**** COVID19 and UKVCAS Appointments **** (ONLY discuss here)

[akr2500448]

Not sure whether this is the right place for this but wanted to describe recent experience at a UKVCAS appointment service centre, to help anyone applying during the pandemic.

Attended the UKVCAS appointment (at Hull central library) at 10:30am on 28th Jan 2021.

As soon as I walked in through the front door, they checked if I was wearing a mask and asked me for the appointment confirmation letter. Once confirmed, they asked me to go upstairs and wait. As soon as I went upstairs, my biometrics and photograph was taken. After that, another wait of 10minutes before I got asked to come to a booth. It was a friendly library staff who greeted me. She asked to see my passport and said they need to scan all pages. Once scanned, they returned the passport. Before the appointment, I had received an email that UKVCAS had checked all my uploaded documents and there was no action on me. At the library, the lady asked me whether I wanted to scan anything else. I didn't have anything else to scan so declined. She said that's the end of the appointment then. All done. It was 20min in an out. All I took in was my passport and originals (hardcopies) in a file. They do not keep any originals.

Now the wait starts. I will keep you updated when I hear from the Home Office.

[srsw]

Any November or older set (o) applicants still waiting for approvals?

I see lots of set (o) approvals in the timeline in the last couple of weeks and obviously there's no pattern, but just wondering. My timeline below:

10th Nov - Application submitted
9th Dec - Biometrics submitted

[poper]

Congrats poper, so happy for you and glad your ordeal is over!

I must say, I always wish well for everyone but having seen SET O applicants get approvals in 2 month and talk about the stress they have to go through is a bit comical when SET LR applicants have 4+ month waits. Don't mean anyone offence, just looking at the funny side....

Thanks swissman20. Your decision is not far away.
My neighbor who applied same time as mine on SET(0) route received decision in September and is less than 8 months away from naturalization

Thanks poper - I have an employment offer (currently redundant) which expires on 1st of March. I hope by some miracle I can get it before then. With a 4 month timeline I could get it by 25th Feb (applied 25th Oct) - perhaps pray for me

Can I suggest you write to your local MP and try escalating your case based on compassionate reasons.
This week I too received an offer where the employer wanted me onboarded early March. Yesterday morning I was drafting a letter to my local MP when the magical email from HO arrived
In this long thread I have atleast read one case where an applicant escalated his/her case and obtained an expidited decision based on job offer(as a compassionate reason).
Dont forget to state you are currently out of work now.
Sure, will pray for your ILR decision soon. All the best.

[user5]

Received my ILR(LR) after waiting 5 months. It would be an understatement to say the wait was 'painful'.
Hurray... Here it is finally

Date of Standard Online Application: 29-08-2020
Payment Debited & Confirmation email received: 01-09-2020
Documents Uploaded via UKVCAS website: 08-09-2020
Biometric Reuse email received: No
IDV App Invitation email received: 10-09-2020
Biometric Appointment: 12-09-2020
Received decision email: 29/01/2021
Received BRP: Waiting

Congrats @poper really happy for you and so glad you can finally relax!!!

[poper]

Congrats @poper really happy for you and so glad you can finally relax!!!

Thanks user5. Feeling more relaxed now as you say

[DanaF]

Received my ILR(LR) after waiting 5 months. It would be an understatement to say the wait was 'painful'.
Hurray... Here it is finally

Date of Standard Online Application: 29-08-2020
Payment Debited & Confirmation email received: 01-09-2020
Documents Uploaded via UKVCAS website: 08-09-2020
Biometric Reuse email received: No
IDV App Invitation email received: 10-09-2020
Biometric Appointment: 12-09-2020
Received decision email: 29/01/2021
Received BRP: Waiting

So, so happy for you Poper. You were such a support and pillar for everyone else in this community, so we are all celebrating with you that you finally have your good news too

[poper]

Received my ILR(LR) after waiting 5 months. It would be an understatement to say the wait was 'painful'.
Hurray... Here it is finally

Date of Standard Online Application: 29-08-2020
Payment Debited & Confirmation email received: 01-09-2020
Documents Uploaded via UKVCAS website: 08-09-2020
Biometric Reuse email received: No
IDV App Invitation email received: 10-09-2020
Biometric Appointment: 12-09-2020
Received decision email: 29/01/2021
Received BRP: Waiting

So, so happy for you Poper. You were such a support and pillar for everyone else in this community, so we are all celebrating with you that you finally have your good news too

Thank you DanaF for the kind words

[swissman20]

Can I suggest you write to your local MP and try escalating your case based on compassionate reasons.
This week I too received an offer where the employer wanted me onboarded early March. Yesterday morning I was drafting a letter to my local MP when the magical email from HO arrived
In this long thread I have atleast read one case where an applicant escalated his/her case and obtained an expidited decision based on job offer(as a compassionate reason).
Dont forget to state you are currently out of work now.
Sure, will pray for your ILR decision soon. All the best.

