₦airaland Forum

adetorosey: See why I like this forum? I wasn't even thinking of sending email to them before, Now my 36th sense has woken.

Thanks girlfio, I appr8

Oh my days, I didn't even see that it was you when I replied, I just read the good news and didn't even see your name at the top! I was praying for you the other day, cause you've been going through the same as me at home in the UK waiting for your loved one. God is so good. Let us know what they say about sending the passport back.

[quote author=adetorosey][/quote]Oh wow, this is such wonderful news! I was just saying today that I'm looking forward to hearing some good news from a visa appeal, I'm so very happy for you guys. When did you submit your appeal?

I believe from previous posts that it can take a couple of weeks from when you send the passport to then get it back. DHL would be advisable. I'm not sure how they send the passport back, maybe someone else on this forum can advise. I would have thought that they send it back to the British High Commission in Nigeria and then your wife would collect it from there. Might be an idea to send an email to the Sheffield office to confirm how your wife will get her passport back

There is nothing more to worry about now, the hard part is over, happy days!

leeon2011: What is means ( IA10 NOTICE )

This is the notice you should have received when your appeal bundle was sent to the office where the ECM will review your case. On this notice would have been the deadline for this review, which will be 19 weeks after the date on the notice.

leeon2011: I received from visaSheffield

As your application and appeal was not processed in Sheffield, I am unable to give you any information regarding the outcome of your appeal.  You should however be notified of the result of the appeal shortly after the deadline date you received when it was originally submitted


But my deadline finnish on 8th of August still not hear anyfink form them

On the notice of appeal letter that you received which gave you this deadline of 8th August it should have also noted that a copy has been issued to your representative, here it will give your lawyers name and then underneath that it should then say copy has been sent to visa office and next to that should be the name of the visa office where your appeal will be reviewed by the ECM. This is where you should be directing your emails to. Might also be worth you asking your lawyer for a copy of the emails they've been sending. Your lawyer should be able to advise you who you need to be contacting to get an update on your case.

leeon2011: indian appeal . So if I mail on this Id

VisaSheffield@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Can they give update
I ask coz they say this when I mail them

Please note the Sheffield Visa Section currently only deals with settlement applications lodged in:

·         The United States of America

·         Canada (non priority cases only) and

·         Nigeria

No, the Sheffield office do not deal with visa appeals for India. I believe they are processed at the Loughborough office. Not too sure how they can be contacted but it might be worth contacting the office where you submitted your appeal.

adetorosey: Hi Guys, Update just came in from Sheffield.

Dear Ms XXXX,

Thank you for your email.

Unfortunately there is no further update that we can give you at this time. Your appeal will be reviewed before the deadline date.

Kind regards,

Sheffield Visa Section

I am kind of scared guys. What could this mean?

The positive here is that they have made a declaration in writing to you that your case will be reviewed before the deadline date. I would advise that if you haven't heard anything about a week before your deadline date that you reply to this email stating " As per the below email, we have been assured that our case will be reviewed before the deadline date of 27th Sept. Please confirm that our case has been sent to the ECM."

leeon2011: Hi johnwray Can u give me format for sheffield like whtat to write any ya email address tooAnd I mail on AIT what u give me email id but is sow that undelivered

Since you're now in your 22nd week might be an idea to call AIT [UK 0300 123 1711] for an immediate response.

dagreytanown: hi guys!

I am Roi from the Philippines.

for how long does an appeal takes? for in my case i would say is not a major issue why the ECO refused my application. My appeal letter and form together with my documents is already in the FTT-IAC last friday (August 23, 2013).

Please advice.

thank you!

Hi Roi. I expect the visa appeal cases for the Philippines are managed the same way as all others so generally it takes between 4-6 weeks for the appeal to be processed and for you to then receive the notice of appeal which will give you a deadline for review. It can then take between 4-6 months for cases to then have an initial review by the ECM. That is when a decision will be made to either overturn the refusal or take the case to court.

adetorosey: I might not have the patience to wait for your reply. I will rather go ahead with my case on here. My wife was refused settlement visa in March 2013 and we appeal in April 2013. The lapse date given in Sept 2013. I just came back from naija. Trust me the wait is so agonizing. I came across ur numerous posts when I was searching if my wife could come visit me as I have missed her so much.
Now str8 to my point, I will appreciate if you could help with a draft format of letter to send to sheffield office, lagos office and my Local MP.
I have met all points highlighted by the ECO in the refusal letter especially my tax return for my self-employment, but I have made the payment as it is'nt due until January 2014.
I could furnish you with more information (I don't mind). I need all the help I could get at this point. I will provide you my private email address if you want.
Thanks for helping out on this forum. I know God sees your hard work and He will surely touch life where needed.

