₦airaland Forum

Ebeano49: @jenni1108 - It is possible to speed the review up and an MP can help. I actually met my MP on Friday and he was amazed to learn that Home Office (UKBA) is going to take 5 months (19 weeks) to even look at the additional documents they asked for. He promised to write them today demanding they review/consider my appeal urgently. I'm hoping and praying this works!

I think the MP route is pretty much the only way to quicken ECM's review because even AIT can't do anything until the 19 weeks is up.

Positive result from your MP, I will definitely be contacting mine tomorrow! As per Johnwray's response it might be worth raising your reasons to expedite the appeal to the AIT and then possibly using your MPs email to support your case.

Continuing to trust that God will grant us all favour, He will bless the work of our hands as He leads and guides us in to all truth.

mato-justo:
@Ebeano49,Lamosy,and girlfio,Thanks so much for the enlightment.but what is the difference between IA201 and IA10,becos they wrote in their first mail to me that IA201 has been sent to relevant parties concerning the Appeal on hw the payment should be made.am still having little problem with the Tribunal,they ask me to pay for my Appeal b4 02/07/2013,i was sent the message on 27th of june and my sponsor in uk paid for my Appeal the second day which is 28th of june,i wrote to them dat my sponsor in uk as help me to pay for the Appeal on 28th of june,so they wrote back to me dat they will need up to 10days for the payment to clear into their system,aft that 10days i wrote to them dat am still waiting for their reply,they mail back again that they still see dat a fee is still due for the Appeal dat i should send them the format and the name of the acct holder,the name of the bank and address which payment was made,and the sort code.my sponsor make the payment through online Transfer.so i send them all the format and all what they ask of,so they wrote back to me that they have seen my mail and as been forwarded to the fee investigation team to dealth with if accordingly,still waiting for their reply.

I've done some searches, can't find what the IA201 form is but the IA10 is the notice of pending appeal. This is the notice you receive once your payment has been processed and the appeal bundle has been sent to Sheffield for the initial ECM review. This notice will give you the deadline for the UKBA to respond back to you with their review decision [ 19 weeks from the date it has been received by the Sheffield office]. I see that you've replied to them with the details of the payment made, since the fee was paid online, your sponsor should also have a receipt for this transaction, it may also be worth sending this to them as well. As long as you can prove that payment was indeed made, you need to keep calling the Leicester office [+44 300 123 1711] to find out what is being done to investigate the whereabouts of your payment. They won't forward your appeal on to the Sheffield office until this payment is confirmed so its worth chasing them to make sure they identify the whereabouts of your fee.

Ebeano49: That's correct. It means they have received your appeal and processed the payment. Next is to put your appeal documents together and send them plus IA10 form to UKBA for ECM's review which someone could sit on for no reason. An email/call will make someone check the status of your documents and stuff to make sure it is not being delayed unnecessarily.

I emailed them on 17th and they replied on 18th saying my appeal was sent to UKBA on the same 18th. That could be a coincidence but calling and emailing them didn't cost me anything.

I definitely agree. Its important to keep in regular contact with both the Leicester office and again once its sent to Sheffield for ECM review. They do respond quickly and it keeps your case visible and limits any possible delays

@lamosy

So good to hear from you, so great about the job offer, pray that the DBS comes through for you quickly, our God is always on time.

Thank you for those kind words, I'm celebrating Gods favour in advance of its full manifestation. He who started a good work shall see it through to completion.

Hope you're enjoying this hot weather, Summer has truly arrived!

target007: Hi guys, I just want you to see the processing times stated by UKBA on their site ... are they tallied with what we have been seeing here over the past months, especially May and June applications settlement visa?

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/general-info/processing-times/#resultTableAnchor

Your comments will be highly valuable.

Not sure what the time frame is for applications under this new process but my husbands application was done by the Sheffield office and it took about 5 weeks. I thought maybe it was quick because it was refused but then I've noticed some people who applied after us who got refused after 2 months. Its so difficult to gage but I'm so sure that you'll be ok. Based on all the information you provided, if they even try to refuse your application, I will go down to the Sheffield office with you to protest!! Don't worry about the length of your relationship, I met and married my husband within 6 months but our relationship was still deemed legitimate based on the evidence we supplied [much like what you submitted]. It will all work out well, God is on your side.