Thank you Poper. I appreciate the suggestion - I am wary of being seen to be taking advantage of the escalation process but I assume as the single earner in my family, out of a job for 2 months now and waiting to join a new role could be seen as a decent case? I will have a thought about this and react accordingly the following week.

Good luck with joining your new job btw - I hope it is what you were hoping for! I cannot wait to start my new job once all this is done - god knows I'm grateful for a lot of things I took for granted before this!

[poper]

Can I suggest you write to your local MP and try escalating your case based on compassionate reasons.
This week I too received an offer where the employer wanted me onboarded early March. Yesterday morning I was drafting a letter to my local MP when the magical email from HO arrived
In this long thread I have atleast read one case where an applicant escalated his/her case and obtained an expidited decision based on job offer(as a compassionate reason).
Dont forget to state you are currently out of work now.
Sure, will pray for your ILR decision soon. All the best.

Thank you Poper. I appreciate the suggestion - I am wary of being seen to be taking advantage of the escalation process but I assume as the single earner in my family, out of a job for 2 months now and waiting to join a new role could be seen as a decent case? I will have a thought about this and react accordingly the following week.

Good luck with joining your new job btw - I hope it is what you were hoping for! I cannot wait to start my new job once all this is done - god knows I'm grateful for a lot of things I took for granted before this!

At least I do not see you being someone taking advantage of the escalation process given your situation - no job, single earner of family.
Thank you for your wishes. I hope HO speeds up processing cases.

[swissman20]

Can I suggest you write to your local MP and try escalating your case based on compassionate reasons.
This week I too received an offer where the employer wanted me onboarded early March. Yesterday morning I was drafting a letter to my local MP when the magical email from HO arrived
In this long thread I have atleast read one case where an applicant escalated his/her case and obtained an expidited decision based on job offer(as a compassionate reason).
Dont forget to state you are currently out of work now.
Sure, will pray for your ILR decision soon. All the best.

Thank you Poper. I appreciate the suggestion - I am wary of being seen to be taking advantage of the escalation process but I assume as the single earner in my family, out of a job for 2 months now and waiting to join a new role could be seen as a decent case? I will have a thought about this and react accordingly the following week.

Good luck with joining your new job btw - I hope it is what you were hoping for! I cannot wait to start my new job once all this is done - god knows I'm grateful for a lot of things I took for granted before this!

At least I do not see you being someone taking advantage of the escalation process given your situation - no job, single earner of family.
Thank you for your wishes. I hope HO speeds up processing cases.

Thanks Poper, fingers and toes crossed!

[CULLINAN]

New Service Point opened
We are delighted to let you know that we have opened a brand-new Service Point in:
Liverpool

https://www.ukvcas.co.uk/flash-message- ... geId=56249

[nathybes]

NEED HELP.

We have biometric appointment tomorrow. Applying for SET (O) Tier 2 + husband and kid.

Do We need to take the orignal marriage certificate?

I am desperate because I cannot find it

[CULLINAN]

NEED HELP.

We have biometric appointment tomorrow. Applying for SET (O) Tier 2 + husband and kid.

Do We need to take the orignal marriage certificate?

I am desperate because I cannot find it

No need.

[BKind]

Any November or older set (o) applicants still waiting for approvals?

I see lots of set (o) approvals in the timeline in the last couple of weeks and obviously there's no pattern, but just wondering. My timeline below:

10th Nov - Application submitted
9th Dec - Biometrics submitted

Set (O) over here. I applied in October too I have a straight forward case - single employer, over 5 years already (still a tiny bit of time left on my visa). I wrote a very clear cover letter explaining all of my info included, which had a nice spreadsheet of time out of the UK (just for work and holiday).

Can't figure out how they just skip around applications. I expected that they would be dealt with in the order they (the set Os) came in.

[srsw]

Any November or older set (o) applicants still waiting for approvals?

I see lots of set (o) approvals in the timeline in the last couple of weeks and obviously there's no pattern, but just wondering. My timeline below:

10th Nov - Application submitted
9th Dec - Biometrics submitted

Set (O) over here. I applied in October too I have a straight forward case - single employer, over 5 years already (still a tiny bit of time left on my visa). I wrote a very clear cover letter explaining all of my info included, which had a nice spreadsheet of time out of the UK (just for work and holiday).

Can't figure out how they just skip around applications. I expected that they would be dealt with in the order they (the set Os) came in.

