Longer delays at Home Office

Six-month wait to enter the UK as the partner of a British Citizen

Foreign nationals who apply to come and live permanently in the UK with their British partner, are now facing longer delays and having to wait six months to get a decision from the UK government. This is twice as long as the usual service standard of three months. Subsequently, families are enduring lengthy separations.


Those already legally in the UK on human rights grounds are waiting up to eleven months for decisions. This is an excessively long time and, in many cases, lives are on hold. People cannot travel abroad for months on end while they wait for a decision. These timescales are well beyond the normal service standards.

Home Office reasons for the delays

One reason for these delays is the situation in Ukraine. The UK Home Office redeployed caseworkers from other departments to deal with people fleeing Ukraine and coming to the UK.


However, according to the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (ILPA), some delays are due to ‘IT glitches’. To make matters worse, when applicants or their legal representatives try to chase up these delayed applications with the Home Office, they are met with a closed door.


The Home Office is planning a streamlined digital system for all immigration applications as part of its New Plan for Immigration. ILPA is asking the Home Office to reconsider its ambitious plans until it fixes the current problems.

Waiting... longer delays at Home Office


Following up delayed decisions


Anyone who has tried to ‘escalate’ a delayed application via the Home Office ‘helpline’ soon discovers a telephone pinball game. If the caller presses the wrong button, they hear an instruction to look on a website or rude ‘goodbye’. 'Escalation' was a way of sending a message to the Home Office caseworker dealing with the application. An applicant could ask for an update and to perhaps remind them to hurry up.


Those of us who have worked out how to speak to a human being on the helpline find that we cannot ‘escalate’ an application unless there is an emergency situation. This means that unless there is a life or death situation, there is no way at all of reaching the Home Office decision makers. These mythical creatures sit behind the gigantic windowless brick wall of the Home Office in splendid isolation. They have no idea of the misery they are inflicting on the poor miserable supplicants outside.


ILPA is also asking that the Home Office puts in place ‘clear routes for the escalation of urgent, delayed, compelling and/or compassionate cases’ so that legal representatives can talk directly to the Home Office when delays are causing harm.


We certainly support these proposals. Since the pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, the Home office has become increasingly slow and unaccountable to those who depend on it to make decisions, which has a profound effect on the lives of so many families and businesses.

Please contact our team if you have any concerns about the Home Office delays.