@Nero Indigo

Wow what a journey, so glad that God was with you throughout, I can't imagine it would have been possible without Him. I'm so excited for your family, they are going to be so very happy when they receive this great news! I may still be waiting for my husband to come home but I celebrate with you like I will do when I receive the same great news. We do need to keep this thread alive, not everyone will comment but I truly believe that the positive impact goes beyond the updates we see here daily. All the best for the future, I trust God that the UK will treat you well, you deserve it.

@supermario1

Amazing news, I'm so very happy for you, this has been well overdue, thank God you've now received the result that you've been seeking. All the best for the future.

darlene 10: Pls girlfio mine was refused for same reason not havin d payslips on company letter head.so if am submitting d appeal is it the original or copies dat I put in?

Its so painful when they do this cause they should be able to get all this information from the NI number we supply in the original application!

You can submit originals or copies of the payslips but just make sure if they are not printed on company headed paper that you accompany the payslips with a letter from your company stating that the payslips are authentic. Even if they are on headed paper still submit a letter from your HR dept stating your gross yearly income and how long you've worked there, If you have a P60, include that as well.

@Godson311

So sorry to hear about your refusal, Johnwray is right, a new application is the expensive option and there is also no guarantee that they won't find some other reason to refuse the application again! If you have the money though you can always still lodge the appeal and make a fresh application at the same time

1 - evidence of a pending wedding - maybe you could submit receipts for anything that you've already bought for the wedding e.g wedding dress, favours, décor items. Make a note in your statement that you cannot make bookings for the church, registry or reception because the wedding date can only be confirmed once you know when you'll be able to enter the country i.e. visa awarded.

2 - refer to Johnwrays response. This will be where you need the most evidence. Provide the same 6 months payslips, if you can also provide a p60 that shows that gross wage for the past year met the requirements then even better. If possible also get a letter from your sponsors employer stating gross earnings and length of employment.

Trusting God that everything will go well for you

mato-justo:
@girlfio.justwise and johnwray,Thanks so much, maybe i should wait for the 10days to Elapes b4 given them a call or mail not to show too much despiration,but maybe i will send the mail they sent to me to my sponsor in uk,today is just 8working days now,two more days to that 10working days,pls just want ask,what IA201,becos the first mail they sent to me to go and pay for my Appeal,they wrote that IA201 have been sent to all parties for the payment to be made.

not sure what form that is, it could just be the form that you fill in to provide your payment details for them to process

mato-justo:
@justwise and johnwray and all forum mate,pls i was sent an Email on 27/06/2013 by the tribunal to pay my appeal fees latest 02/07/2013,so my sponsor in uk help me to pay on 28/07/2013 been the second day of they sent the mail to me. So on the 1st of july i sent an Email to them to inform the Tribunal that my sponsor in uk have paid for my appeal on 28th of June and my appeal refference num and my appeal num,and they sent an Email back to me,dat the have received the mail i sent to them,that despite the mail i sent to them,they will need up to 10working days for the payment to clear in their Acct,that after dat they will right to me.but yet to receive any mail,just want ask that what should i be expecting aft this,and what will be the next step in my Appeal?

Yes, it takes about 10 days for them to register the payment on their system, so by the end of this week the payment should have registered, might be worth giving them a call to confirm. Once that happens it takes them about 2 weeks to then put your appeal bundle together and then send it to the Sheffield office. Once its sent to Sheffield, a letter will be sent to the representative with official notification of your appeal. This letter will also notify you of the 19 week period and the deadline set for the ECM to review of your case.

bubblygirl78: Hello everyone,

Just got a court date of anovember 27th So we have decided to reapply.

Can anyone intimate me on this new application process ?

