# Indefinite Leave to remain Application turnaround times



## Kels&Dillon (Feb 16, 2011)

Hi guys,

Hope there might be someone out there who can help me please, who has recently applied for their indefinate leave to remain (Form Set(M) That can offer some advice, we have recently submitted an application for ILR for my South African Husband, I am a UK Citizen myself, we have a straight forward application and have sent all the relevant supporting documents along with it.

I have been reading discussions on-line from back in 2008/09, regarding turnaround times and hearing of 6months to a year for a decision to made?? 
Is it really still taking this long??

I do realise on the Home Office site, it does say they deal with 90% of postal applications within 6months, but was just wondering if anyone had any recent first hand experience of the turnaround times please?

If there is anyone out there who has submitted an ILR application in the past three months who can tell me if they are still waiting or received their decision back yet? Be very much appreciated 


Many thanks in advance 

Kels


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Kels&Dillon said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> Hope there might be someone out there who can help me please, who has recently applied for their indefinate leave to remain (Form Set(M) That can offer some advice, we have recently submitted an application for ILR for my South African Husband, I am a UK Citizen myself, we have a straight forward application and have sent all the relevant supporting documents along with it.
> 
> ...


Up to around 5 months is quite possible from what I hear.
You should have paid extra for same-day premium service, and you would have got your passport back within a few days.


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## cogglstar (Sep 14, 2011)

*Recent information on turnaround times*

Hi there,

Wondering if anyone has some recent information on turnaround times for ILR. I am an Australian on an ancestry visa and applying for ILR via the SET(0) form and , stupidly, I didn't pick the same day service due to starting a new job. I am wondering if I also, will be waiting six months for my passport to come back.

I sent my application last week and they haven't charged my credit card, or sent me any acknowledgement whatsoever. I am keen to know if this is ususal.

If anyone has any information would be much appreciated, thanks Stacey


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

cogglstar said:


> Hi there,
> 
> Wondering if anyone has some recent information on turnaround times for ILR. I am an Australian on an ancestry visa and applying for ILR via the SET(0) form and , stupidly, I didn't pick the same day service due to starting a new job. I am wondering if I also, will be waiting six months for my passport to come back.
> 
> ...


Yes, quite common. All it means is your envelope is lying in some stacks at a UKBA office and nobody has actually opened it yet. Then you will get an acknowledgement letter and you wait, and wait and wait. They say it takes up to 6 months, and it's hard to tell how long you will be made to wait, as it depends on many factors, but once they start dealing with your case, things should start moving pretty quickly. After all, for premium service, they mostly deal with it within a few hours, unless there is a major issue with your application, but if it's obvious from the paperwork you submit, they will send you home without taking any money and tell you to resubmit. For postal service, you just have to wait your turn.


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## Yorkshiredude (Oct 20, 2011)

Joppa said:


> Up to around 5 months is quite possible from what I hear.
> You should have paid extra for same-day premium service, and you would have got your passport back within a few days.


this is my first post so hello all , Yesterday My wife (Thai) myself (UK ) attended PEO for the same day service for ILR - all was done in about 3 hours and we left with my wife and kids passports with , Residence Permit ILR , document stuck in their passports .


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Yorkshiredude said:


> this is my first post so hello all , Yesterday My wife (Thai) myself (UK ) attended PEO for the same day service for ILR - all was done in about 3 hours and we left with my wife and kids passports with , Residence Permit ILR , document stuck in their passports .


Nice to hear.
It does seem odd that if you are willing to pay more and jump the queue, they can do everything in a matter of hours. In view of the very high cost of immigration applications (perhaps the highest in the world?), they should get their act together and process everyone within a reasonable time, say 2-3 weeks. But I doubt it will ever happen.


