Time frame for legally staying in the United Kingdom

[LondonLad 0]

Marm,

as you have rightly said the UKBA is going through some major changes. Now, let me break it down for you but before that can you tell me if your fiance has had his biometrics appointment yet as they won't even touch his case before completing his biometrics.

Withdrawing the student application might not be a good idea as they might not give you the 28 day grace period as they used to give in the past. I have heard about instances where they have sent the passport to Heathrow airport's immigration dept and asked the rejected applicant to report within 7 days to pick up passport and leave the country.

[MARM 7]

Marm,

as you have rightly said the UKBA is going through some major changes. Now, let me break it down for you but before that can you tell me if your fiance has had his biometrics appointment yet as they won't even touch his case before completing his biometrics.

Withdrawing the student application might not be a good idea as they might not give you the 28 day grace period as they used to give in the past. I have heard about instances where they have sent the passport to Heathrow airport's immigration dept and asked the rejected applicant to report within 7 days to pick up passport and leave the country.

Thanks for replying LondonLad!

My fiance had completed his biometrics on February 25, 2009.

And would you beleive we had issues getting him an appointment for this too! His biometrics was cancelled TWICE by the UK Public Enquiry Offices because of IT failures with their biometric machines!!!

So this is how the timeline reads so far for his FLR(S) (student visa extension application):

11/28: Sent in FLR(S) to UKBA

12/11: Money taken out for application

12/18: Biometrics appointment letter

02/25: Biometrics DONE @ Cardiff!

03/26: No sign of passport (Out of processing time for 1 week now)

04/08: Still no sign of passport (TOTAL TIME UNDER PROCESSING: 17 weeks, 5 weeks since biometrics)

[Nik+Heather 121]

Maybe another solution to consider is to work with the US embassy to sort of withdraw your checklist and ask for an extension. -- Then you don't need to reschedule your interview constantly. When the passport comes back, he can send in the checklist again.

This way, he can stay put in the UK while he is extending his student visa and not have this added pressure of avoidable deadlines which aren't related to what he can control.

I'm not sure if it's possible, but it may be an easier route to try.

[MARM 7]

Maybe another solution to consider is to work with the US embassy to sort of withdraw your checklist and ask for an extension. -- Then you don't need to reschedule your interview constantly. When the passport comes back, he can send in the checklist again.

This way, he can stay put in the UK while he is extending his student visa and not have this added pressure of avoidable deadlines which aren't related to what he can control.

I'm not sure if it's possible, but it may be an easier route to try.

^^^Thanks for the suggestion! We will look into this if needed. Right now we have contacted the MP and hopefully we get a positive response. We still have time until April 28, so we are hoping and praying every second that the passport just turns up by itself...

We have emailed the MPs, and my fiance will contact his MP by phone tomorrow, and we will see what they can do.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Is there a Pakistani Embassy in London? It seems like they would be the ones to help a Pakistani citizen and try to pull some strings to get it pushed through since it's way past due. I can see where the American Embassy probably can't go to bat for a Pakistani for an UK issued visa.

[MARM 7]

Is there a Pakistani Embassy in London? It seems like they would be the ones to help a Pakistani citizen and try to pull some strings to get it pushed through since it's way past due. I can see where the American Embassy probably can't go to bat for a Pakistani for an UK issued visa.

We have contacted the Pakistani Embassy in London, they suggested that the only way they can help would be to issue him a second emergency passport for the interview at the US Embassy....

we later found out that there is a high chance that my fiance can get in trouble for keeping a second emergency passport, I think it is considered illegal in most cases, only very urgent cases can get an emergency passport: such as a stolen or lost passport, and our case does not qualify.

[MARM 7]

My fiance has written 3 letters and is planning on sending them in on Friday to the various offices we were recommended to send letters to at the UK Border Agency.

Will keep everyone updated. Everyday is filled with hope for the passport...

Already we have waited 170 days for NOA2, everything went very smoothly after NOA2 at NVC and the US Embassy in London, we got an interview date for March 30, but then had to reschedule for my fiance's college trip and passport issue, and my fiance's biometrics for his student visa extension was rescheduled 3 times by the UKBA because of their IT failures...and he finally got them done by traveling all the way to Cardiff from London on Feb 25, 4 months after his submission of his extension application. Now we are hoping to get the passport in time...and then it will be onto waiting for his Admin Processing after his K-1 interview. The waiting seems to go on and on and on...for one thing and then the next...hope our efforts do not go in vain.

Keep us your prayers/wish us luck!

-Marm

ETA: We even had to reschedule the medical a few times...the first time with his GP because he did not have the MMR vaccine available, then wrote a prescription for it that my fiance needs to pick up next week Wed and then go to the GP on the same day...hopefully we will not have to reschedule again...and hopefully we get a medical date at Knightsbridge that is ASAP.

Edited April 9, 2009 by MARM

[laura819 0]

My fiance has written 3 letters and is planning on sending them in on Friday to the various offices we were recommended to send letters to at the UK Border Agency.

Will keep everyone updated. Everyday is filled with hope for the passport...