Same here, single employer. Pretty straightforward application. Just one dependent on the application. Not sure why they are sitting on the application.

So just two of us? If that's the case let's hope we get our approvals soon.

[BKind]

Any November or older set (o) applicants still waiting for approvals?

I see lots of set (o) approvals in the timeline in the last couple of weeks and obviously there's no pattern, but just wondering. My timeline below:

10th Nov - Application submitted
9th Dec - Biometrics submitted

Set (O) over here. I applied in October too I have a straight forward case - single employer, over 5 years already (still a tiny bit of time left on my visa). I wrote a very clear cover letter explaining all of my info included, which had a nice spreadsheet of time out of the UK (just for work and holiday).

Can't figure out how they just skip around applications. I expected that they would be dealt with in the order they (the set Os) came in.

Same here, single employer. Pretty straightforward application. Just one dependent on the application. Not sure why they are sitting on the application.

So just two of us? If that's the case let's hope we get our approvals soon.

Yeah, fingers crossed for us both! As I am already over 3 months wait. (and I am a single applicant with no dependents)

[srsw]

Any Oct/Nov applicant still waiting for Set (o) approval E-Mail?
I have applied on Nov 19 for in-person Biometrics and still waiting.

Applied 27/10/20 - Still Waiting.

Had a very straightforward case: SET (O), T2 one employer, no dependents, same address the last five years.

@BKind, @pshanbhag

Thanks for your response, Lets hope for the best

Looks like @Kumar555 @pshanbhan too didn't get the results yet? I don't see them on the timeline thread. Correct me if wrong.

[CULLINAN]

Hi All,
I finally got my Set (o) Approval today after a long wait for more than 2 Months. I am flying high with happiness.
I wish all the very best to all the applicants and hope everyone gets a speedy approval.

Thanks to all the moderators and a special one Cullian.
Your support and sharing information have helped us a great deal and has given strength during this tough wait time.

[srsw]

Hi All,

I finally got my Set (o) Approval today after a long wait for more than 2 Months. I am flying high with happiness.
I wish all the very best to all the applicants and hope everyone gets a speedy approval.

Thanks to all the moderators and a special one Cullian.
Your support and sharing information have helped us a great deal and has given strength during this tough wait time.

Hey CULLINAN, thanks for that. I hope you are doing well.

I scanned Kumar's posts & didn't see any post in timeline thread so thought he is still waiting.

That's good, so he got this week only so fingers crossed the rest of us too get approvals soon

[pshanbhag]

Any Oct/Nov applicant still waiting for Set (o) approval E-Mail?
I have applied on Nov 19 for in-person Biometrics and still waiting.

Applied 27/10/20 - Still Waiting.

Had a very straightforward case: SET (O), T2 one employer, no dependents, same address the last five years.

@BKind, @pshanbhag

Thanks for your response, Lets hope for the best

Looks like @Kumar555 @pshanbhan too didn't get the results yet? I don't see them on the timeline thread. Correct me if wrong.

That is correct. I haven't received mine yet. 20/10/2020 submission

[Kumar555]

Any Oct/Nov applicant still waiting for Set (o) approval E-Mail?
I have applied on Nov 19 for in-person Biometrics and still waiting.

Hi All,

I finally got my Set (o) Approval today after a long wait for more than 2 Months. I am flying high with happiness.
I wish all the very best to all the applicants and hope everyone gets a speedy approval.

Thanks to all the moderators and a special one Cullian.
Your support and sharing information have helped us a great deal and has given strength during this tough wait time.

Just got my BRP card and notice that, it looks different to what my Wife (Main Applicant) got on Dec. Is it normal for dependents or things have changed after Jan 2021 due to brexit,

[Shahid00087]

HI all respected members I have uploaded all my documents including my Mrs and kids passports now only one thing is they asking about
Documents supporting my other reason to stay in the UK?
Can it be just enough my Mrs and kids passports or do I need to upload anything else?
Lastly do I need to upload my application copy as well which I downloaded at the end of my application?

[CULLINAN]

HI all respected members I have uploaded all my documents including my Mrs and kids passports now only one thing is they asking about
Documents supporting my other reason to stay in the UK?
Can it be just enough my Mrs and kids passports or do I need to upload anything else?
Ignore. The checklist is set by default as per your answers in the online form. Submit only documents as per immigration rules
Lastly do I need to upload my application copy as well which I downloaded at the end of my application?
No

[ntuleimat]

Hi, To Set (M) colleagues here, has there been any progress for the Aug and Sep applications?

[srd1982]

Hi, To Set (M) colleagues here, has there been any progress for the Aug and Sep applications?

Not for me - I applied for Set M on 5/09/2020..... have had no updates!!