UK Marriage and Family Visa Applications – change to visa decision waiting time

[Tony M]

This received from UKVI/Home Office today.  Six months processing time for UK settlement visas :

 

 

We are writing to inform you that due to the humanitarian crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine, UKVI is prioritising Ukraine Visa Scheme applications. This means that customers applying for other routes will experience some delays in the processing of their application. We have therefore made the decision to temporarily amend our Marriage and Family service standard to 24 weeks, from our usual service standard for this route of 12 weeks. This means you should get a decision within 24 weeks (120 working days) from the date you attended the Visa Application Centre to give your biometrics, rather than 12 weeks.   We are working to reduce the current processing time as quickly as possible and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. Where there are extremely compassionate or compelling circumstances (for example, a medical emergency), we may consider expediting specific cases. However, the bar for this is high and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. If your request is exceptionally urgent you can contact https://www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-outside-uk for help. Please note that this is a chargeable service for overseas customers.   For all other customers you will be contacted when a decision has been made and your passport is ready for collection at the Visa Application Centre.

[theoldgit]

Thanks Tony M, I'd noticed that they've updated their guidance page for visa decision waiting time, as you say, citing the Ukrain excuse, which also doesn't seem to be doing too well.
There are more processing times on their guidance site for other classes of application.

 

Join family in the UK

You should get a decision within 24 weeks once you attend your appointment at the visa application centre to, if you are applying to settle in the UK as the spouse, partner or family member of someone who has British citizenship or is settled in the UK.

 

Visit the UK

Standard visitor visa applications are currently taking on average 6 weeks to process. We are working hard to process applications to get back to the 3-week service standard.

 

Travelling through the UK

Transit visa applications are currently taking on average 6 weeks to process. We are working hard to process applications to get back to the 3-week service standard.

 

visa-decision-waiting-times-applications-outside-the-UK

[BlueScouse]

My niece works for the Immigration dept in Liverpool. She is working from home, 2 days a week in the office in Bootle. Was told she and the others had to now go to the Liverpool office, far easier to get to, 5 days a week. Complaints to the union followed and now still only does 2 days a week in the office. In Bootle.

She was doing the Hong Kong visa applications, now changed to European visas.

She has a quota to do. She says she can finish her daily quota by 11am. I suggested she should do more to help clear the big backlog of cases. No, she replied, if they did more than their quota then it would be expected of them all the time.

[isnakebite]

Hi. My wife submitted for her first visa to live with me 23rd June.

 

Over a year later from the OP, the GOV website still says it will take up to 24 weeks for a partner/spouse visa.

 

On Friday (21/07) we received an email from the "UK Decision Making Office" confirming it was received and being prepared for review. Effectively it was a reminder that we had 5 working days to submit any support documents.

 

Having never received this email before, does this mean that we have finally had some good luck and that we can expect a decision within a reasonable time after the 5 days (28/7) or does it simply mean it's moved along in the process and we may still have to wait another 20 weeks?

 

As always, thanks in advance.

 

[Tony M]

It seems to be, just, as you say, a reminder that you can submit further documents. I suspect, however, that you will get a decision well within the 2 weeks.

[MyThai1]

We applied 2nd August and had an email yesterday, 11th August, saying they'd received my wife's passport and it was on its way by courier. 9 days excellent turn around,  fingers crossed.

[theoldgit]

3 hours ago, MyThai1 said:

We applied 2nd August and had an email yesterday, 11th August, saying they'd received my wife's passport and it was on its way by courier. 9 days excellent turn around,  fingers crossed.

For settlement?

[MyThai1]

16 hours ago, theoldgit said:

For settlement?

No sorry should have said, 2yr visit, got it anyway ????.

[theoldgit]

7 hours ago, MyThai1 said:

No sorry should have said, 2yr visit, got it anyway ????.

This thread is about Settlement Visas, l needed to clarify to prevent false hopes.