Date Received Ack. Letter: ??????
Date Biometrics booking letter arrived: 12/10/2012
Date Biometrics Appointment Dalston: 16/10/2012
Visa Type : FLR(M) for civil partner
Visa From: Youth Mobility visa (Tier 5)

My current visa expires next month, when I will also hit the 6-month waiting period. I am mildly comforted to see that some people who applied just before me have received their visas; congrats. Very disheartened to hear about those of you with 9+ months wait time.

I am concerned my application has been put into the "complex" pile because I am in a civil partnership, as opposed to marriage, and because it would be my 3rd visa (came here first as a student, then on Youth Mobility scheme which I am on now).

Not sure if anyone else under civil partnerships have found their wait to be longer? At any rate, good luck to all who are still waiting.
Cheers.

[samestory]

FLR(M) Application: 26/07/2012
Acknowledgement: 31/07/2012
Called UKBA: 08/11/2012
Biometric letter: received 09/11/2012
Biometrics Taken:12/11/2012
Documents Returned:

Just noticed that you had to wait three months for a biometrics letter. Ouch! Perhaps if UKBA allowed us letter writers an opportunity to work, we could get them caught up on a lot of their backlog. Heck, at this point I'd volunteer my services to help.

Yes, I think so too. Nearly 4 months. If I were to wait 9 months like some other applicants after submitting biometrics, that would make it a year devoted to getting one visa. Their visa application management is hilarious. But if you remember, we all get the same biometric letters. Only the applicant's name requires change. For each applicant-name after 9th July, one letter is typed on their system every 15 days, maybe that is why it's taken nearly 4 months these days to get one biometric letter. I'm sure Backagain, just you (working for them) can edit a thousand names and generate at least 1,000 biometric letters before the end of each day. There is something seriously wrong with the UKBA. Do you know I have even wondered why the biometric letter doesn't come along with the acknowledgement letter since every applicant needs their fingerprints taken to process the application, granted or refused. It would save on postage and time.

[backagain]

It is getting too much for me because I need to travel, be confident to search jobs that I qualify for and stop feeling trapped like a caged animal.

haha (tongue in cheek)...I should have my wife write a response. She feels exactly the same way you do and she is the one working! The only difference is that she has a blathering unemployed husband to come home to instead of talking to a baby. She is very colourful in her descriptions of UKBA. I learn a new set of British colloquialisms every time the subject of UKBA is breached. She feels like a prisoner in her own country. "Bloody right do" She is livid about what has happened to Mice.

[backagain]

I am concerned my application has been put into the "complex" pile because I am in a civil partnership, as opposed to marriage....

Badnicki, (if I may be so bold) don't be too concerned about the civil partnership question. About a month ago on the forum (I think) a June/July applicant with a civil partnership received their BRP. In that regard, the UKBA do not discriminate. Anything else is anybody's guess. From what I can tell, a file is not deemed simple or complex until it is viewed by a caseworker.

A great source of reading is the Home Affairs Select Committee reports and correspondence regarding the work of the UKBA. Take a look at some of the recent reports and correspondence. There is a lot about student visas etc.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/commi ... der-force/

[badnicki]

Badnicki, (if I may be so bold) don't be too concerned about the civil partnership question. About a month ago on the forum a (I think) a June/July applicant with a civil partnership received their BRP. In that regard, the UKBA do not discriminate. Anything else is anybody's guess. From what I can tell, a file is not deemed simple or complex until it is viewed by a caseworker.

Hope you're right, backagain! I only asked because a user on whatdotheyknow.com seemed to suggest that was the case, so wanted to hear from anyone else in a similar situation to see if they agreed.

Thankfully I'm no longer on a student visa though. I can't imagine what kind of headache that would cause!
Cheers.