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## Yorkshiredude (Oct 20, 2011)

Joppa, I totally agree with you, in 2 and a half years it has cost me a fortune, The criteria remains the same from the Home Office, but the economic downturn and the increases in costs, for me personally put allot of stress and worry on my shoulders, I am just an average working man, I decided to go for the premium service because no one really knows if your job is safe, my main concern if I did a postal application and my financial circumstances dramatically changed this would have a negative affect on the application. I did all the paperwork myself, for all the visas etc 
I would highly recommend the Premium service, not everyone can afford or obtain funds to pay the extra amount but if you can DO IT. The cost for my wife and 2 children £2700.00
My friend (UK) has sent a postal application for his wife (THAI) 2 weeks ago, for ILR, both working, no public funds, not been out of the UK for over 2 years, so should be a straight forward application, will be interesting to see how long it takes.


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## Yorkshiredude (Oct 20, 2011)

The information from some of the Mods on this site is fantastic, I can only speak from personnel experience starting from Fiancée Visa (6 month) then Leave to Remain Visa (2 years) and thankfully now ILR
Joppa and many others have correctly said you cannot apply for ILR until 28 days before your (partners) current visa is due to expire. 
If you go for the PEO option I highly recommend you get on the phone and make an appointment as soon as possible to get the nearest PEO to where you live.
The premium service appointments get snapped up very quick, 2 years ago, I managed to get in at Sheffield PEO, the one nearest for us. When I called for the ILR appointment this month the options I had before my wife and kids Visas ran out was Croydon and even worse for distance Northern Ireland. 
I made an appointment at Croydon
Getting that appointment is the crucial bit, even if you have to travel, Croydon was my only choice but this was going to be a 530 mile round trip.
Because you do not have to pay until you arrive at your choice of PEO, what I did was to call the appointments number every morning and ask if there had been any cancelations at a PEO nearer than Croydon, I managed in the end to get in at Liverpool, 190 mile round trip instead of 530 miles to Croydon. You can if you have an appointment at a PEO cancel and get an appointment at a PEO nearer to yourselves. Hope this helps .


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## ladyadventurer (Nov 19, 2011)

Joppa said:


> Up to around 5 months is quite possible from what I hear.
> You should have paid extra for same-day premium service, and you would have got your passport back within a few days.



I agree with this in theory - but when I made my application back in September, there is no way we could afford the extra £400 for the premium service - paying £972 + the life in the UK test was enough of a blow when I am on maternity leave and my partner is self-employed. It's a bit unfair to say you should pay the extra - not everyone has that luxury!

How they can give some answers on the same day, and some take 6 months, I don't know. 
I suppose that money really does talk.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

ladyadventurer said:


> I agree with this in theory - but when I made my application back in September, there is no way we could afford the extra £400 for the premium service - paying £972 + the life in the UK test was enough of a blow when I am on maternity leave and my partner is self-employed. It's a bit unfair to say you should pay the extra - not everyone has that luxury!
> 
> How they can give some answers on the same day, and some take 6 months, I don't know.
> I suppose that money really does talk.


I sympathise with your dilemma. But as you know, the UKBA is the only body able to meet your request, and if they say pay extra for fast turnaround, you just have to pay or wait your turn. Unfair? Yes, but there is nothing you can do about it, I'm afraid. 
It's a bit like people taking out (or getting from their employer) private medical insurance so that they can jump the NHS queue for non-urgent operations. It's a question of choice.


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## madul (Jul 7, 2012)

Joppa said:


> I sympathise with your dilemma. But as you know, the UKBA is the only body able to meet your request, and if they say pay extra for fast turnaround, you just have to pay or wait your turn. Unfair? Yes, but there is nothing you can do about it, I'm afraid.
> It's a bit like people taking out (or getting from their employer) private medical insurance so that they can jump the NHS queue for non-urgent operations. It's a question of choice.


Hi Joppa,

just wanted to ask, in case the premium service is not taking a decision within 24 hours, like they have to do, or asap such as a week time no longer than that, do you think it would be possible to sue them for the purposes of cheating people and charging that much money and forcing them to wait, as if they have paid standar 6 months charges????? 

if not what kind of actions can be taken against such unfairness?

thanks in advance.