I don't believe there has been any real change in the process, I believe there is a new form to fill in and it probably costs slightly more for the application but it would probably be best to check the UKBA website. I've just had a quick glance, looks like you'll need all the same documents. Just focus on proving beyond any doubt your relationship, financial status of the sponsor and the suitability of your accommodation. Its also a lot easier to prove your English language by doing the test, unless you attended a recognised UK university. Trusting God that it will all work out for you this time.

@ Folafad

Sorry to hear about your visa experiences. As I understand it, the most important part of applying for a tourist visa is to prove a strong tie to your native country. You need to have an established business or job that is a clear indication that you have every intention of returning. As a tourist you will need to show a good understanding of the sites you want to visit, if you are travelling to visit friends and family instead then make that clear in your application. My only piece of advise is that although every application is reviewed based on its merit, I would think that multiple attempts within a short space of time for the same visa might be treated with suspicion. If you are planning on making any future applications just make sure you provide evidence for each of the visa requirements listed on the UKBA website.

darlene 10: @ girlfio pls can u help me with sheffield number need to contact them on how to return my supporting documents.i think i did it the wrong way.hope ur enjoyin uk.keep prayin for us .tanx

The Sheffield office do not have a published telephone number but as long as you've received notification that your appeal bundle has been sent to Sheffield you can email them on visasheffield@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk. If you've only just submitted your appeal to the Leicester office then you can give them a call on +44 (0)300 123 1711

Ebeano49: Unfortunately for us my wife's application was refused!

Reasons:

1 - She didn't include the original marriage certificate; she submitted a photocopy.

2 - We didn't include all past 6 months payslips. (Incidently they retunred the application pack and right in there are my 12 payslips AND P60).

3 - We didn't include 'enough' evidence of contact. (I was only able to retrieve 3 months chat history from whatsapp and few Skype conversations. I mainly do Skype video calls with my wife and Viber voice call when data connection is too poor for skype, not quite sure how to retrieve 'enough' evidence right now).

I am too tired and dejected now... don't know what to think/do!

@ Justwise and all,

I have asked for the rejection pack to be sent to me so I can submit an appeal from here myself. Hope that's OK? Does she have to submit the appeal herself?

So sorry to hear about your refusal, this whole system is just so frustrating.

Now, I would have thought that it would be a lot quicker for the UK sponsor to submit the appeal in the UK since that's where all the documents are going to go anyway. I'm sure someone will speak up if I'm wrong about that.

I know its difficult right now to think about what you have to do next but the best place to start is in producing the documents that will satisfy each of the points raised by the ECO. Source the original marriage certificate. Provide the 6 month payslips [again!] but this time if you can arrange for them to be signed by a senior manager at the place of work and accompanied by a letter on headed paper from your HR department stating that they are authentic. I had to do the same for mine because my payslips were refused cause they didn't have the name of where I work on them [ridiculous!]. In terms of proving your relationship, this will be where you want to get as much evidence as you can showing consistent communications. I'm sure you can upload your whatsapp conversations on to your PC, it might even be worth printing these off.

I'm trusting God that He will make the way ahead clear for you.

jenni1108: I sent my pack today and filled in the representative and sponsor details with the same details. i plan to call the 0300 number from next week to start the chasing up process.

been feeling very low over this issue - I can't believe this visa was refused - think the reality has only just hit me.

I felt the same way when I handed in the appeal form. Its frustrating cause once you're no longer caught up in getting everything together you then have to put your life back in to the hands of the very same people that refused your application in the first place! The most important thing is to realise that you've now done all you can do, seek God to now step in on your behalf. You will have low moments but remember every day that passes is a day closer to this all being over.

loomjet: Hello everyone! I sent my appeal pack to the trubunal today but I didn't fill the part for representative. I only filled the sponsors part. Does that mean my sponsor won't be allow to represent me. But I ticked the option that my sponsor would give evidence in court

The guidance notes for filling in the form says as follows:

Section 6 – Sponsor Details

If you have decided to have a sponsor (see page 2 - 3) enter their details in this section.
By ticking the box in this section, the named sponsor can obtain information that relates to your appeal such as confirmation of any hearing dates and venue, and the status of the appeal (eg awaiting hearing, heard and awaiting decision), The outcome will be only be sent to the appellant and their representative). If you wish your sponsor to receive all information relating to your appeal, including copies of any determinations and appeal bundles, they must be named as a non-legal representative in section 5.

