Working with immigration agent timeline

[jhog90 3]

My partner and I are applying for a 309 visa from the UK. We went back and forth about engaging the services of an agent to help us (the cost of living crisis has us watching every penny) and eventually decided to make the sacrifice and go with an agent. We began working with our agent in mid May of this year. We still haven’t submitted our application. It feels really slow and I’m just wondering how long have other folks’ process been from starting with an agent to submission? Of course everyone’s case is different but for a bit of background my partner and I have been together for 4 years; living together for 2; have a son; and have plenty of things to indicate we’re in a couple- multiple joint bills; multiple joint back accounts; joint purchases; correspondence from HMRC, the NHS, the local electoral roll to both of us; individual bank statements; photos; and all the standard ID stuff. 
 

TIA for any insight :-)

[Marisawright 10,054]

Ring the agent and ask them what's holding them up.  You are paying them a lot of money, you're entitled to service.  

Maybe there's a misunderstanding and they're waiting for some piece of evidence from you.  

Edited August 11, 2022 by Marisawright

[Nemesis 1,687]

11 hours ago, jhog90 said:

My partner and I are applying for a 309 visa from the UK. We went back and forth about engaging the services of an agent to help us (the cost of living crisis has us watching every penny) and eventually decided to make the sacrifice and go with an agent. We began working with our agent in mid May of this year. We still haven’t submitted our application. It feels really slow and I’m just wondering how long have other folks’ process been from starting with an agent to submission? Of course everyone’s case is different but for a bit of background my partner and I have been together for 4 years; living together for 2; have a son; and have plenty of things to indicate we’re in a couple- multiple joint bills; multiple joint back accounts; joint purchases; correspondence from HMRC, the NHS, the local electoral roll to both of us; individual bank statements; photos; and all the standard ID stuff. 
 

TIA for any insight

Definitely ask them what the hold up is, if its a straight forward spouse visa I can't see why it would take this long.

[psuwara 51]

On 12/08/2022 at 08:16, jhog90 said:

My partner and I are applying for a 309 visa from the UK. We went back and forth about engaging the services of an agent to help us (the cost of living crisis has us watching every penny) and eventually decided to make the sacrifice and go with an agent. We began working with our agent in mid May of this year. We still haven’t submitted our application. It feels really slow and I’m just wondering how long have other folks’ process been from starting with an agent to submission? Of course everyone’s case is different but for a bit of background my partner and I have been together for 4 years; living together for 2; have a son; and have plenty of things to indicate we’re in a couple- multiple joint bills; multiple joint back accounts; joint purchases; correspondence from HMRC, the NHS, the local electoral roll to both of us; individual bank statements; photos; and all the standard ID stuff. 
 

TIA for any insight

We did it ourselves, but asked a friend to check and make sure we filled out everything correct with us.

Timeline - 2020 (From Russia, lots of translations of documents)

Before February - Collating photos etc...

February - Started formulating plan to do the VISA, reading up on options. Collating evidence into one large folder.

March - Found a good agent. Filled out all documents, organised our documents. Started translating some documents.

April - Scanning/Translating all evidence, double checking all filled out documents.

May - Final checks, submitted on the 8th.

With an agent, I don't see it being any faster/longer. Because most of the work is you collating evidence and doing necessary translations. 

Agent helps with complex cases. Or if you want, they can just double check the application, like we had our friend do, just to have another pair of eyes to see if we got our details right.

 

Your application sounds super simple. Call them and find out what's going on. I would be pissed having to wait so long....

Edited August 15, 2022 by psuwara

[Alan Collett 3,382]

On 12/08/2022 at 08:16, jhog90 said:

My partner and I are applying for a 309 visa from the UK. We went back and forth about engaging the services of an agent to help us (the cost of living crisis has us watching every penny) and eventually decided to make the sacrifice and go with an agent. We began working with our agent in mid May of this year. We still haven’t submitted our application. It feels really slow and I’m just wondering how long have other folks’ process been from starting with an agent to submission? Of course everyone’s case is different but for a bit of background my partner and I have been together for 4 years; living together for 2; have a son; and have plenty of things to indicate we’re in a couple- multiple joint bills; multiple joint back accounts; joint purchases; correspondence from HMRC, the NHS, the local electoral roll to both of us; individual bank statements; photos; and all the standard ID stuff. 
 

TIA for any insight

Speak with the agent - I fear there's not really a lot we can do on a discussion forum ...

Good luck!

[paulhand 945]

I can only speak for myself, but timelines are dictated by how swiftly the client provides the information I ask for. If you have provided everything and have been waiting a long time for something to happen, then you need to ask what the issues are. Sometimes, of course, both sides think that they are waiting for the other person to do something!

Edited August 17, 2022 by paulhand

[wrussell 2,285]

It does not hurt to ask an RMA if anything else is needed, but not several times a day. It is possible that COVID has caused a staff shortage, or time-critical matters (last minute AAT applications or visas expiring...) have arisen. As a matter of good practice a RMA should counter-check all documents for spelling or numerical errors or inconsistencies. This takes time.

I have been waiting for many months for a marriage certificate to be corrected. There were three names incorrectly recorded. I am fairly sure that my clients know their own names and their parents' names. The sponsor is trying to have the errors corrected, with the various authorities trying to blame each other.  I am not inclined to lodge without it and I certainly will not submit it, that is enough to have a visa refused for having submitted a fraudulent document. Believe it or not, this has happened.

Under the latest Code of Conduct, RMAs are required to undertake efforts to verify the the authenticity of documents.  I have had clients who forgot they were already married, or had children, or both, or thought it was appropriate to use a company letterhead to promote themselves from janitor to engineer.

[wrussell 2,285]

Whilst I had it in mind, I emailed the 'marriage certifiate' client today, asking whether they  had any luck getting it corrected, and received the following reply:

Yes we received it last week. We’re working on getting all the other requirements done will send you our police checks and superannuation beneficiary details in the next couple of days.

If I told you for how long I have been chasing documents in this case, you would not believe me.

My youngest son just turned up with his 3-week-old son and let the family dog in to wreck my office. When the dog gets his fangs into a cat 6 cable, throw him a ball and then throw him out. Happy father's day.