Saw this post and decided to create an account. You are not alone.
Month 0 - Submitted my application last year, 07.2021.
M1 - One month later I went for the biometrics appointment. I thought it went quite well, in and out in less than 30 minutes.
M3 - Two months later I receive an email from
nationalitycovidukvcasreminders@homeoffice.gov.uk, it went straight into spam. Found the email a week later. The content was informing me that I would need to enrol for the biometrics appointment in 30 working days, otherwise the application will be rejected.
I've tried to get in touch with UKVI by phone, absolutely no chance, gave up after 5-6 hours on the phone. After 3 days I came across a forum that suggested to contact them by Twitter, and I did. Two days later I got a response, UKVI official account informed me that it was a technical error and I should ignore that email. I did.
M6 - Months have passed. From what I can see on the forums, people have generally received an email from HO informing that their application will take longer than 6 months. I didn't.
M7 - Once the 6 month since application has passed, I've tried to contact HO. I only got the automatic reply from them, no actual response.
M8 - Tried once again, same result.
M9 - Contacted my local MP. Issue was raised with the HO and the MP informed me the MP office will get back in touch with me once they receive a reply from HO.
- Couple of week after the MP raised the issue with HO I got contacted by email from the HO. First and only contact from them. This email informed me that I need to attend the Biometric appointment. No explanation provided.
- Days after I got a call from UKVI and they booked me for Biometrics, 4 weeks later. No explanation provided.
M10 - Attended the Biometrics appointment, again. Wow this didn't go as I was expecting, checked my passport, fingerprints and then the office worker gets a piece of paper from the printer and start writing on it. Explaining in handwriting that my application was purged and this is a new biometric entry. All existing hope vanished at that point. The system has failed when it was on autopilot, hoping that a handwritten piece of paper will be able to sort what automated forms failed, that's too much for me.
M12 - I've tried to contact HO and the MP office since month 10, but didn't get any reply from any of them.
At this point, all hope is lost. From my point of view this is a mess on HO's side. But they have an easy fix, blame of external information delayed from 3rd party entities and then reject my application. I will not be able to question it anyway, easy way out.
Home office - No transparency and no accountability. I need to apply for a job, sounds like a dream one.
Note: My application is fairly simple.