London Visa Backlog
May 2nd 2018, 5:15 pm
#16
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Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 5
Re: London Visa Backlog
Hi Alex I am glad you posted this as I am in same situation have been waiting for 7 weeks myself, thought it was just me, so clearly there is a back log, not much can be done we just have to wait my lawyer is the same don't want to put on to any pressure, its just frustrating waiting
May 3rd 2018, 2:53 am
#17
Just Joined
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 20
Re: London Visa Backlog
Hi,
We are also applying for an e2 investor visa. We’ve previously held an o1 visa and have used the same lawyer as previously so we are both familiar with the visa system in some sense and are using a lawyer that we trust.
Our application was accepted on the 14th March. At the time of our application. We were informed that we could check the progress 30 business days later.
Nb. With the E2 visa there is no expedited processing. That information is available on the embassy website. The E2 visa appears to have very specific and individual rules and procedures.
It does tell you, if you put in your reference on the ceac page, “your application has been accepted and you can arrange your interview” however this is a generic message that does not apply to E2 investor visas. Our lawyer referred us to the Japanese embassy’s website which does indeed have a different message that explains it more clearly. So, to clarify, you have to wait for the embassy to invite you to apply for interview.
After 30 business days we contacted the embassy. You can contact the embassy but you should maybe ask your lawyer to do this for you. We were told catergorically that only one person representing the applicant can have dialogue with the wmbassy and they will not entertain multiple threads of discussion. When we asked for the status update they told us, apologetically, that their average time has gone from 30 business days to 40 meaning we can nextcontact them on the 9th May. I gather there is also a long wait for interviews.
I’ve obsessively checked the forum for information over the last 6 weeks and I specifically came on here tonight to post this update to our timescales in case it helped someone else worrying. I then found your post. It sounds like we are roughly the same way through the process and it is a waiting game. We gather that embassies worldwide are experiencing similar delays.
When we had our application accepted the embassy wrote to our lawyer specifying timescales, interview procedures and rules Re contact. Perhaps it’s worth contacting your lawyer to ask for your application acceptance letter because seeing it in black and white is reassuring. If it’s any consolation I felt the tone of the letter we received from the embassy last week was apologetic and quite kind. They acknowledged the stress these delays are causing.
Best of luck with your application. Please update with any additional info as you get it and I will do the same.
We are also applying for an e2 investor visa. We’ve previously held an o1 visa and have used the same lawyer as previously so we are both familiar with the visa system in some sense and are using a lawyer that we trust.
Our application was accepted on the 14th March. At the time of our application. We were informed that we could check the progress 30 business days later.
Nb. With the E2 visa there is no expedited processing. That information is available on the embassy website. The E2 visa appears to have very specific and individual rules and procedures.
It does tell you, if you put in your reference on the ceac page, “your application has been accepted and you can arrange your interview” however this is a generic message that does not apply to E2 investor visas. Our lawyer referred us to the Japanese embassy’s website which does indeed have a different message that explains it more clearly. So, to clarify, you have to wait for the embassy to invite you to apply for interview.
After 30 business days we contacted the embassy. You can contact the embassy but you should maybe ask your lawyer to do this for you. We were told catergorically that only one person representing the applicant can have dialogue with the wmbassy and they will not entertain multiple threads of discussion. When we asked for the status update they told us, apologetically, that their average time has gone from 30 business days to 40 meaning we can nextcontact them on the 9th May. I gather there is also a long wait for interviews.
I’ve obsessively checked the forum for information over the last 6 weeks and I specifically came on here tonight to post this update to our timescales in case it helped someone else worrying. I then found your post. It sounds like we are roughly the same way through the process and it is a waiting game. We gather that embassies worldwide are experiencing similar delays.
When we had our application accepted the embassy wrote to our lawyer specifying timescales, interview procedures and rules Re contact. Perhaps it’s worth contacting your lawyer to ask for your application acceptance letter because seeing it in black and white is reassuring. If it’s any consolation I felt the tone of the letter we received from the embassy last week was apologetic and quite kind. They acknowledged the stress these delays are causing.