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## AnAmericanInScotland (Feb 8, 2012)

madul said:


> Hi Joppa,
> 
> just wanted to ask, in case the premium service is not taking a decision within 24 hours, like they have to do, or asap such as a week time no longer than that, do you think it would be possible to sue them for the purposes of cheating people and charging that much money and forcing them to wait, as if they have paid standar 6 months charges?????
> 
> ...


I'm not Joppa, but I've noticed you posting about your experience in several threads and went looking for some information for you (my bold):



> To apply in person, you must book an appointment at one of our public enquiry offices. This is a same-day service, available for a premium fee, and is *only suitable for straightforward applications*


UK Border Agency | Applying from inside the UK

Pretty clear just from the info on this general information page that only simple, straightforward (meaning no complications that require further investigation by the UKBA) applications can be processed in the one-day service. UKBA puts notices on several pages that any projected timelines are for simple applications, and that any application requiring further investigation must regrettably be moved to a different timeline. 

Surely when you made your application you saw those notices? I'm equally sure you thought your application was a simple and straightforward one, but unfortunately, something in your application must have required further investigation by the UKBA, moving it from the simple, straightforward category to the complicated/needs further looking into category.

Hopefully you'll hear something soon.


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## madul (Jul 7, 2012)

well in this case if they believe that case is not straightforward they have to return the documents back as well as premium fee and ask the applicant to send everything by post. not just charging that much and then telling that they need extra time!!! this is about fairness. that's why i have consulted solicitor first before making deicision to apply in person, and have been told that people with over 100 days are applying in person additionally attaching explanations letters and getting their decision there and then, so mine is not an excuse. plus this extra 55 days were out of my countrol, and i did not make them deliberately...................

thanks for responding, i hope it will be resolved soon.


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## AnAmericanInScotland (Feb 8, 2012)

madul said:


> well in this case if they believe that case is not straightforward they have to return the documents back as well as premium fee and ask the applicant to send everything by post. not just charging that much and then telling that they need extra time!!! this is about fairness. that's why i have consulted solicitor first before making deicision to apply in person, and have been told that people with over 100 days are applying in person additionally attaching explanations letters and getting their decision there and then, so mine is not an excuse. plus this extra 55 days were out of my countrol, and i did not make them deliberately...................
> 
> thanks for responding, i hope it will be resolved soon.


Actually, they don't have to return the documents if they need to investigate further-they need the documents to assist in the investigation.

I read through your other posts again, and I think in your case the reason your application moved from straightforward to complicated is the 55 days of overstaying you racked up somehow along the way.

Because you (per your post) had a letter from your employer explaining your overstays, the staffer working on your application felt he/she had to pass your application up, and have his/her senior to examine your application (per your posts as to what explanation was given you-that the senior officer needed to look at everything). The reason for the need to pass the application to the senior might be anything from confusion over the overstaying rules, to the possibility that your employer needed to be contacted by telephone by a senior UKBA staff person.

Your immigration advisor-was he/she an authorised immigration advisor (by the OISC)? 

I'd be surprised if an authorised advisor would have been so blithe about telling you about other applications going through without also telling you that he/she is not the UKBA and therefore can't say for certain anything the UKBA will see or not see regarding the need to move an application from simple to complex. That disclaimer is standard and appropriate for OISC authorised advisors. 

I'm sorry yours wasn't more careful, and I hope you hear something soon. Perhaps the person to make a complaint to/against would be the inept immigration advisor since this has caused you so much inconvenience.


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## Jacket (Mar 8, 2012)

Joppa said:


> Nice to hear.
> It does seem odd that if you are willing to pay more and jump the queue, they can do everything in a matter of hours. In view of the very high cost of immigration applications (perhaps the highest in the world?), they should get their act together and process everyone within a reasonable time, say 2-3 weeks.


The present system is a real embarrassment. I heard it can take months but didn't believe that ILR application could actually take longer than 1-2 months, particularly for a clear cut application like my wifes'. Decent salaries, decent savings, own our own house, married 5 years, children, not taking benefits, no criminal records. It's an obvious approval.

If an application can be processed on the same day for £1500, why should it take months for a postal application costing £1000?

