Julian11 wrote:I just don't quite get why some take months and months and others are so fast. Have we found a pattern?
From just this forum, there is an obvious pattern of applicants who assume their application is 'straightforward', and then later drop a little bomb of information as to what actually might be holding things up.
Julian11 wrote:Assuming an application has come from the NCS, which most on this forum have,
This is not a valid assumption. In fact, I would probably assume the opposite. Several of the most recent timeline threads have an excel sheet that a contributor (bless you) has put together. I know for sure the March 2014 thread does. You could go through these to get a general idea of the actual percentage, assuming ofcourse that people who post here are a fair representation.
Julian11 wrote:then that means that all the paperwork is in order and the criteria are met.
Actually this is where things would seem to fall over, if/when the details do ever come out on this forum. Typically a case worker will come across a document whose validity, for whatever reason, is in question. Even if everything is just fine and checks out later on, I suspect this shoves that application right to back of the queue, if not an entirely different queue altogether. One common thing tripping people up recently is the new stricter language requirements in combination with the Home Office crackdown on English certificate factories.
Julian11 wrote:I know there are some checks that need to be done, such as criminal ones and whatnot, but once that is done (which I guess would take about the same about of time for most people), what delays an application?
'...and whatnot...' can be a surprisingly robust set of circumstances, including questionable residency, identity problems (multiple name changes, poor quality documents, and so on...), problems with referees, suspect criminal/social behavior that did not necessarily involve a conviction/caution, etc, etc...
Julian11 wrote:Surely if somebody meets all the requirements, regardless of the way they meet them, every application is decently 'straightforward' - the requirements have been met and all is in order, so what is left?
It is safest to assume that no application, not your own, not anybody's, is 'straightforward'. Because really, only a case worker will feel that way personally. I don't think there is a professional standard. There are just too many variables.
Julian11 wrote:The only thing I could think of is if extra checks are done for 'high risk' countries, but it seems recently anyway that people from all over, including other EU countries, are having applications take a good long time.
Any thoughts?
Well this last point is very specific. There are a lot of things that can stutter an otherwise genuine eventually successful application. On this particular point though, it is not so much high risk countries as much as questionable behavior. Let's say you have multiple arrests in the last few years for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, but you are never convicted or even given a caution. This is likely to draw extra scrutiny irrespective what any of us might feel about the matter. If you have friends who are known terrorists, despite the fact that you yourself are not such a person or was even aware that they were involved in those activities, and your name has been mentioned by them to some authority or you've mentioned knowing them in any immigration related interview ever, it could take years to clear that up.
