Spoke to very pleasant and helpful person at UKBA today. We asked our MP to look into the delay in August. UKBA replied 7 Sept and we got the letter yesterday. Seems there was a question about our address. When we spoke to the UKBA person she said the addresses are fine. While we had her on the phone we asked a couple of other question to clarify some of the misinformation floating around:
1. Return of Documents. You no longer need to call or write UKBA to request return of documents. Your application will only be withdrawn IF you request the applicants passport back. If you specify the document you need in the new online form you can receive the docs you need in 20 days.
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/about ... documents/
2. The use of a MP to advance your application. Caseworkers do not have access to ministerial correspondence and apart from "sufficient compassionate grounds" a MP's intervention will not impact the order received. The exact words of the UKBA Assistant Director were "to be fait to all those with outstanding applications, they are considered in turn." How others that submitted applications after the January - April time frame have jumped the queue was a mystery to the UKBA person, but she clearly said it was not due to MP intervention unless there was outstanding circumstances of a compassionate nature.
3. The magical 6 month mark is a myth. If you call at 6 months you will receive no additional information than you would at 3, 5, or 8. Evidently the system does not track applications unless they are flagged for an additional documentation request or a decision has been made. What you can do at 6 months is file a complaint. THAT will be responded to in 20 days. If you receive your docs and BRP after you file a complaint, it is purely coincidental as your application has already breached the 6-month mark and was likely to be decided in that time.
4. I asked the person to put on her Councillor hat for a moment and tell me how we are not supposed to go crazy with a further wait. She said she understands the frustration, but the slow process is entirely due to the volume of applications. As long as we submitted everything required, we should not fret but just continue in our patience. She said that is easy for us to say, but we are doing all we can to be thorough. Can't say all she said, but they are sympathetic to our plight....just too much volume to speed it through.
I hope this is useful to some. No matter what you do short of a "sufficient compassionate grounds" request from your MP, you will not speed your application's progress. What you can do is hone your patience skills to make the most of what you can with the time you are given. In due time you will get your docs and visa. We have endured the immigration nightmare for 18 months now and want it all over so we can move on.
Application received: 4 April 2012
Biometrics Letter Received: 19 April 2012
Biometrics taken (Harlow): 20 April 2012