My wife's progress to date:


*3 July 2012*- Postal application sent: 
*6 August 2012* - Letter received saying "We have received your application, you can't have your passport back unless the application is cancelled, 90% of applications are complete within 6 months and finally, don't call us".
*6 September 2012* - Letter received requesting my wife to go to a biometrics office and provide her fingerprints (within 15 days "or else"). She did that the next day.
*8 October 2012* - the wait continues...

In the meantime, they are holding BOTH our passports, indefinitely. Is that even legal?

It's an example of the serious public sector issues we need to resolve in UK. Our system is taking intelligent people seeking work and somehow grinding them down to be as productive as a tortoise. It is wrong to dumb people down like this. It is wrong to place high expectations on the applicant yet such woefully low expectations on your own system and staff. It is wrong that it should cost £1000 to endure this "service".

The best solution may be to outsource the application process as a contract to a private company via a competitive tender, renewable every couple of years. Imagine if there are 100,000 ILR applications per year at £1000 each That is £100 million per annum. There'll be plenty of competition for a contract worth as much as that.


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## Disappointed (Sep 28, 2012)

I have been waiting for more than 7 months. Married for 32 years. A straight forward application that ticks all the boxes. We have just plain given up. No passports, missed holidays, life on hold. Wonder how many years I will have to wait?


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## 2farapart (Aug 18, 2011)

Jacket said:


> It's an example of the serious public sector issues we need to resolve in UK. Our system is taking intelligent people seeking work and somehow grinding them down to be as productive as a tortoise. It is wrong to dumb people down like this. It is wrong to place high expectations on the applicant yet such woefully low expectations on your own system and staff. It is wrong that it should cost £1000 to endure this "service".


The problem is that a big 'vote win' for every political party is to demonstrate huge cuts in the public sector without properly testing that a service is still sustainable despite those huge cuts. UKBA has been far from immune to scaling back its operations and staff under the current government, and the awful situation we see now is what usually results. Outsourcing or privatising the service costs the taxpayer and/or service customer more in the long run, especially when the private operator expects to yield a profit from its services.


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## KiwiLAW79 (Oct 14, 2012)

I'm currently grounded too 
I sent my application for ILR off in May, registered my biometrics about 4 weeks later and am still waiting. I don't like not knowing where my application is at and having no passport. I was hoping to be in Munich this weekend, but alas, I'm not.

Ho hum. I feel my life is on hold as I can't make any plans in either the near or distant future.
Hopefully we'll all get our things back soon!


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## Cathcarl528 (Oct 8, 2012)

How is everyone getting on?? Any visas yet?? My timelines are similar to yours so I'm just curious!


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## Jacket (Mar 8, 2012)

Still waiting. No news.


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## Disappointed (Sep 28, 2012)

I'm still waiting. They won't give any information.


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## Jacket (Mar 8, 2012)

Looks like none of us our going to get our passports back any day soon. There is a backlog of over 300,000 immigration applications and growing.

UK Border Agency backlog 'out of control' say MPs | UK news | guardian.co.uk

And we paid £1000 per application? What a joke.


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## KiwiLAW79 (Oct 14, 2012)

Whoop Whoop! got mine through on Wednesday after having sent it through it May. Good luck everyone and keep hangin in there.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Jacket said:


> Looks like none of us our going to get our passports back any day soon. There is a backlog of over 300,000 immigration applications and growing.
> 
> UK Border Agency backlog 'out of control' say MPs | UK news | guardian.co.uk
> 
> And we paid £1000 per application? What a joke.


While the situation described is mainly to do with asylum cases and appeals, the fact that they exist and are growing means there is less resources available to deal with normal applications, hence the general lengthening of processing and waiting times.


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## Jacket (Mar 8, 2012)

My wife's just got her visa! Such a relief. It took almost 5 months and there was very little communication from the Home Office.

