just been looking at the waiting times for settlement visas at phnom penh and hong kong; interesting viewing really, phnom penh only had 1 settlement application to deal with and they took a full 60 days to process; while on the other hand hong kong had a similar amount to bangkok and got 50% through in just 2 days and all of them through in 30 days!! makes tough reading for people who are waiting in bkk who can only process 2% in 30 days.

any thoughts.

cheers

It could be because the Embassy in Phnom Penh doesn't process the visa application, but then neither does the Consulate in Hong Kong.

Applicants in Cambodia have to make an online application and then take the hard copy to the Embassy or Visa Application Centre, not sure which, the application is then couriered to Bangkok where the decision is made.

Applicants in Hong Kong have to apply at the Visa Application Centre and the application is forwarded to Manila for processing.

It doesn't really answer your question but it does show there are a lot of variables to consider, nothing is straightforward with the UKBA.

The (Thai) wife of a good friend of mine, in a similar situation to us, applied the day after mine. We helped each other with preparing our applications so I am very familiar with her application. They were quite worried about a few aspects such as being apart for the previous 8 months with no evidence of contact (no phone records). His wife got her visa yesterday. The difference - she applied in HK (less than 3 weeks ago).

We were going to apply in HK too, but when we inquired about the waiting time, we got this response from [email protected]

"Our agreed standards on the processing time are....To complete 95% of applications for settlement visas in not more than 12 weeks and 100% in not more 24 weeks"

Obviously each post is going to have different waiting times, depending on the demand.

Also, comparing two posts with a similar demand for settlement applications, but where one has a far lower demand for other types of visa than the other will obvioulsy show a difference in the waiting times.

Guide to visa processing times gives the latest available figures for each post.

The point is moot, anyway, as one has to apply to the post covering the country where one is resident.

Obviously each post is going to have different waiting times, depending on the demand.

Also, comparing two posts with a similar demand for settlement applications, but where one has a far lower demand for other types of visa than the other will obvioulsy show a difference in the waiting times.

Guide to visa processing times gives the latest available figures for each post.

The point is moot, anyway, as one has to apply to the post covering the country where one is resident.

It is not a moot point in our case, since we had the option of applying in HK but decided to apply in Thailand after receiving the email I mentioned and also making other inquiries.

Ok, I'll change that to:

It's a moot point for the vast majority of settlement applicants who are not fortunate enough to already have residency in two or more countries.

It could be because the Embassy in Phnom Penh doesn't process the visa application, but then neither does the Consulate in Hong Kong.

Applicants in Cambodia have to make an online application and then take the hard copy to the Embassy or Visa Application Centre, not sure which, the application is then couriered to Bangkok where the decision is made.

Applicants in Hong Kong have to apply at the Visa Application Centre and the application is forwarded to Manila for processing.

It doesn't really answer your question but it does show there are a lot of variables to consider, nothing is straightforward with the UKBA.

og,

thanks for your info, had no idea each of those consulates sub'd their applications out, its answered my thoughts.

kind regards