Thread for Outland LONDON, Non UK Applications!

[blueboom]

Does anyone recall seeing info about when London conducts background checks for non-UK/EU applicants? I looked in the Operating Manuals but found nothing except that background checks can cause delays.

From what I understand, background checks are mostly about espionage and terrorism but I haven't found a definitive answer as to what information they search and at what point they start checking. I'm assuming the details of the process is probably classified.

 

[AfShe]

Hello everyone,

I am also in the same boat. My husband has a Pakistani passport. Following is the post I have written on a seperate thread

"I have been reading and following this forum from last year, and have found very helpful information.

Finally, I thought of posting here and get more information regarding my specific case. I am sponsoring my husband who lives in UK under a student visa. Our application was sent to London on July 4, 2012 and it went "in process" on November 29, 2012. It has been complete 9 months (over a year in total) since we are waiting. We had no interview, but we were asked to provide extra documents for proof of relationship in late October. We were also asked to pay the "right of permanent residence fee" on January 29, 2013 which we did on the very same day, but we haven't heard anything from the London office since then.

Now, the problem is that my husband's UK visa is expiring in mid-May (next month) and we are very unsure about our next step. I am also currently living with him in UK and we both plan to go to Canada together from UK, but now we are very uncertain about out situation and what should be our next step. Has anyone been in similar situation?? I really don't want to go back to Canada without my husband, is there any way he can extend his UK visa so we can both wait out the process in UK??

We emailed the london office asking for the status of our file on March 4, 2012, but haven't heard anything back from them. It is now a full month since we sent the email and no reply yet.

I will really appreciate any helpful information!"

 

[blueboom]

Is there still a post graduate work visa in the UK that your husband could try? My husband left the UK instead because he couldn't get his company to sponsor him for a work permit, so I'm no help unfortunately.

I don't think the student visa is extendable, but he may be able to switch into a new visa category.

 

[Grizzlybear]

Is there still a post graduate work visa in the UK that your husband could try? My husband left the UK instead because he couldn't get his company to sponsor him for a work permit, so I'm no help unfortunately.

I don't think the student visa is extendable, but he may be able to switch into a new visa category.

The post graduate work has been cancelled and there is no possibility of an international graduate to remain in the UK unless they are sponsored by a company. AfShe, I am in exactly the same situation as you, and I am afraid we have no options at all. The security and background checks seem to take ages, or probably our applications are just gathering dust in some folder. Emailing the LVO is a nightmare since they only reply to certain questions. The only thing I heard from them was that they expect my application to end before my UK visa expires, but that is not a guarantee. What they don't seem to care about is how their carelessness is causing us lots of stress and financial loss too! If I booked my flights a month ago I would have saved at least £200! But I can not book anything without getting my COPR first!

I emailed asking them to transfer my application to my country of origin (since they seem to be doing their job there), but they seem reluctant to answer. I am guessing it might reflect negatively on them. As far as what I read on previous cases, Fhaider was in the same position, and he had to go back to his country (Pakistan I think), and wait there.Unfortunately, this causes major issues of sending them the passport and receiving it, but as we all know, they simply DO NOT CARE!

 

[blueboom]

The post graduate work has been cancelled and there is no possibility of an international graduate to remain in the UK unless they are sponsored by a company. AfShe, I am in exactly the same situation as you, and I am afraid we have no options at all. The security and background checks seem to take ages, or probably our applications are just gathering dust in some folder. Emailing the LVO is a nightmare since they only reply to certain questions. The only thing I heard from them was that they expect my application to end before my UK visa expires, but that is not a guarantee. What they don't seem to care about is how their carelessness is causing us lots of stress and financial loss too! If I booked my flights a month ago I would have saved at least £200! But I can not book anything without getting my COPR first!

I emailed asking them to transfer my application to my country of origin (since they seem to be doing their job there), but they seem reluctant to answer. I am guessing it might reflect negatively on them. As far as what I read on previous cases, Fhaider was in the same position, and he had to go back to his country (Pakistan I think), and wait there.Unfortunately, this causes major issues of sending them the passport and receiving it, but as we all know, they simply DO NOT CARE!

I think my spouse was in the last batches to be issued a post graduate work visa. His friends are having a hard time finding employers who will sponsor international graduates for a work visa so it might be the only option but incredibly difficult.

This is why I want to know when background checks are done because I can't understand why non visa exempt applicants go months without hearing anything before going into process and then after interview another long wait for background checks. I think a part of it is that they are understaffed and maybe think that non visa exempt applicants should be assessed by more senior officers.

I'm sorry you guys are in this position. We had to close up shop too because of the UK visa. It's not easy. We are going to have to shell out thousands for flight tickets to send his passport across the border with an authorised person. If they call for an interview now that he's gone, even worse....

 

[blueboom]

Also, apparently London almost always refuses to transfer files upon request. I looked into this last month when I realized picking London over New Delhi was a giant mistake. It affects their numbers, but it's at the visa officers discretion. They probably don't want to do the paperwork.

 

[FK22]

Any news on your application yet?

Nope note yet

 

[FK22]

Hello everyone,

I am also in the same boat. My husband has a Pakistani passport. Following is the post I have written on a seperate thread

"I have been reading and following this forum from last year, and have found very helpful information.

Finally, I thought of posting here and get more information regarding my specific case. I am sponsoring my husband who lives in UK under a student visa. Our application was sent to London on July 4, 2012 and it went "in process" on November 29, 2012. It has been complete 9 months (over a year in total) since we are waiting. We had no interview, but we were asked to provide extra documents for proof of relationship in late October. We were also asked to pay the "right of permanent residence fee" on January 29, 2013 which we did on the very same day, but we haven't heard anything from the London office since then.