Here is how it happened:


*3 July 2012*- Postal application sent.
*6 August 2012* - Letter received saying "We have received your application, you can't have your passport back unless the application is cancelled, 90% of applications are complete within 6 months and finally, don't call us".
*6 September 2012* - Letter received requesting my wife to go to a biometrics office and provide her fingerprints (within 15 days "or else"). She did that the next day.
*26 November 2012* - Received ILR via special signed delivery and passports separately by Royal Mail recorded delivery.

Good luck everyone.


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## Disappointed (Sep 28, 2012)

I applied on 8 March 2012. Almost 9 months ago. Asked to do biometrics a month ago. Total waiting time almost 9 months and still waiting. Frustrated.


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## bugplant (Feb 13, 2013)

I've read through the post in this thread. Any good news in 2013?

Here's my timeline:
26th Nov 2012: sent out the application by post
27th Nov 2012: registered my biometrics finger prints in a local post office
14th Jan 2013: still waiting, endless waiting 

back to Nov last year, I did try to use premium service, but can't book it online. Now I regret, maybe I should call UKBA to book the appointment, but I was extremely busy at work  definitely regret now, life is on hold! very frustrating!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

They are now generally processing applications received in June and July last year. So 4-5 months of further waiting is quite possible, though you may be lucky and get processed earlier.


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## bugplant (Feb 13, 2013)

Thanks Joppa for sharing the information! I know I won't be the lucky one  Just wonder if anyone has received his/her Indefinite leave to remain recently.


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## bugplant (Feb 13, 2013)

Joppa said:


> They are now generally processing applications received in June and July last year. So 4-5 months of further waiting is quite possible, though you may be lucky and get processed earlier.


I'm new to this forum, and curious how you know they are processing applications received in June and July last year. Has anyone applied around that time received his/ her documents?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

There are various voluntary listings of application timeline. While they are not definitive, they give a useful snapshot of what is happening at UKBA. Sometimes they give out concrete answers in reply to Freedom of Information queries. See UK Border Agency - view and make Freedom of Information requests - WhatDoTheyKnow


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## bugplant (Feb 13, 2013)

Thanks Jappa! Wish I found this forum before handing my application in!


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## bugplant (Feb 13, 2013)

fingers crossed it will be granted very soon. it's going to be 3 months since my application was submitted!


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## Kittylitter (Feb 24, 2013)

*Waiting almost 5 Months*

My husband is Egyptian. lived for 20 years in Italy and has Indefinite Leave to Remain in Italy but never applied for citizenship there which he was entiled to after 5 years of living and working there. He also has 20 years pension contributions he can transfer from Italy to the UK once he gets his ILR.

He is retirement age so we can't even access his pension until they process his ILR. Straightforward application. We own a home worth 600K. I am working 50K a year job.

*Timeline*
*3rd October 2012* - Posted application
*December 2012* - Biometrics done and returned
*February 2013* - Letter asking for furthe documents (we had already sent the 6 docs fom 3 sources etc but they asked for all of this again!!!???) PLUS a DAT1 form from the PSNI to prove no criminal convictions.
*24th February 2013* - Still waiting. 

Thank God I personally have an Irish passport (which I am entitled to as well as a UK passport so I have 2) so I can travel on business if I need to. My husband however is grounded. What on earth would they expect us to do if they said no and why would they say no. I am a UK citizen. Shouldn't I be entitled to live in my own country with my husband? Other European nationals can come in here freely with their entire families yet I as a UK citizen am being inspected so they can try and find some loophole to stop my husband from being able to live with his wife?

This does not feel like democracy to me.

Will update when we hear anything.


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## bugplant (Feb 13, 2013)

After almost 3 months of wait, my indefinite leave to remain came back to me today by 2nd class recorded signed for mail. I didn't find this website until about 2 months after handing in my application. Wish I did though. The form I handed in is SET(M) version 09/2012. My husband is born British, and I'm Chinese. Here's my timeline:

12/09/12: took my life in the UK test
26/11/12: posted the application by special delivery, my application is under the old rule
24/12/12: received the 2nd class letter from UKBA asking me to register my biometric information
27/12/12: registered my Biometric information in a local post office
27/02/13: received the result of my application by recorded signed for service, the letter was dated on 23/02/12, saying the biometric resident permit will be on its way by a courier.

