Urgent: UK Student Visa Decision Delay - Seeking Advice

[hussainahmed]

Hello everyone,

I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out on behalf of my friend, who applied for a UK student visa on December 13, 2023. Unfortunately, his application has faced unexpected delays.

On December 14, he received an email from the UK decision-making centre stating, "Unfortunately, the processing of your application has not been straightforward, and we will be unable to decide your application within our customer service targets (15 working days)."

Despite reaching out to the UKVI on February 5 for an update (paid email), he was informed that a decision is yet to be made. The UKVI mentioned that they escalated his case to the relevant department on January 5, 2024, and assured him of contact within 15 working days, which ends on January 26.

With his classes scheduled to start in mid-February, we are concerned about the prolonged processing time. It has been 28 working days (total 43 days) since the application was submitted. This duration seems unusually long.

We are considering seeking advice on the Immigration Boards from individuals who might have faced similar situations.

• Can anyone share their experiences or insights into possible reasons for such delays?

• When can we reasonably expect a decision, and

• Are there any actions we can take to potentially expedite the process?

Any guidance or shared experiences would be immensely appreciated. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Best regards,

[sah10406]

This is for him to discuss with his university. Most universities will be flexible with the start date when there are visa delays.

There is nothing you or anyone here can do about it.

[makalele]

Hi,

my girlfriend is also going through similar situation as yours. She did her biometric on the 3rd of January and she was interviewed by UKVI on February 8, 2024. Despite this, it has been two weeks since the interview, and she is still awaiting a decision. Her academic program at the University of Chester commenced on February 5, 2024. Although she requested an extension from the university, which was granted until February 26th, she remains uncertain if she will receive a response from UKVI before the deadline.
She has escalated twice and was told to hold on. I have raised it with the MP and hoping that she would do some thing regarding her case.
I will keep you in the loops if anything does change. Can i also ask you if you were interviewed.
Regards

[sah10406]

Although she requested an extension from the university, which was granted until February 26th, she remains uncertain if she will receive a response from UKVI before the deadline.

If it becomes too late for her to travel to the UK, she needs to be ready to quickly withdraw her application. That way she will at least avoid a refusal on her history, and get a refund of the IHS payment.