I would think that you need to start by contacting the Sheffield office via email. Johnwray mentioned in one of his posts that cases are usually reviewed by an ECM during the 14 week period. Its possible that your case is currently being reviewed. Just send an email to visasheffield@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk, give them the name and date of birth of the applicant along with the appeal reference number, note that you are the sponsor and husband of the applicant. Then just say something like "We have been advised of the 19 week period, the deadline of which is --------. Could someone please let me know if our case has been forwarded to the ECM for review." They should get back to you within a few days. Trusting God for a positive outcome.

damyoyepitan: Hi girlflo ,pls wat info do I neEd to send to my husband so he can do the online appeal and fill it on my behalf.pls I need a sample of reconsideration letter as well

Grounds of your appeal document - Either yourself or your husband can write this one. This is where you list each of the points raised in the refusal letter, under each point note which documents you've included to appeal the decision and make clear the reasons why you are appealing against the decision made by the ECO.

Send a copy of the refusal letter.

Send all the phone bills you included in the initial application. As I mentioned before, you will also need to include phone calls made from the start of your relationship if you have them, if not you'll have to explain how you communicated during these periods and why you don't have access to records which will evidence contact. Also send all other documents you sent with the initial application to evidence your relationship, e.g. emails, photos etc. If you have any that you did not include then send these as well.

Send the money transfer receipts that you included with the application so that you can explain in your grounds for appeal why each one was sent and that money was only ever sent when needed and was therefore not a regular arrangement.

Include anything else which supports and evidences your relationship.

I don't have any examples of reconsideration letters but basically what you will ask is for the entry clearance office to reconsider their decision based on the evidence supplied in the initial application. You'll have to explain why you don't need to supply additional evidence via the appeals process in order to support your eligibility for the visa.

loomjet: Hello forum mates! I got my ack letter today and the ECM to respond by 31st of dec! Am thinking of sending a reconsideration letter to sheildfield while my appeal is it on! Just want to know if I can do that! Thanks all!

I could be wrong but I think that the reconsideration letter is something you do before the appeal has been logged. Its a letter that you send to the ECO office to reconsider their decision based on the initial application, i.e. they cannot review any additional documents. They don't usually respond to these for cases that have a full right of appeal but as we saw from Halle's case there can always be an exception. If you have strong reasons to request an early review of your case then you can go down the route to expedite your appeal. If not, then just stay in contact with them, email them every month or so to get an update on the progress of your case. Its likely that they'll review your case around about the 14 week period so you may even hear something from the ECM before 31st December.

Mrs F: @ justwise the lawyer advised us to reapply again shud we do this or just wait for the appeal? And wats the likelihood that the decision would be overturned with the NHS letter and the receipt?

If you don't mind paying for it, you can do both at the same time, that way, should the worst happen you can still return to the appeal. Its important to remember that once your case has been refused, they are likely to scrutinise your application even the more so having the appeal running at the same time will give you that fall back should you need it.

jenni1108: Please justwise and others I think I’m just recovering from a heart attack right now – just called the tribunal who gave me a worse case situation of next summer for a hearing date if the UKBA do not overturn their decision – please what can I do to find out what is going on – my husband’s appeal bundle is in Sheffield (that’s what they just told me). I don’t think my sanity and mental health can take anymore of this – sorry if I sound dramatic but it has reached that point. I now don’t even have leave left due to taking time off to go to nigeria due to visiting lawyers, MP office prepare appeal pack and other issues this year.

If anyone can help then it would be appreciated as I am trying hard not to cry while typing this in an open plan office

I understand your pain but there is no point calling the Tribunal office at this stage, the only information they can give you is general and not based on your case and they will always give you the worst case scenario. Until you hear otherwise, believe that that the ECM will overturn the refusal. The only way to make it through this whole thing is to wait well. Every 2/3 weeks send an email to Sheffield to find out if the review of your case has been scheduled and before you know it you will have the outcome you've been seeking.

leeon2011: Hi I mail them twice still no responseIs that take time 12 week to get any news Or they will overtun or is gon'n in hearing

Not sure why they are not getting back to you. When I email the Sheffield office [visasheffield@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk] I get an automatic email return that states that they aim to respond to all emails within 2 days. Try re-sending your email again and note that you haven't had a response to your last update request. A while back Johnwray mentioned that they tend to forward cases on for ECM review during the 14th week, so its possible you could hear from them soon.