I would advise that either yourself or your sponsor just give the Leicester office a call [[0044] 0300 123 1711] and ask if its possible to add your sponsor as your representative once your appeal has been logged on their system. It could be assumed that since you've only mentioned a sponsor that they are automatically your representative but I'm not sure.

@loomjet

You might find it easier if you just copy and paste each of the refusal points made by the ECO into your statement. Under each of these points list the documents you've submitted to support the matter, give reasons why the decision made by the ECO should be overturned based on the evidence you've supplied.

Trusting God that He will give you the right words, just make your points clear and speak from the heart, God will do the rest.

mato-justo:
@Justwise and Johnwray and Lamosy, still looking for ur help and Advice on my Appeal case,i try to E-mail the first tier tribunal immigration and Asylum chamber of leicester,to help ask the tribunal upper room of loughborough to foward my Appeal to them, but is not going through,so i decide to mail Loughborough upper chamber with all my data to confirm dat i mistakenly submitted my Appeal to their Address,that they should help me to foward it to the right Address for the Appeal to begin is process,and they send back a confirmation to confirm the received my mail that it will be deal with in 10 working days.pls i still need u pple to tell me what to do next.

I could be wrong and I'll ask Justwise to correct me if this wouldn't work but if you still have a copy of the appeal package that you sent to the wrong address, why not just send that same package to Leicester along with the proof of postage to the Loughborough address and copies of the emails that you've sent to explain the mis-sending of your appeal form. At least you won't have to wait for Loughborough to locate your forms and then it will be with the Leicester office to determine if they can waver the 28 deadline for your case.

@jenni1108


So sorry to hear about your refusal, this whole process is just ridiculous and does not take in to account the pain felt by those in a legitimate relationship.

Really good to hear that you've sourced all documents and shown in your appeal statement how each of these documents respond to their refusal points. The bank statements should be up to the same period of your payslips. If possible, have each page stamped by your bank. We were refused because my bank statements were printed from my online account and not stamped on every page by the counter staff at my bank (just silly!) Also highlight on the bank statements the points at which your pay hits your account.

About how long it all takes, unless you have a strong reason why the appeal should be expedited, it can take about 8 weeks for the Leicester office to process the appeal i.e. log, take the payment and then send the bundle to the Sheffield office. Then once at the Sheffield office they give themselves 5 months from that point. The thing is, the waiting time is all really based on how busy the UKBA office is so it could happen sooner. You've just got to stay in regular contact with them to get updates, stay prayerful and trust that God is working it all out for you.

mirabeelz: @lamosy and everyone
I do apologize for being away for this long,the God of Lamosy settled my case for me on the 11th of june,two weeks after my 19 weeks..I am leaving for London come moro morning 10:10am with virgin,the waiting became so painful that i just couldnt write again. but on the 11th of june God settled my case for Me,I still can't believe am actually leaving and am soooo sooo grateful to all my beautiful mates n special thanks to my one and only God sent mate lamosy,am pretty sure you in Uk nw bt ,I tried mailing you but it won't come through..miss u a lot and its feeels Iv come to know you n am glad I met you when I needed help n care,,,,to everyone waiting this is what I have to say your miracle is just around thee corner panic not and keep praying,God knows your case and with him you have no case...lots of love
@ bubblygirl 78,miss u a lot and I so know you next to fly out,op you duin gud..

This is my timeline
Applied on july 2012
Refused on October 2012
Appealed on October 2012
ECM to respond on 28 may 2013
Refusal overturn on 11th june 2013,two weeks after the 19 weeks .Was called not mailed
Submitted passport n tb certificate on 12th june 2013 and
Visa received that same day at 3:00pm
Plus tribunal gave us 31st july for paper appeal consideration should the decision hasn't gottten overturned.
Been the hardest waiting I have ever done in my life...Lol..

awww, that's great news babe. Its been long but thank God that the life ahead of you will be worth the wait. Have a safe flight, hopefully Summer will have finally arrived by the time you get here tomorrow, it needs to stop raining!!

lamosy: @girlfio

God is the greatest of all. you will be singing your own song soon by his grace. This forum has helped alot of people. The God of this forum has been very good and kind to all forum mates. May his name be glorified and praised forever. Little more time you'll be done with all this issue of visa stuff. I know you're strong, just put your trust in God he will see you thru. Cheers dearie.