I heard nothing at all between these days.

From Aug 2012 - Nov 2012, I did try to book for premium service, but it was not available online. I don't know how other people here manage to book it. Maybe you can call them? I'm not sure.

It was not nice to wait, the uncertainty, the anxiety made me feel I couldn't see my future. So, if you can book for a premium service, both my husband and I would highly recommend it!

I took every evening of a week to study and follow the instructions for the application on UKBA website, filled out the forms by myself and my husband checked it for me. These are the things I didn't do in the application, and these things all worried me when I was waiting. But as my indefinite leave to remain has been granted, I think they don't matter too much? or if I had avoided these, would the result come back to me quicker?:
1. I use my maiden name in my passport, life in the UK test, and driving license, but everything else, I put my husband's family name after my maiden name. Eg. my maiden name is "A B", but in my bank statement, my name shows as "A B-C"
2. I had an identifying mole in the id pictures in my passport and resident permit, but I had it removed when registering my biometric.
3. Silly enough, I forgot to attach a cover letter!
4. we didn't have any official jointly addressed mail at all. The only document showing a joint address is a photo copy of our mortgage application certificate issued from HSBC. (The estate agent took our original document, and returned a photocopy one to us!)
5. I have a master degree from a UK university, but didn't mention that at all in the application (I was really busy at work in Nov last year when handing in my application). I think if you have any qualifications, mentioning them in the cover letter and showing the officer the qualifications should help the officer to judge that you would be fine to live here without any public funding.
6. I didn't hand in my husband's saving account. The latest 3 months current account which shows he only has about £100 cash. Of course I did hand in both of our full time employment contract letters, 3 months' pay slips and my 3 months £21k saving on my name. We are not rich.
7. My nationality is Chinese, but my current passport was issued in Washington DC, US. I didn't attach a letter to explain why and UKBA didn't ask. 

When looking back, these minor mistakes sound silly, but started from Feb this year, I really regreted I should spend more time on the application form and do it better. 

This is my application journey. Time to start the next chapter now. Wish everyone here receive the result you want


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## bugplant (Feb 13, 2013)

just double checked, from 26/11/12 when the application was sent till today 27/02/13 when everything came back to me, it's 3 months, not "almost"


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## Santa Rosa (Mar 13, 2013)

Hi, applied for FLR(M) for 2nd extension as spouse (US passport) in late November (letter dated 27 Nov 2012 from UKBA that they received application). Biometrics letter of instruction on 7 Feb 2013. UKBA returned passports on 11 March 2013. About 14 weeks of waiting in an unknown and opaque process.


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## vanmartk (Sep 19, 2013)

*Still waiting....*

I sent mine in at the beginning of October 2013. I just recently tried phoning to see if I can find anything out and they say just wait. :nono: I have gotten my biometric scan request and had it sent out a few months ago thinking it would go quickly after that but still nothing. :shocked:
I have literally stopped thinking about it or running to check the post as soon as the postman drops it through the slot. 
My work has been asking me how its going and I have nothing to tell them. I think they are worried I will be shipped out lol :ranger:


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## SherriH (Nov 14, 2010)

Joppa said:


> Up to around 5 months is quite possible from what I hear.
> You should have paid extra for same-day premium service, and you would have got your passport back within a few days.


I wish I had done that! I paid the extra when I first applied for the visa and got the reply in a week. I'm up to four months now and starting to stress rather badly....


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

This is a thread from more than a year ago. SET(M) postal applications now take around 2-3 months, so you are a bit untypical but not widely so. Hope you hear from them soon.


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## SherriH (Nov 14, 2010)

Joppa said:


> This is a thread from more than a year ago. SET(M) postal applications now take around 2-3 months, so you are a bit untypical but not widely so. Hope you hear from them soon.


Thanks; knowing that does help a bit. You gave me good advice two years ago and I appreciate it all over again!  I had to ask for my husband's passport back as he started a new job last month, and we got it in the mail 2 days later so I KNOW they've got easy access to it! :fingerscrossed:


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