Final UK VISA question >>>

[beijing06]

Hello again,

Many thanks to all those who replied with great advice / answers to Q1 / Q2 yesterday.

On my 3rd question - i need to clarify again with this question regarding making the appointment for passport photographs and biometric fingerprinting...

Q3/

If my girlfriend makes an appointment in the Vancouver office for the above, what is the usual waiting time from phoning up - to actually going to the appointment to complete the fingerprints / photos ........ 1 week ? 10 days ? 2 weeks ?

Anyone got experience of this in Vancouver or general rule of thumb timescales ..?

Thanks in advance again

[WestCoastCanadianGirl]

Originally Posted by beijing06

Hello again,

Many thanks to all those who replied with great advice / answers to Q1 / Q2 yesterday.

On my 3rd question - i need to clarify again with this question regarding making the appointment for passport photographs and biometric fingerprinting...

Q3/

If my girlfriend makes an appointment in the Vancouver office for the above, what is the usual waiting time from phoning up - to actually going to the appointment to complete the fingerprints / photos ........ 1 week ? 10 days ? 2 weeks ?

Anyone got experience of this in Vancouver or general rule of thumb timescales ..?

Thanks in advance again

It's my understanding that once the biometrics are done, IT IS THE APPLICANT'S RESPONSIBILITY to get the package out to the UK Consul General in New York within 14 days, and that IT IS THE APPLICANT'S RESPONSIBILITY to pay for getting their application package out to New York... only in Toronto does the Consulate have the ability to send the package to New York... everyone else (applicants who do their biometrics in Edmonton, Ottawa, Vancouver, and the mobile locations in Halifax & St John's) have to send it at their own expense.

Once the decision is made, the NY office will notify the Vancouver office (or the office where you applied) who will then notify you and your fiancée.

I don't know what your fiancée plans on doing, but I am likely going to send my package via DHL overnight... it'll cost about CAD 100$ or so (depending on the final weight and size of the package). I think DHL is a little less expensive than FedEx, but will have one final comparative look between DHL, FedEx and UPS before making up my mind. (I will weigh my package out first, measure the dimensions and go to the UPS, FedEx and DHL websites to get a rate quote and go from there).

Fortunately, the Consulate is located right in Downtown Vancouver (on Melville Street, a few blocks west of Burrard Street SkyTrain.... i.e. follow Melville from the SkyTrain to the UK Consulate) and all of the major couriers have offices downtown as well, so it'll be easy to drop your package off after your appointment.

Good luck to you and please keep us posted on how it goes!!

[WestCoastCanadianGirl]

Currently, the NY office is stating a 12 business day turn around (i.e. a little more than 2 weeks) for decisions on the fiancé(e) visa.... this is on top of the time it takes for them to a) receive the package at their office and b) acknowledge that the package has been forwarded to the ECO's to look at... from what I understand from the "Visa Timeline" thread, there is currently a 6 business days gap between receipt of the application and confirmation that the application is about to be looked at.

These times can and will change, as I recently saw someone mention a 9 day turnaround time for decisions on the settlement visas, and I'd imagine (am hoping?) that the current volume is due to the the possibility that the Home Office will soon change the minimum income requirement (it has yet to be announced) and that once it is finally announced, the 12 day turnaround time will go back down to 9 days or sooner.

[mistheuk]

The thing I have learned watching this site is that it does not matter if their site says 7 day turnaround or 8 or 9 or 10 lol. Every case is different and you wont get it back til they are done. I think its easier if its just a single person going over, than it is when kids are involved and certain paperwork is needed and if you are missing that 1 document it gets messy lol.

[Liz in UK]

Originally Posted by beijing06

Hello again,

Many thanks to all those who replied with great advice / answers to Q1 / Q2 yesterday.

On my 3rd question - i need to clarify again with this question regarding making the appointment for passport photographs and biometric fingerprinting...

Q3/

If my girlfriend makes an appointment in the Vancouver office for the above, what is the usual waiting time from phoning up - to actually going to the appointment to complete the fingerprints / photos ........ 1 week ? 10 days ? 2 weeks ?

Anyone got experience of this in Vancouver or general rule of thumb timescales ..?

Thanks in advance again

Assuming I understood your question correctly and assuming it is the same as it was in the US, you can send out your packet of documents the same day you have your biometrics done. I had mine done in Virginia and an hour later posted my application to New York. You don't need to wait before sending it off, but I think once you do have it done, you only have a limited amount of time in which to send it off (2 weeks perhaps?)

Hope that helps.

[travelspice]

I am curious about the same thing...once the application is completed online, does anyone know how long before you can attend a biometrics appointment? Like do they offer you a biometrics appt the same week, the following week, etc?

[WestCoastCanadianGirl]

Originally Posted by travelspice

I am curious about the same thing...once the application is completed online, does anyone know how long before you can attend a biometrics appointment? Like do they offer you a biometrics appt the same week, the following week, etc?

I'm not sure, but I saw someone mention in a recent thread (I think it might have been 2far) that they had to wait a week for their appointment because the 4 days immediately following the date he was doing his application were booked and he had other commitments that prevented him from going in right after the appointment book showed open times.

Because of that uncertainty, I'm applying a little more than 2 weeks before I want my appointment in July. Ed will be over from London at that time and I intend on bringing him with me.

I am also tempted, once my visa has been approved (am hoping mid-August), to book my FLR(M) appointment for 5th November, if they'll let me book that far in advance. Ideally, I'd like be able to go to the Croydon office to file, and if I can get an appointment on the 5th, I'd be very very happy.

[Joppa]

Originally Posted by WestCoastCanadianGirl

I am also tempted, once my visa has been approved (am hoping mid-August), to book my FLR(M) appointment for 5th November, if they'll let me book that far in advance. Ideally, I'd like be able to go to the Croydon office to file, and if I can get an appointment on the 5th, I'd be very very happy.

Same-day premium appointments are loaded onto their system only 6 weeks in advance, so for early November, you can't book till end of September.

[WestCoastCanadianGirl]

Originally Posted by Joppa

Same-day premium appointments are loaded onto their system only 6 weeks in advance, so for early November, you can't book till end of September.

Thank you so very much for this info, Joppa! I have been looking around for this detail.

I'd be more than happy to wait until September to book the appointment... my visa will have been processed by then and I'd be making the final preparations to go to London. It would be a load off of my mind to know before I leave Canada that I can just toddle on over to Croydon on Bonfire Night and get my status changed.