Thank you so much lamosy, I really needed to hear that. Trusting God for that good and great news very soon.

kutklose: @ every1 in the house

I praise the name of the most High GOD for HIS Grace, kindness, mercy, faithfulness. GOD is good and He will always answer our prayers. I called the high commission on monday and I am happy to say my appeal has been allowed and was asked to come submit my passport at the BHC.Its still like a dream.
Thank you guys for you prayers and support, this forum has been a major source of strenght and I am grateful to all.
Johnwray ur various post encourages and pushes one to act, lamosy u encourage us with Gods words, and I did act, sent an email to them last week wednesday and got a response this week.
Remember am just in the 15th wk of the 19wks period. GOD is good all the time.

This is great news, God is so great

isabeth: thanks for all yr advice one way or the order,my EEA family permit visa was granted within a month,I submitted my application at ikeja centre on the 14th of May and my application was ready 13june,so happy

Great news, enjoy!

loomjet: pls can anyone help , i submitted my application for spouse visa april 5 , 2013 and am still waiting . my wife meets all the requirement and i submitted all docs including her 6 months payslip, 6 months bank statement and a letter of employment from her employer. i did not submit her p60 because it wasnt issued to her at the time i submitted my application. will the p60 be a problem? and aslo have been waiting for 10 weeks now, how long more do i need to wait> pls advice

The UKBA have given themselves a guide of responding to 95% of settlement applications within 12 weeks and 100% within 24 weeks. I know its a pain having to wait but you've done all you can do at this stage. All being well, you could hear from them within 2 weeks. P60 is not mandatory, as long as you submitted all the payslips along with a letter from the employer that's fine. Just continue to trust that God has it all in control, expect good news soon.

tigoomoniyi: [b][/b]Hi everyone, want to say a big thank you to you all on this thread. Special mention goes to Justwise,Johnwray and Lamosy. Your knowledge,prayers and contribution has helped make thousands smile.

I applied for Settlement last year as a dependent adult child of my Mother and Stepdad. I was refused based on the reason that I'm above 18yrs and I should be able to cater for myself. It was a long harrowing journey for me because the only family I ever know are thousands of miles away. Before the application my mother who is a British citizen called Home office to ask if it was possible for me to join the remaining family(Mum,Stepdad and 2bros and sis;all british citizen) the answer was yes.

We appealed the decision last June and it took well over 3months before AIT acknowledged payment. To cut the story short, the 19weeks went by in Feb 2013 and yet the ECM still maintained the decision. So the case dragged on to hearing and my mum, stepdad and 2 siblings had to rep me in court. To God be the glory we won the case and now the Judge asked the ECO to refund the appeal fee back to us.

I am sharing my story because it's God that moved and gave us favour and also to challenge people to believe that its only God that can do it.

The last phase now is how to make them call me so I can submit my passport.I have tried calling BDHC but they haven't been picking. I emailed them to state the decision arrived by judge at the hearing. They replied that: "please be informed that all relevant doc relating to the appeal has been sent to the First-tier Tribual on 18th February 2013. The tribunal will contact you and your sponsor to advise the date the immigration judge will review your case"

My question is: Could it be that the BDHC are yet to get the appeal determination? Since they stated above that the tribual will contact me. This is because the hearing held on April 30th and decision was made in my favour on May 15th 2013.

Also, how long will it take them to call me for my Visa?

My lawyer advised I shouldn't call them again that it will show I'm desperate. The truth is I am! And its not a joke for one to be forcefully separated from one's family.

So that's my story.