Best of luck with your application. Please update with any additional info as you get it and I will do the same.
May 3rd 2018, 4:12 am
#18
Just Joined
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 4
Re: London Visa Backlog
Hi there,
We recently went through this process for our E2 investor visa.
There was no option to pay extra to expedite our case in London. Our lawyers submitted our application on 7th December, and the embassy acknowledged receipt on 11th. We heard nothing until 24th January when we received an email and invitation to adjudicate. The first available appointment at that time was 2nd March. We checked every day for cancellations but none became available. We had our interview at the embassy on 2nd March and were granted a 5 year visa. Our passports were returned about 3 days later. Hope this information is useful. Good luck
We recently went through this process for our E2 investor visa.
There was no option to pay extra to expedite our case in London. Our lawyers submitted our application on 7th December, and the embassy acknowledged receipt on 11th. We heard nothing until 24th January when we received an email and invitation to adjudicate. The first available appointment at that time was 2nd March. We checked every day for cancellations but none became available. We had our interview at the embassy on 2nd March and were granted a 5 year visa. Our passports were returned about 3 days later. Hope this information is useful. Good luck
May 3rd 2018, 11:48 am
#19
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Mar 2015
Location: NC, USA (ex Yorkshire)
Posts: 4,375
Re: London Visa Backlog
There's a difference between confidential information and a confidential source. Mildly opening one's mind should lead one to the easy conclusion of where that information might have come from and therefore why there is no further detail, and why asking those questions in such a way is myopic. It's a pretty narrow channel.
I would never consider asking the questions you did in the way that you did on a place like this. Obviously you disagree about your wording so let's leave it as that, and move on to continuing to help OP.
I would never consider asking the questions you did in the way that you did on a place like this. Obviously you disagree about your wording so let's leave it as that, and move on to continuing to help OP.
May 3rd 2018, 12:42 pm
#20
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 33
Re: London Visa Backlog
Thanks for your email. We completely understand the difficulty surrounding the uncertainty of the E-2 interview date. I know we mentioned it before, but it bears repeating that the U.S. Consulate in London is experiencing extensive backlogs with their E-2 cases. Unfortunately we cannot provide a timeline and can only go off what the Consulate tells us. We have sent a follow up email to the Consulate regarding your case, and we'll have a better idea of the timeline from their response. I will follow up with you as soon as I hear from them.
May 3rd 2018, 12:44 pm
#21
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 33
Re: London Visa Backlog
Hi there,
We recently went through this process for our E2 investor visa.
There was no option to pay extra to expedite our case in London. Our lawyers submitted our application on 7th December, and the embassy acknowledged receipt on 11th. We heard nothing until 24th January when we received an email and invitation to adjudicate. The first available appointment at that time was 2nd March. We checked every day for cancellations but none became available. We had our interview at the embassy on 2nd March and were granted a 5 year visa. Our passports were returned about 3 days later. Hope this information is useful. Good luck
We recently went through this process for our E2 investor visa.
There was no option to pay extra to expedite our case in London. Our lawyers submitted our application on 7th December, and the embassy acknowledged receipt on 11th. We heard nothing until 24th January when we received an email and invitation to adjudicate. The first available appointment at that time was 2nd March. We checked every day for cancellations but none became available. We had our interview at the embassy on 2nd March and were granted a 5 year visa. Our passports were returned about 3 days later. Hope this information is useful. Good luck
Well good luck and thanks for the 'timing' info, very useful.
Last edited by dwlovatt; May 3rd 2018 at 12:52 pm.
May 3rd 2018, 1:07 pm
#22
Just Joined
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 20
Re: London Visa Backlog
Hi there,
We recently went through this process for our E2 investor visa.
There was no option to pay extra to expedite our case in London. Our lawyers submitted our application on 7th December, and the embassy acknowledged receipt on 11th. We heard nothing until 24th January when we received an email and invitation to adjudicate. The first available appointment at that time was 2nd March. We checked every day for cancellations but none became available. We had our interview at the embassy on 2nd March and were granted a 5 year visa. Our passports were returned about 3 days later. Hope this information is useful. Good luck
We recently went through this process for our E2 investor visa.
There was no option to pay extra to expedite our case in London. Our lawyers submitted our application on 7th December, and the embassy acknowledged receipt on 11th. We heard nothing until 24th January when we received an email and invitation to adjudicate. The first available appointment at that time was 2nd March. We checked every day for cancellations but none became available. We had our interview at the embassy on 2nd March and were granted a 5 year visa. Our passports were returned about 3 days later. Hope this information is useful. Good luck
Thank you! Very helpful! And congratulations
May 4th 2018, 10:03 am
#23
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 33
Re: London Visa Backlog
Hi,
We are also applying for an e2 investor visa. We’ve previously held an o1 visa and have used the same lawyer as previously so we are both familiar with the visa system in some sense and are using a lawyer that we trust.
Our application was accepted on the 14th March. At the time of our application. We were informed that we could check the progress 30 business days later.
Nb. With the E2 visa there is no expedited processing. That information is available on the embassy website. The E2 visa appears to have very specific and individual rules and procedures.
It does tell you, if you put in your reference on the ceac page, “your application has been accepted and you can arrange your interview” however this is a generic message that does not apply to E2 investor visas. Our lawyer referred us to the Japanese embassy’s website which does indeed have a different message that explains it more clearly. So, to clarify, you have to wait for the embassy to invite you to apply for interview.
After 30 business days we contacted the embassy. You can contact the embassy but you should maybe ask your lawyer to do this for you. We were told catergorically that only one person representing the applicant can have dialogue with the wmbassy and they will not entertain multiple threads of discussion. When we asked for the status update they told us, apologetically, that their average time has gone from 30 business days to 40 meaning we can nextcontact them on the 9th May. I gather there is also a long wait for interviews.
I’ve obsessively checked the forum for information over the last 6 weeks and I specifically came on here tonight to post this update to our timescales in case it helped someone else worrying. I then found your post. It sounds like we are roughly the same way through the process and it is a waiting game. We gather that embassies worldwide are experiencing similar delays.
When we had our application accepted the embassy wrote to our lawyer specifying timescales, interview procedures and rules Re contact. Perhaps it’s worth contacting your lawyer to ask for your application acceptance letter because seeing it in black and white is reassuring. If it’s any consolation I felt the tone of the letter we received from the embassy last week was apologetic and quite kind. They acknowledged the stress these delays are causing.
Best of luck with your application. Please update with any additional info as you get it and I will do the same.
We are also applying for an e2 investor visa. We’ve previously held an o1 visa and have used the same lawyer as previously so we are both familiar with the visa system in some sense and are using a lawyer that we trust.
Our application was accepted on the 14th March. At the time of our application. We were informed that we could check the progress 30 business days later.
Nb. With the E2 visa there is no expedited processing. That information is available on the embassy website. The E2 visa appears to have very specific and individual rules and procedures.
It does tell you, if you put in your reference on the ceac page, “your application has been accepted and you can arrange your interview” however this is a generic message that does not apply to E2 investor visas. Our lawyer referred us to the Japanese embassy’s website which does indeed have a different message that explains it more clearly. So, to clarify, you have to wait for the embassy to invite you to apply for interview.
After 30 business days we contacted the embassy. You can contact the embassy but you should maybe ask your lawyer to do this for you. We were told catergorically that only one person representing the applicant can have dialogue with the wmbassy and they will not entertain multiple threads of discussion. When we asked for the status update they told us, apologetically, that their average time has gone from 30 business days to 40 meaning we can nextcontact them on the 9th May. I gather there is also a long wait for interviews.
