ECO Sheffield Delays/Backlog for Family Settlement

[iancnx]

Now the Embassies around the world have centralised ECO's in Sheffield for the purposes of validating Family Settlement Visa's I wondered how many others on this forum were experiencing extended delays.  My understanding is the guidelines for a decision is up to 60 working days.  I do know the stats for May for Bangkok Applications were 100% processed by Day 60.

 

Unfortunately various stories are emerging of folk being delayed using the February High Court ruling, and it is worrisome that in the future this 'Paused Decision' letter could become widespread.  A copy of one found on another forum is attached - this is not my wife.

 

my wife's story is:

 

17 April.  Applied online to Bangkok 

 

27 April.  Attended Trendy Building. All docs scanned. Pertinent originals retained. Biometrics done.

 

4 May.  Email received from Sheffield saying Application received and essentially she is in the queue.

 

by my calculation Day 55 is tomorrow.

 

Hoping this thread can be used to perhaps compile a group of folk in the same space, so we can compare notes and experience.

 

 

[7by7]

1 hour ago, iancnx said:

Now the Embassies around the world have centralised ECO's in Sheffield for the purposes of validating Family Settlement Visa's I wondered how many others on this forum were experiencing extended delays..............

From your previous posts the delay in her application has little to do with the move to Sheffield and a lot to do with your difficulty in meeting the financial requirement.

 

If your wife is in the same position as the recipient of the letter you posted, and from your previous posts she may well be, the delay is because you and she do not meet the financial requirement and so, following the Supreme Court ruling, UKVI have, instead of simply refusing her, put her application on hold while the government consider the implications of this ruling with regards to children of the applicant.

 

See Supreme Court upholds Minimum Income Rule of £18,600 to sponsor foreign spouses in MM case.

Quote

In linked judgments in the case of MM and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2017] UKSC 10, known to many as just “the MM case,” the Supreme Court has this morning upheld in principle the Minimum Income Rule which requires an income of at least £18,600 for British citizens and others to sponsor a foreign spouse. However, the court also held that the rules and policies used by the Home Office to assess such cases would need to be amended to take proper account of the impact on children and other possible sources of income and support.

 

There are many others in your situation, some have been on hold for several years while this case worked it's way through the lower courts.

 

You sort of acknowledge this when you say 

1 hour ago, iancnx said:

Unfortunately various stories are emerging of folk being delayed using the February High Court ruling, and it is worrisome that in the future this 'Paused Decision' letter could become widespread.

Only when the application could be effected by the ruling because the financial requirement has not been met and there are children involved.

 

I accept that it is an intolerable situation for those who are affected, of course; but the majority of applicants wont be.

 

All of this shows what an ill thought out not fit for purpose mess the whole financial requirement is.

Edited July 16, 2017 by 7by7

[glastoglen]

We received the above email despite meeting the financial requirements. I thought we must have made a mistake somewhere and were worried that we might have to reapply and I travelled to the UK alone. However the visa was then granted this week so receiving that email doesn't neccesarily mean the requirements haven't been met, although that is what it appears to say.

[iancnx]

7by7.  Just to clarify, my wife has not received that letter.  I raised it here just in case one pops along in the post next week!  My son is British and already here in UK with me waiting for mum to join.  I believe the financial requirement has been fulfilled.  I am probably worrying unduly.  

 

The letter belongs to a girl who applied on 19 April.  She had confirmation from Sheffield that she was in the Queue.  The letter arrived out of the blue on 6 July @ day 60

 

[iancnx]

12 hours ago, glastoglen said:

We received the above email despite meeting the financial requirements. I thought we must have made a mistake somewhere and were worried that we might have to reapply and I travelled to the UK alone. However the visa was then granted this week so receiving that email doesn't neccesarily mean the requirements haven't been met, although that is what it appears to say.

Thanks for sharing.

 

can you please say around what day the Supreme Court letter was receive in the 60 scale? And then how many days or weeks after that was the visa granted?   Thanks

[glastoglen]

We applied on March 31st. The e-mail was received on June 2nd so less than 60 working days. The visa was granted last week, around July 13th.

[iancnx]

Ouch, you were in limbo from 2 June to 13 July.  That must have been dreadful.  Excellent you finally got a result.  Cheers

[7by7]

19 hours ago, iancnx said:

7by7.  Just to clarify, my wife has not received that letter.  I raised it here just in case one pops along in the post next week!  

 My apologies.

 

From your earlier topic about the difficulties you had in meeting the financial requirement and you saying

On ‎16‎/‎07‎/‎2017 at 8:59 AM, iancnx said:

 

Unfortunately various stories are emerging of folk being delayed using the February High Court ruling, and it is worrisome that in the future this 'Paused Decision' letter could become widespread

I assumed you believed she would be affected by the ruling.

 

As I said elsewhere, and you say in your OP, UKVI aim to process settlement applications within 60 working days, 12 weeks; and for those decided in May for Bangkok applications they hit that target.

 

I may be wrong, but my understanding is this period starts from the appointment at VFS when the supporting documents are submitted and biometrics taken; so 12 weeks for your wife will be sometime next week.

 

Of course, there is no guarantee that they can or will hit this target in every case, and I can understand the frustrations caused by the wait; been there myself when my wife and stepdaughter applied in 2000.

 

But whilst it was unpleasant and worrisome at the time, 17 years later it seems like nothing.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that your future together is worth the wait.

 

[iancnx]

7by7. Many thanks for that considered post, and I do hope it will be this week.  I was counting day one as the date of the Sheffield receipt email.  I do hope you are right as I start work at the end of the month (shifts) , and need mum here to take care of our son (already here with me), or I don't know what I will do TBH.  Fingers crossed.

[bobrussell]

The period of limbo has been considerably longer in the past!

We used to have a special thread running constantly with waiting times. Now they seem to keep pretty much within their targets except for this application on hold business for those unable to meet the income threshold. Clearly the decision has been made not to process these at all until someone has decided what to do following the Supreme Court judgement.