I'm sure the other guys on this forum will be able to better advise you on what you should do next to get your passport sorted with the awarded visa. I just wanted to encourage you that it is in no way desperate to keep phoning the immigration office. If they have not given you instruction or an indication of when you'll receive your visa then you are well within your rights to keep contacting them. I would say that you follow up phone calls with an email, making clear that you request instructions on the submission of your passport. Make sure all references pertaining to your appeal are included in the email. In my experience they should not take long to get back to you.

jenni1108: hi all, do i have to wait for the 12 weeks from the application date before calling UKBA here in the UK about my husbands application, we meet all the criteria so i have no idea why the decision is taking this long (approaching 10 weeks).

I really don't know what to do again.

There is no harm in calling at any time in the process but I expect you would get a better response from the UKBA if the allotted deadline had passed. I know this process is so long, I feel your pain, I've been separated from my husband for months now. You're nearly there now, I pray you get the good news soon.

TinyO: Hey Johnwray, girlo,

Like Johnwray said, ur reason has to be really good for it to be expidited. I remember I had a high risk pregnancy and it wasn't good enough for the judge to have to expidite it... The 19weeks may seem long but it reduces daily....

Johnwray, thanks for yesterday. I have been told to call back next week for an update regarding the passport....

Thanks TinyO. Yeah, I realise we don't have a strong enough reason to put in a request to expedite our appeal. I was gonna write a begging letter hoping that loving and missing my husband very much would be reason enough but I think I know how they would reply to that! Just got to keep praying and trusting that God's favour has gone before us. I pray that everything gets sorted with your passports and everything soon. Just keep emailing and phoning, your breakthrough is just around the corner.

johnwray: You need a strong reason why he cannot wait till then. compose the letter with evidence and send to the President of the First-tier Tribunal clearly marked: REAH The First-Tier Tribunal to:
Office of the Duty Judge
Expedited Appeal Hearing Requests
First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber)
PO Box 6987
Leicester LE1 6ZX

Thank you Johnwray, really appreciate your advise. God bless you with great life, love and happiness

johnwray: FYI

I am sure most people will be wondering why I am on here. I am the nominated representative for my cousin's appeal here in the UK. I appealed on her behalf late April around 22nd and her 19 weeks ends on 4th of october. I then did a couple of things to expedite it. Yesterday she got an email that it has been overturned so she was asked to send her passport to Sheffield via courier. the whole process took less than 2 months. She has sent the passport today with return envelope through DHL. I will update forum mates when she gets it back. I know what to do as soon as the passport reaches their office.

Dont worry guys, I am here for you guys... feel free to ask questions anytime. I know my right as a citizen... Good luck to you all and God bless. Lamosy - You are blessed... your story made me want to share my knowledge.

@ johnwray

Thank you so much for this story, its really encouraging, can you share what you did to expedite your cousins appeal. My husband's 19 weeks is also up in October, I'd just like to know if there is anything I can do?

Hello everyone

Just wanted to say a special thank you to all those that have contributed and supported throughout this thread. Your advise has been invaluable and has made what is a difficult process a little bit more bearable. It would seem that with this recent change in process, we are likely to see a sharp increase in visa applications being rejected and being forced down the appeal route. Forums like this are going to become even more important. When I last spoke to the Leicester office the guy said that they've recently received a significant increase in appeal cases which is delaying the whole process even the more. Scary when you think that this is affecting peoples lives.

I'm a UK citizen, appeal has now been submitted for my husband to settle over here from Nigeria. Our "19 week" period only started last week but I'm trusting God for a miracle. Our application was refused because I didn't have my bank statements stamped and my payslips weren't signed!! It is at this point that there is not much more you can do but pray, stand your ground and fight for your right to be a family. I just wanted to encourage others to fear not, as God orders your steps, you'll walk right in to victory.

@johnwray

Thanks for the advise, I will be spending the next few weeks penning just the right email to send if we still haven't heard anything by the 14th week. If there are any particular words or phrases that I should use for optimum impact, please feel free to share!

@lamosay

Just wanted to thank you personally for sharing your journey, I don't think you'll ever know how many lives you've impacted by making yourself available for God to use. Your journey did not end when you got the visa, its only just begun

Stay blessed people, pray for me as I do for you.
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