Already we have waited 170 days for NOA2, everything went very smoothly after NOA2 at NVC and the US Embassy in London, we got an interview date for March 30, but then had to reschedule for my fiance's college trip and passport issue, and my fiance's biometrics for his student visa extension was rescheduled 3 times by the UKBA because of their IT failures...and he finally got them done by traveling all the way to Cardiff from London on Feb 25, 4 months after his submission of his extension application. Now we are hoping to get the passport in time...and then it will be onto waiting for his Admin Processing after his K-1 interview. The waiting seems to go on and on and on...for one thing and then the next...hope our efforts do not go in vain.

Keep us your prayers/wish us luck!

-Marm

ETA: We even had to reschedule the medical a few times...the first time with his GP because he did not have the MMR vaccine available, then wrote a prescription for it that my fiance needs to pick up next week Wed and then go to the GP on the same day...hopefully we will not have to reschedule again...and hopefully we get a medical date at Knightsbridge that is ASAP.

hopefully they keep a few appointments open for things like this..but my fiance scheduled his medical a few days ago, and couldn't get anything until April 24. Good luck with this whole situation....it sounds horrible

[frali 2]

Marm,

Hopefully you should hear back by next week. The current wait time for approval after biometrics is 4 to 6 weeks.

Good luck!

[MonkeyJuice 3]

Marm, I'm not much help to you but I just thought I'd wish you luck. You've always been great at helping everyone else.

You've come so far & I really hope you get it sorted out.

[MARM 7]

Marm,

Hopefully you should hear back by next week. The current wait time for approval after biometrics is 4 to 6 weeks.

Good luck!

I hope we do hear by next week! We are also sending out letters to the Home Office requesting expediting of his case if it is still sitting in some dusty box...

Laura819: I know, I remember reading about how they said the earliest was April 24 for you, I sincerely hope that my fiance can get one for the 16/17.

Thanks for the best wishes MonkeyJuice and everyone else!

Will keep everyone posted...(no passport today... and Fri-Mon is bank holiday in the UK...so earliest would be Tuesday if we were to get it)

Edited April 9, 2009 by MARM

[MARM 7]

Just an update everyone: (which is a good sign )

We wrote to the MP yesterday. Today the MP's assistant sent us an email saying that they have forwarded our information to the MP's case workers and they will be in contact with him to advise him.

[Rob&Dawn 1]

Is there a Pakistani Embassy in London? It seems like they would be the ones to help a Pakistani citizen and try to pull some strings to get it pushed through since it's way past due. I can see where the American Embassy probably can't go to bat for a Pakistani for an UK issued visa.

We have contacted the Pakistani Embassy in London, they suggested that the only way they can help would be to issue him a second emergency passport for the interview at the US Embassy....

we later found out that there is a high chance that my fiance can get in trouble for keeping a second emergency passport, I think it is considered illegal in most cases, only very urgent cases can get an emergency passport: such as a stolen or lost passport, and our case does not qualify.

Could he not get an emergency passport for his Embassy interview and as soon as the old passport is returned he surrenders that one? Therefore he would only have one passport in his possession.

His passport is in effect 'lost' in the system while he's trying to get an extension on his student visa.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Could he not get an emergency passport for his Embassy interview and as soon as the old passport is returned he surrenders that one? Therefore he would only have one passport in his possession.

His passport is in effect 'lost' in the system while he's trying to get an extension on his student visa.

I like that idea. I would just say it's lost. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. I'm sure lots of people lose passports that they find later and just officially turn one in. I suppose they maybe void the old number.

[Nik+Heather 121]

Is there a Pakistani Embassy in London? It seems like they would be the ones to help a Pakistani citizen and try to pull some strings to get it pushed through since it's way past due. I can see where the American Embassy probably can't go to bat for a Pakistani for an UK issued visa.

We have contacted the Pakistani Embassy in London, they suggested that the only way they can help would be to issue him a second emergency passport for the interview at the US Embassy....

we later found out that there is a high chance that my fiance can get in trouble for keeping a second emergency passport, I think it is considered illegal in most cases, only very urgent cases can get an emergency passport: such as a stolen or lost passport, and our case does not qualify.

Could he not get an emergency passport for his Embassy interview and as soon as the old passport is returned he surrenders that one? Therefore he would only have one passport in his possession.

His passport is in effect 'lost' in the system while he's trying to get an extension on his student visa.

Going to play devil's advocate on this suggestion:

1. It's sort of fraud...to my mind.

1a. And the US embassy has already been told it's stuck in processing with UK!

1b. Considering how sensitive the US and the UK are to (I hope you'll forgive me for mentioning) terrorist related countries, do you want to go about trying to have 2 passports in the system? I'm sure that there is no relationship in your specific case, but I'd avoid shady-looking actions at all costs.

2. Then how does the visa get transferred to the actual passport again?

3. How do you deal with any hassles that having a reportedly lost/stolen passport presents?

3a. What if Pakistan embassy reports this to UK, and they say 'Oh, well someone's applied for a student visa extension on that passport!' Leading back to #1....

3b. What if a new permanent passport is ordered and the old one is voided? May have to wait for new permanent one. I thought we were looking for the fast track.

4. What if passport stamps were intended to be used in relationship evidence?

5. What other restrictions are there on a temporary emergency passport?

5a. Will the US embassy accept a temporary, emergency passport?

5b. Only good for one way trip back home to get a new one?

These are just a few concerns you'd want to have clear in your mind before you went this route, Marm....

Edited April 9, 2009 by Nik+Heather