Hi All, Quick question regarding passport. My wedding is in July then we will apply for spouse visa towards the end of the year. We were planning to visit japan once the visa was approved before returning to UK however we noticed that the passport needs to be sent off to the UK. How long does it take for the passport to return? As she would also need to apply for Japan tourist visa Thanks
Assume you mean you are applying for s settlement visa. Process requires that they hold the passport for the duration of the visa process which is approximately three months. Once you have visa you have potentially 30 days to get to UK or apply for and then pay for a new visa date. The entire process is a hugh hindrance to organising your life or travelling while waiting for the result as you are without the passport for the entire duration and then have to go to the UK shortly after getting the visa and no guarantees on dates. I think you will find it very difficult to plan a trip to Japan unless you can travel at very short notice and use it as your trip to the UK. Easier to wait for visa, get to UK and get BRP and then visit Japan. Entire process is poor and hanging on to passport for unknown duration of application is a very poor way to manage as restricts applicants freedom to travel for the duration. Best of luck with application
Process is that you specify a start date for the 30 day vignette. If you apply far enough in advance (more than 3 months) then it may be processed in advance, they may issue it with the correct date and you may have the passport back and be able to do something before the vignette start date (the earliest date you can enter the uk. If they process it late then the start date of the vignette is the completion of processing. The vignette is only valid for thirty days and you have to enter the uk within that 30 days. If you can't then you have to apply for a transfer of conditions and pay the fee for that. Once in UK you then have a limited window to collect the BRP - latter of end of vignette or arrival date plus 10 days. BRP is the visa and is what allows you to enter and return after first entry on vignette. Dont leave collecting it in case of problems and check the details as they make mistakes (our experience). Check the name details on any correspondence as they have been known to get the name wrong there which can result in the visa and BRP being issued with the name wrong (our personal experience was 3 BRPs before they got name and visa dates correct. Assume they are incompetent in all dealings with UKVI and will do nothing quickly unless chased. Hopefully you will be lucky. Risky buying flights until you know the outcome of visa so will have to get relatively short notice flights which adds to the cost although one way flights are neatly as expensive as returns bought in advance so maybe not a hugh impact.