Now, the problem is that my husband's UK visa is expiring in mid-May (next month) and we are very unsure about our next step. I am also currently living with him in UK and we both plan to go to Canada together from UK, but now we are very uncertain about out situation and what should be our next step. Has anyone been in similar situation?? I really don't want to go back to Canada without my husband, is there any way he can extend his UK visa so we can both wait out the process in UK??

We emailed the london office asking for the status of our file on March 4, 2012, but haven't heard anything back from them. It is now a full month since we sent the email and no reply yet.

I will really appreciate any helpful information!"


Have you checked ecas? any info there? does it say in process?

 

[chopsticks]

Hello everyone,

I am also in the same boat. My husband has a Pakistani passport. Following is the post I have written on a seperate thread

"I have been reading and following this forum from last year, and have found very helpful information.

Finally, I thought of posting here and get more information regarding my specific case. I am sponsoring my husband who lives in UK under a student visa. Our application was sent to London on July 4, 2012 and it went "in process" on November 29, 2012. It has been complete 9 months (over a year in total) since we are waiting. We had no interview, but we were asked to provide extra documents for proof of relationship in late October. We were also asked to pay the "right of permanent residence fee" on January 29, 2013 which we did on the very same day, but we haven't heard anything from the London office since then.

Now, the problem is that my husband's UK visa is expiring in mid-May (next month) and we are very unsure about our next step. I am also currently living with him in UK and we both plan to go to Canada together from UK, but now we are very uncertain about out situation and what should be our next step. Has anyone been in similar situation?? I really don't want to go back to Canada without my husband, is there any way he can extend his UK visa so we can both wait out the process in UK??

We emailed the london office asking for the status of our file on March 4, 2012, but haven't heard anything back from them. It is now a full month since we sent the email and no reply yet.

I will really appreciate any helpful information!"

Hi,

I can understand it must be very frustrating for you and your husband. However, Grizzly bear is right Fhaider was in the same situation as you and he ended up going back to Pakistan, you can check his previous posts for information. All this did delay his case a bit though. If you do not want to come back to Canada without your husband I believe you can move to Pakistan with him as well.
Hope you guys hear good news from the London office before he has to move back!

 

[AfShe]

thanks to everyone who has replied. seems like my husband and I do not have much options...

My husband's ecas says that the application was received on March 26, 2012 and they started processing the file on November 29, 2012.

In the last communication we received from the London office, they asked us to pay the right of permanent residence fee. we paid the fee right away and sent the receipt on January 30, 2013. It's been 2 months since then and we haven't heard back from them. we have even emailed the london office to find out the application status so far as we have crossed the 9 month time they have provided on their website, but no reply yet.

 

[Sweden]

thanks to everyone who has replied. seems like my husband and I do not have much options...

My husband's ecas says that the application was received on March 26, 2012 and they started processing the file on November 29, 2012.

In the last communication we received from the London office, they asked us to pay the right of permanent residence fee. we paid the fee right away and sent the receipt on January 30, 2013. It's been 2 months since then and we haven't heard back from them. we have even emailed the london office to find out the application status so far as we have crossed the 9 month time they have provided on their website, but no reply yet.

just a question for you - did you mail the fee receipt to both London and Mississauga? the money goes to Mississauga, and London can not see it unless you inform them - or CIC-Mississauga informs them, but it takes longer.
So - if you haven't done it yet, maybe mail the receipt to London (I suppose you have mailed it to Mississauga) and ask them if they have received it. You might get an answer from London if you ask a very precise question. Again - no guarantee there, but always worth a try!
Good luck,
Sweden

 

[jbkon]

thanks to everyone who has replied. seems like my husband and I do not have much options...

My husband's ecas says that the application was received on March 26, 2012 and they started processing the file on November 29, 2012.

In the last communication we received from the London office, they asked us to pay the right of permanent residence fee. we paid the fee right away and sent the receipt on January 30, 2013. It's been 2 months since then and we haven't heard back from them. we have even emailed the london office to find out the application status so far as we have crossed the 9 month time they have provided on their website, but no reply yet.

If you didn't send the receipt to London you should email a scan of it.

 

[AfShe]

Hi again everyone,

I have an update FINALLY (Thank GOD)

My husband has been asked to redo medicals as his first one expired in January. Does anyone know how long it takes to get to "Passport Request" stage after we send them the new medical result??

 

[AfShe]

just a question for you - did you mail the fee receipt to both London and Mississauga? the money goes to Mississauga, and London can not see it unless you inform them - or CIC-Mississauga informs them, but it takes longer.
So - if you haven't done it yet, maybe mail the receipt to London (I suppose you have mailed it to Mississauga) and ask them if they have received it. You might get an answer from London if you ask a very precise question. Again - no guarantee there, but always worth a try!
Good luck,
Sweden

Hey there,

we have used a lawyer to handle our case, and I believe he has sent the receipt to both London and Mississauga right after we made the payment. If the fee was not received, then london office would've asked for it again after 30 days, around March 1 I think. Since they did not ask again and have gone further to ask another medical, I think it is safe to assume they have the receipt

 

[blueboom]

Hi again everyone,

I have an update FINALLY (Thank GOD)

My husband has been asked to redo medicals as his first one expired in January. Does anyone know how long it takes to get to "Passport Request" stage after we send them the new medical result??

I'm glad you got some news! Finally!