@halle26

This is great news, I love it when God works out a miracle, have a great honeymoon you guys

damyoyepitan: He was d one who sent evrythin to sheffied for me so dey r to return it bk to him wit d address he gave dem .so I dnt know which appeal his to do maybe online or paper so we can start gathering All new docs togeda and den he can den send and sort it .its so devastatin dt appeal takes like 6months though ,aftr dt wen dey ask u to send ur passport ,it cud take another one or two months ..God

I know, one thing we can be sure of with this process is that it will take time but as long as you submit strong documents to support your case you can be confident of a good result. Aim to get the appeal submitted within the next week. Stay prayerful my dear.

damyoyepitan: Thank you but ow abt my supporting documents ,will my husband have to mail dem @ sheffield so they can send it to him or what

Im not sure how it works when you make an online application, maybe if there is someone here on this forum that filed their appeal this way they can advise you. I submitted for my husband here in the UK by posting the form along with the additional documents that we wanted to submit in support of our appeal against their refusal points. If you have the documents that you want to include then you can send them to your husband to send after you've lodged the appeal. You can let them know to expect more paperwork on the form. You don't have to submit all the documents that were included in the initial application unless you are using it to support your appeal

damyoyepitan: Thanks girlflo,they also said dt from july 2012 dat we met till may dat we got married ,his only been to nigerua twice ,how to we go abt dt ,does my husband nid a lawyer or d mp or wat is d next step ,can he appeal online from d uk

That's ridiculous, that means he travelled to Nigeria twice in one year! That's quite frequent, what do they think we fly for free!! Just respond that travels were made as circumstances would allow. Note that you maintained your relationship via other means such as telephone and email. No, you don't need a lawyer, just make it clear in your statement how you have responded to each of the points made in the refusal letter. You can make an appeal online via the ministry of justice website. We just filled in the IAFT-2 form, that can be printed from an online link. We then just filled it in and then posted it with all the documents to the address on the form, alternatively you can fax it to them.

@ damyoyepitan

You also need to address the lack of conversations from 20th June 2010 to the 21 11 2012. You need to provide proof that you were in contact during this period. Again, include telephone conversations [bills], emails and any date stamped photos.

@damyoyepitan

So sorry to hear about the refusal. The most important thing to do now is to gather the information you need to prove that your relationship is real. You need to obviously fill in the appeal form but in the summary section explain the reasons why the conversations weren't that long. If you preferred communicating via email then mention that. Note that the frequency and the fact that the calls were made over a long period of time are an indication of the consistency of your relationship. Include the reasons why the money transfers were made and why there weren't that many. Note that you didn't feel the need to send regular sums of money to prove your relationship, money was only ever sent when it was required. Once you've responded to the reasons for refusal then supply additional information to support your relationship status. Send them any other photos that you have of the both of you that were not included before or any other communications sent. Just make sure that everything is prior to when the decision was made. They like to see photos of the both of you with family and friends so if you have any of those send them. Just make sure you get the form in before the 28 days lapses, you can always send additional paperwork after the appeal is lodged. Hope this helps, trusting God that this will all go well for you.

leeon2011: My lwayer email them on 14th August but still no any news
Is that any chances they overturn or is already gon on hearing ??

Might be worth you sending an email as well, they do respond quite quickly. I've never waited more than 2 days for a response.

leeon2011: hi @JOHNWRAY or anyone

i need advice
i appeal on 30 feb then i receive letter after few day and say that ,
this process is expected to take around 19 week
the tribunal will write to u after 8th of aug 2013 with further details on how and when your appeal will proceed


but is today 19th aug still i didn't hear from them, {please}can anyone advice me how long this take time to get from them any news
{please} {please} {please} {please} help me out

I expect by now you should have heard from them. Might be worth sending an email to the Sheffield office [visasheffield@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk]. Im not sure if they manage cases differently that were processed before the changes made in April but they should be able to give you an update on the status of your appeal. Just give them your name, date of birth and appeal reference. Note that the deadline stipulated on your notification of appeal has now passed and that you are looking for an update on the status of your case.

@veeanyi

Wow what a journey you've been on, you were bent but never broken. So very glad that everything has now worked out for you and your family, God is so good.

@jenni1108

I definitely agree with everyone else, you don't need to hire the services of a lawyer. For one you are more than capable to represent your husband and I also think that its unlikely that your case will go to court based on the reasons you were refused. You've supplied the documents that they wanted to see, if there is anything else that you think might support your case even further then you can email these to the Sheffield office before the ECM reviews. I wanted to include some additional documents for our case and they accepted them. Also, someone made a request from the UKBA for details on how they manage cases based on the freedom of information act. The visa office replied that they had recently been given the mandate to reduce the number of cases that are overturned by the judge at court hearings, i.e. they need to make sure that they can strongly prove your response does not cover the reasons for the refusal. I know this whole visa process is unpredictable so we can't be sure of much until we get answers officially but all you can do is stay prayerful, stay in contact with the Sheffield office and you'll make it through to the other side of this.

damyoyepitan: Hi evryone ,so I applied for my spouse settlement visa on the first of july and I mailed dem @ sheffield to know ow far only for them to tell me that my application will be despatched to Vac in nigeria dis week which seems fast and strange and so scary at the same time .what cud dis mean.

Unfortunately its so difficult to judge the outcome of a visa based on the time it takes to process. Our application was refused after 1 month but others its after two or three. You never know, maybe your application was so easy and straightforward so its been approved easily. Its good to hear that you'll have your answer next week. I pray that it will be good news, keep us posted.

@ mato-justo, thanks so much for your encouragement, God has been so good and He will continue to be so for us all.

@ damyoyepitan, Im not sure that having an endorsement from the local MP will make much of an impact on the success of an application. What's important is that you meet the requirements for finance, accommodation and relationship and that you provide the evidence that proves your status beyond any reasonable doubt. There can't be any harm in including a letter from your husband's local MP but I wouldn't expect that it would affect the speed or outcome of your visa application.

Just wanted to encourage everyone with a scripture that blessed me this morning. Mark 11:22, "Have Faith in God..." He has heard your prayers , just trust that God has it all in hand. You will receive the revelation of your prayers sooner than you think. Start of a great week people, hold on to the promise.

@supermario1 - amazing news, I can't even begin to imagine how relieved you must be now, just about to cross the finished line, really wish you all the best for your future.

@mato-justo - so good to hear that they've sorted out your visa payment. They should now start putting your bundle together for your case to be sent to Sheffield. Just make sure you keep in regular contact with them. I Pray that everything else will now go well for you.

jenni1108: I have an appointment with my MP’s office on Tuesday who have suggested on the phone they can possibly help me. So I will get my paper work together this weekend, my main points will be my health (don’t want to disclose a lot here) and the financially strain this is putting on us.
I will also ensure that I read up on the right to family right section in the human rights act to see if I can add that on Tuesday. This is only to see if they can speed up the appeals process, as I addressed all the issues they raised in the decision notice.
I honestly try not to get upset about this, but at times I cannot believe that some uneducated frustrated ECO can LIE about certain things and literally make a bad decision that has such upsetting consequences on a person’s life.
Yes – I’m not myself this morning after looking at ticket prices online this morning to go to Nigeria in august I’m annoyed.

Might be an idea if you can get a document from your doctor stipulating the impact this process is having on your health. Hope this all works out for you.

smallt: My application package including all the original documents I submitted were returned last week.

My questions include "what right of appeal do I have?"

Should I still post on that thread?

Thanks

As I understand it there is a limited right of appeal for the refusal of UK tourist Visas. I have heard that a request can be made to the office where your decision was made to do an administrative review of your case but additional documents cannot be submitted. Basically they'll look at the points you've raised and confirm whether or not the decision made should still stand. Probably worth posting to the thread as per Justwise' message, you should get a more up to date response as to how appeals are made for tourist visas.

jenni1108: Hi john I will send you an email later this afternoon as I believe I have a few valid reasons to expedite the process. I personally don’t think considering many things going on right now that my circumstances can wait until end of November. Considering that November date doesn’t guarantee the visa will even be issued.

Its so frustrating that they don't give a bit more of a clearer understanding of what would constitute a reason to expedite an appeal. I don't know what your circumstances are but I would expect that if the current review date is likely to put you in serious harm physically or maybe financially and you have the documents and evidence to prove that, then you should have grounds for an early review. We don't have any such reasons to expedite so I decided to send an email to the Sheffield office listing the reasons why our case should not be subject to the full force of the appeals process based on the mis-management and inaction of the ECO that did our initial application. I used their guidance notes that are noted on the UKBA website which details how these applications should be processed and made it clear that the ECO did not follow any of the right processes in our case.

Now this may or may not have made an impact on the scheduling for the review of our case but my concerns were passed to the ECM who replied directly back to me via email noting that this information would now be included as part of the case review when the ECM is appointed our case. I was also able to ask him if our case had been scheduled for review and he replied with an estimated time for the initial ECM review, which is much sooner than the 19 week deadline. Our case has been with the Sheffield office now for about 8 weeks. He did also mention that the 19 week period is also given to allow the UKBA the time to prepare for the case if the refusal is not overturned, so all being well, they should not use the full 19 weeks to do the initial ECM review cause that will not allow them the time to prepare for a case should they need it.

I know how you feel right now, it just seems impossible but just remember that you're further along now than you were, your case is in the right place, and most importantly, all things are made possible when you place them in the hands of God.

mato-justo:
@girlfio,Thanks one again,i just gave them a call now,they ask for my name,my date of birth,and they said that the last mail i sent to them and the format of the payment they sent to me,which i send back to them have been forwarded to their fee investigation team to dealth with accordingly,that they will surely get back to me.

Ok, if you haven't heard by the end of the week might be worth giving them another call to check if there has been any progress. If there has been no progress ask them how long they expect it to take to get a response from their fee investigation team.