  • Sallie was an amazing help and supported us through the full process. It was extremely difficult for us, and she helped make the whole thing very simple and ensured our application was successful. Thank you to Sallie and the team for the work you did tirelessly to help us.
    TB
  • For almost a year I had tried to get my wife's spousal visa. Two tries, two fails due to technical reasons. I contacted Immigration Legal Services, and Sallie & Angela took control of my wife's visa application. They were very supportive, told us exactly which documents were needed, and just over a month later, the visa was issued. We can't thank them enough.
    RG
  • We couldn't praise Sallie and her team high enough. Extremely professional and acted very fast to meet our deadline. 100% recommended!
    Mr E
  • Always thorough and highly professional throughout the application process for both my children, and I would definitely recommend! They also had a welcome sense of humour when it came to dealing with the bureaucracy involved in the process.
    Mr B
  • Great experience working with Sallie. Professional and understanding! Will work with her again, with no doubt.
    Ms L
  • We have been very impressed with the service we have received over the years of dealing with Angela. She went above and beyond to solve our specialised problem with very pleasing results. We would strongly recommend her work and knowledge in the field. A true professional.
    Mr Aldalis
  • I highly recommend Sallie for her professionalism and lovable, kind approach. I am very happy to get her as my immigration lawyer for processing my kids Visa.
    Shiva K
  • I highly recommend both Angela and Karen. They both have been amazingly helpful throughout the visa application process of my wife. They do truly care for their clients. They look at the case in reasonable time periods and return with any missing information rapidly. Consulting them during this exciting yet stressful process was the best decision that I made. Today my wife got granted the visa just after 5 weeks of her biometric scans.
    Mr Yazici
  • They are so honest and professional . Clear answers and guidance to all my questions 👍👍. Thanks a lot .
    Mr Khalil
  • Just received a decision from the Home office that I would’ve NEVER thought was possible. So happy and over the moon! I would definitely recommend your services to friends & family if required in the future. Huge thanks to Sallie and the team, best immigration solicitor in the business!!
    Mr Bamba
  • Angela Cole is a wonderful, hardworking, honest, kind and reliable Solicitor. Her work is very high standard, very professional and her team is friendly. Me and my husband have no hesitation in recommending Angela Cole's excellent services.
    Ms Small
  • "Simply a team of experienced people who gave us excellent and honest advice. Having now taken an appeal through to a successful conclusion for the (very reasonable) price promised, I have no hesitation in recommending this firm."
    Jon Chrimes - Google Review
  • "The team went an extra mile and fought my case much more and much better than I would have expected. In the end, my case was successful and I cannot thank them enough for all they have done. If I ever need legal help in the future I will definitely use their services again and recommend them for their reasonable prices, supportive advice and first rate legal services."
    ANONYMOUS - Google Review
  • "Excellent people, excellent service. They made the process of bringing my husband to the UK painless. Couldn’t have done it without them, highly recommend!"
    Lindy Pine - Google Review
  • "I am ecstatic, thanks to you all. My life is complete now and anything else is a bonus. Even if it seemed impossible I knew we were going to win this and that is why I never gave up. Thank you for your work, support and encouragement."
    MRS. Last
  • A BIG THANK YOU , for your help in helping me acquire my British settlement and British citizenship application successfully done. Your professionalism and kind warm attitude and nature made this process very easy and stress free. You took all my concerns away. 

    My Lawyer, Sallie Davies, is very knowledgeable and competent and I have implicit trust in her. The fees are also reasonable compared to other law firms. I highly recommend Sallie and her team.
    MRS. H
  • Thanks to Sallie, my wife is finally in the UK after a horrible year and long delays with Home Office. Highly recommended Immigration Legal Services! 
    MR. B
  • Angela Cole and everyone at Immigration Legal Services will work to produce the best outcome for you and, from our experience, they only concern themselves with your goal and not your wallet. Immigration Legal Services' charge was a very good price for all the help and security they provided
    MR. C
  • Despite the high professionalism practiced within the firm, there is always a strong sense of compassion , and care, from both Angela, and lovely Karen, which has really helped to set our minds at ease. Absolutely recommended & Eternally grateful
    Ms. f
  • I would like to thank both of you, Sallie and Karen for your assistance in the way you handled my wife's Spouse Visa Extension to remain here with me in the United Kingdom. We will recommend The Immigration Legal Services here in Ipswich to anybody who wants to apply for a visa to come or remain here in the United Kingdom because the service they provided proved to be most reliable, simple and quick process. Much appreciated Sallie and Karen. Thanking you once again. We will be back again.
    Robert
  • Excellent service, Sallie is very professional and lovely. Thanks to you what we thought it will be a long and exhausting experience, was so smooth and fast we couldn't believe it. Thank you very much.
    Mrs T
  • We engaged this firm based on a recommendation made by a friend who had used their services before. We required their assistance for my wife's first renewal of her spousal visa. The process was quite painless, they got in touch to collect documents and go over details but most communication was done by email. We received the renewal without any issues.
    BL
  • Sallie was the best solicitor I've met for immigration matters. She was straight to the job, focused on the matter and had an excellent transparent work process, a reasonable fee and no hidden charges. She is very helpful, confident and had the best communication. We got our parents' visa in one go! Thank you very much for the excellent job.
    email
Let us help you
Take a look at our services and get in touch with us today for more information.
Contact us today
© 2020 Immigration Legal Services. All rights reserved.

A Mackman Group collaboration - market research by Mackman Research | website design by Mackman

linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram