I think you are very close to receiving an answer, keep us updated.

Im 23rd August 24 im on day 321.
We where looking end Oct for a holiday. And still hopeful of going. But this wait is driving me insane, even more so with the spate of rejections recently and the ridiculous turnround time for the sending and return of passports. Hopefully something starts moving soon..

Really hoping you'll here something soon, and it will be a yes rather than a no. Based on Babsy and Orland0, you may have another 2-3 weeks...

All the best

jools

Thanks Jools, i agree and 2/3 weeks and hopefully a quick return (paid premium) wont impact our plans.

Has some one been messing around with the spreadsheet?

Looking at it at the moment, what's the issue you're seeing?

jools

I was all the place, but seems as it should now

Timeframes are really terrible at the moment.

Also looks like an additional $250 dollar fee will be added from 2026 so not good for those that will need to put in an application from next year onwards.

Watching the thread closely to see the outcome of the next 5 or so waivers.

Have seen March 2026 seems to be the next available appointments but have also seen some say that when they click they have a conviction, the appointments disappear which would make sense if they've said they aren't putting any waiver of ineligibilities forward at the moment.

Hey,

I hadn't heard about the additional $250, but read the above (and thought it would just be for the "additional processing" some of us require) also found this on FB today (taken from a public source, and if freely available online). Just as an FYI....

"HIDDEN IN TRUMP'S BBB? A new $250 DHS fee to visit the USA.
Tourists, students and business travelers to the USA will soon have to pay an additional $250 fee. Trump expects to rake in "billions".
But wait - there's MORE... potentially. It may be raised. On a whim. By Kristi Noem, the head of DHS.
But don't worry. Be happy. Under certain circumstances it could be refunded. Maybe. But will probably take years. If it does at all....
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CNBC: Visitors to the United States will need to pay a “visa integrity fee,” according to a provision of the Trump administration’s recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The fee applies to all visitors who need nonimmigrant visas to enter, and cannot be waived.
However travelers may also be able to get the fees reimbursed, according to the provision.
"The new fee aims to restore integrity to the U.S. immigration system," according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Details about the new requirement are scant, which has resulted in “significant challenges and unanswered questions regarding implementation,” a spokesperson from the U.S. Travel Association told CNBC Travel.
However, here is what is known thus far.
How much is the fee?
The fee will be at least $250 during the U.S. fiscal year 2025, which runs from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025. However, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, is free to set the fee higher, according to the provision.
Thereafter, the visa integrity fee will be adjusted for inflation.
Who must pay the new fee?
The “visa integrity fee” applies to all visitors who need nonimmigrant visas, which includes tourists, business travelers and international students.
The provision states that the new fee is “in addition to” other fees, including regular visa fees.
“For example, an H-1B worker already paying a $205 application fee may now expect to pay a total of $455 once this fee is in place,” Steven A. Brown, a partner at the Houston-based immigration law firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC, wrote in a post on his firm’s website.
Additionally, the fee must be paid on top of a “Form I-94 fee,” which the One Big Beautiful Bill Act increased from $6 to $24. That fee must be paid by anyone who is required to submit a Form I-94 arrival and departure record, which applies to most travelers.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
More questions surround how and when the reimbursement process kicks in.
CNBC: Since many visas are valid for several years, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office said it expects “a small number of people would seek reimbursement.”
Moreover, “CBO expects that the Department of State would need several years to implement a process for providing reimbursements. On that basis, CBO estimates that enacting the provision would increase revenues and decrease the deficit by $28.9 billion over the 2025‑2034 period.”
Brown said he is advising clients to treat the fee as nonrefundable.
“If you get it back, great. But it is usually difficult to get money back from the government,” he said. “I would rather them view it as a ‘bonus’ if they get the refund.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Excerpted from CNBC: "Travelers to the U.S. must pay a new $250 ‘visa integrity fee’ — what to know"
By Monica Pitrelli 7/18/25
Photo: Alan Schein Photography | The Image Bank | Getty Images"

Another report today in one of the FB groups. 2 previous waivers granted. London consulate declined to recommend for waiver of ineligibility.

Looks like poster from Amsterdam got their email today. Congrats! It's a shame London is so far behind.

London’s so far behind now it’s ridiculous and if that wasn’t bad enough we’re now more likely to get a refusal than ever. Not going to go through this crap again, it’s a monumental waste of time but I hope we’re reciprocating and rejecting an equivalent number of US applicants!

Not sure its London that are behind, rather a global increase in travel and requests for visas with a sudden and prolonged decrease of staff at DHS (and London) along with a change in policies, and while I share your frustrations, tit for tat isn't going to move us along any quicker. Furthermore, its a regime that truly doesn't care about the majority of their own citizens, let alone those of us from another country that "have" to apply for a visa waiver.

Bit more to this, yes it was a denial but due to not disclosing something from 9 years ago.

Almost approaching a month since someone from the London office received an email to submit passport. Trying times indeed!