Visa Timeline

[kellimba]

I'm sure would be helpful if others were given a little feedback (and hope )

by posting their experiences with the visa application timeline. Below is a suggested template to copy and use to post YOUR experiences:

Date of application:

Nationality:

Visa type:

Offshore/onshore:

Medicals submitted (yes/no):

Police check submitted (yes/no):

Date CO assigned:

Date visa granted:

[ubonjoe]

Are you asking for all countries or just one?

[Thai Chi]

I am sure this was done (tried) once before

Too many variables out there to gather, and use, any useful information that may help a new applicant, for any type of visa in regards of timeline /timeframe processing.

I believe most, if not all, Embassies have information available on the current processing time of lodged applications.

For example. My wife applied for a single entry TV to Australia in August 2006.....granted 3 days later, only it was a multi entry and good for 1 year.

The Thai wife of a good friend of mine applied for a multi entry TV to Australia the week before......granted 3 weeks later and was for a single entry only.

I have read here that some spouse visa have been granted within 2 weeks from application. Whilst others seem to run the full course of the Embassies "timeframe"

Many visa applications have been rejected first time around.......... and sometimes second time around.

Probably better for new applicants / partners of applicants to post their questions and concerns here, rather than a general poll, so that members that have had recent experience with applications can answer their queries.

[kellimba]

Are you asking for all countries or just one?

From a general point of view - to give a 'rough guide; to as many people as possible - all countries.

No 'quick snapshot'- call it a poll if you will - could ever answer ALL the millions of variables in the

beaurocratic process of visa procurement -

BUT- and I stress BUT- it is just another 'tool' to piece together MORE information that is OFTEN lacking- especially as many Government agencies including Immigration, and more specifically the 'local' Embassy doing all the initial processing and decision making- seem loathe to post "STATS" on the web or anywhere else - but rely on MEANINGLESS catchphrases to provide some sort of 'feedback':

For example ' we have many applications'...

This is not an attempt to encapsulate the "total experience" - rather, to just add another piece of the jigsaw to the information puzzle...

To put it another way: in an ideal world, EVERY office responsible for visa processing would have a comprehensive feedback regime as policy - and overseen by dedicated officials bent on promoting goodwill and excellent customer service... Yeah - in an ideal world....

[7by7]

In an ideal world I would be opening the batting for England!

However, I live in the real world.

In the real world visa offices can, and the UK does, give targets for visa processing but cannot give definite timelines as there is one major factor involved which is totally out of their control; the number of applications submitted!

Submit your application to the UK at a quiet time and you will recieve the result within days, submit it at a busy time and it can take several weeks.

As already said, most countries provide information on current processing times.

I am sure that those currently waiting for their visa would rather embassy staff got on with processing applications rather than spend their time producing meaningless 'comprehensive feedback'!

[kellimba]

I am sure this was done (tried) once before

Too many variables out there to gather, and use, any useful information that may help a new applicant, for any type of visa in regards of timeline /timeframe processing.

Probably better for new applicants / partners of applicants to post their questions and concerns here, rather than a general poll, so that members that have had recent experience with applications can answer their queries.

Thai Chi, your points are well made -

However... see further posts in reply...

[sumrit]

In an ideal world I would be opening the batting for England!

However, I live in the real world.

In the real world visa offices can, and but the UK does, give targets for visa processingcannot give definite timelines as there is one major factor involved which is totally out of their control; the number of applications submitted!

Submit your application to the UK at a quiet time and you will recieve the result within days, submit it at a busy time and it can take several weeks.

As already said, most countries provide information on current processing times.

I am sure that those currently waiting for their visa would rather embassy staff got on with processing applications rather than spend their time producing meaningless 'comprehensive feedback'!

The biggest problem with the UK system is that it doesn't really give any useful information. It only gives figures on what they processed the previous month, it doesn't say how many are outstanding at the end of each month or approximately how far behind, date wise, they are with the applications. If they did at least we would have a rough idea how long the process would take at any given time. There was a notice put on the VFS home page on the 2nd June stating because of the recent increase in applications settlement applications would currently take 12 weeks to process and that applications already submitted would be processed according to 'requested travel date' rather than the submitted date. But without knowing what 'travel' date they were working on when the notice was displayed it gives absolutely no information at all as to how long we still have to wait. Some people have been waiting more than 12 weeks already and still have no way of even guessing how far down the list they are.

I am one of those currently waiting (starting week twelve tomorrow) and, yes, I do want the Embassy staff to process the applications quickly. The feedback they currently give is virtually meaningless as it is but extra information doesn't have to be 'comprehensive' or time consuming for the Embassy staff. I don't think it would be a waste of time (or time consuming) to add just one more figure to their monthly figures 'entitled xxx applications outstanding' and I don't think it would have taken too much effort to have added 'currently working on xx date' to the VFS notice .

Neither of those additions would be 'meaningless' and both would be of great help to us when we have had no contact or information from the Embassy for three months, apart from the 'your passport has been forwarded...............' on the VFS web site.

[kellimba]

I live in the real world.

UK does, give targets for visa processing but cannot give definite timelines

Submit your application to the UK at a quiet time and you will recieve the result within days, submit it at a busy time and it can take several weeks.

most countries provide information on current processing times.

embassy staff got on with processing applications rather than spend their time producing meaningless 'comprehensive feedback'!

You have completely missed my point.

'Ideal' means exactly that.

Why is comprehensive feedback meaningless ? - unless someone is brain dead then every indication of the progress of an application must be of some benefit.

Yes there are estimated waiting periods, currently 3 months for Australian visa processing.

And most embassies do give 'estimations. Yes timelines are impossible in a general sense, as no one could accurately state the steps and possible delays BEFORE processing.

But timelines are simply ANOTHER form of feedback AFTER the event.

The 'feedback' I am talking about is NOT an estimated processing time, it is telling the applicant at what stage their application is at.

This is already practised and common among many other government agencies, companies, and NGO's throughout the world and is simply linked to the officer's PC using a login flagging program and fed in a data matching server, which correlates the file number and provides online access through the applicants PIN number.

So it is not that HARD - it is POLICY- to give or not to give.

And as for staff being tied up with 'feedback'. AS stated 99 percent can be performed 'in situ' as everything is PC based. Therefore no time 'lost' with staff occupied elesewhere.

In any case what do I get for my 2000 dollars in visa fees ? A little sticker in a passport.(tongue in cheek)

To repeat myself: An individual applicant's progress (feedback) IS possible at little cost in time and money, and is practised by other organisations already as a matter of policy.

The 'timeline' I originally proposed at the start is some feedback AFTER the event to fill in the gaps the embassies don't fill.

And to avoid having to wade through hundreds of web pages...