I’ve obsessively checked the forum for information over the last 6 weeks and I specifically came on here tonight to post this update to our timescales in case it helped someone else worrying. I then found your post. It sounds like we are roughly the same way through the process and it is a waiting game. We gather that embassies worldwide are experiencing similar delays.
When we had our application accepted the embassy wrote to our lawyer specifying timescales, interview procedures and rules Re contact. Perhaps it’s worth contacting your lawyer to ask for your application acceptance letter because seeing it in black and white is reassuring. If it’s any consolation I felt the tone of the letter we received from the embassy last week was apologetic and quite kind. They acknowledged the stress these delays are causing.
Best of luck with your application. Please update with any additional info as you get it and I will do the same.
Hi - this is fantastic information and a great reply, I appreciate you taking the time to lay that out. We are pulling our hair out here!
Good luck with your application and do post any updates you get. Our application was accepted on 23rd March, so roughly a week after yours. Be good to hear when you get your invitation to interview email.
Thanks in advance!
Dave
May 4th 2018, 10:04 am
#24
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 33
Re: London Visa Backlog
Hi there,
We recently went through this process for our E2 investor visa.
There was no option to pay extra to expedite our case in London. Our lawyers submitted our application on 7th December, and the embassy acknowledged receipt on 11th. We heard nothing until 24th January when we received an email and invitation to adjudicate. The first available appointment at that time was 2nd March. We checked every day for cancellations but none became available. We had our interview at the embassy on 2nd March and were granted a 5 year visa. Our passports were returned about 3 days later. Hope this information is useful. Good luck
We recently went through this process for our E2 investor visa.
There was no option to pay extra to expedite our case in London. Our lawyers submitted our application on 7th December, and the embassy acknowledged receipt on 11th. We heard nothing until 24th January when we received an email and invitation to adjudicate. The first available appointment at that time was 2nd March. We checked every day for cancellations but none became available. We had our interview at the embassy on 2nd March and were granted a 5 year visa. Our passports were returned about 3 days later. Hope this information is useful. Good luck
May 4th 2018, 1:07 pm
#25
Just Joined
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 20
Re: London Visa Backlog
Will do, Dave
May 8th 2018, 1:39 pm
#26
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 33
Re: London Visa Backlog
Just an update for interested parties, received this email today:
Thank you for your email. Accept our apologies for the delay. Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our immediate control and the high volume of pending applications we are now experiencing delays on reviews, our processing times has now be changed to reflect the current backlog. Adjudications are now approximately 45 business/working days (not Calendar days) from the date accepted. Please note that the business/work days excludes Saturdays, Sundays, US and UK public holidays and any Admin days when the Embassy is closed.
We apologize for the inconvenience caused and thank you for your continued patience. We will notify you as soon as the review is complete.
Thank you for your email. Accept our apologies for the delay. Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our immediate control and the high volume of pending applications we are now experiencing delays on reviews, our processing times has now be changed to reflect the current backlog. Adjudications are now approximately 45 business/working days (not Calendar days) from the date accepted. Please note that the business/work days excludes Saturdays, Sundays, US and UK public holidays and any Admin days when the Embassy is closed.
We apologize for the inconvenience caused and thank you for your continued patience. We will notify you as soon as the review is complete.
May 8th 2018, 9:26 pm
#27
Just Joined
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 5
Re: London Visa Backlog
Hi thanks for the update, it seems that it maybe a long wait as there are using the word approximately, but not much that anyone can do we just have to be patience. Hope there recruit some more staff.
May 12th 2018, 5:10 pm
#29
Just Joined
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 20
Re: London Visa Backlog
Hi Dave, we asked the embassy for an update yesterday and are waiting for a response -
i will let you know. No news is good news (?)
i will let you know. No news is good news (?)
May 14th 2018, 6:48 am
#30
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 33
Re: London Visa Backlog
Good luck anyway and drop me a line when you hear.
Dave