VISA APPROVED!

Finally! I can finally say that my ducks are now all in a row...I have my loans, I have my accommodation, and I now have my VISA! I just received an email from the consulate this morning stating that my visa application has been approved and they are next day airing all of my stuff to me, including my passport with the visa sticker.

For those curious about the time frame:

5 August: Biometrics appointment, mailed off completed application to Chicago consulate
10 August: Received email from consulate stating that my application had been received and was being reviewed
23 August: Received email from consulate stating that my application was successful, visa was issued, and package was next day aired to me
24 August: Should receive my packet back, including my passport with the issued visa

It has been stressful, but now I can officially just be excited to move in THREE WEEKS. Holy cow. I see a lot of laundry, packing, unpacking, repacking, and tears in my future!

Hello, Saturday!

Well, another week goes by without a word from the consulate. //sigh.

I guess it has been eight business days since they received it..."normal" wait time this time of year is supposedly five to ten business days. I'm trying not to absolutely freak until it has been ten working days! It's just getting a little nerve wrecking for me...I leave in a little over three weeks! ARGH.

It's hard to be super excited when I still don't have permission to enter the country...

Wednesday

Back to my regularly scheduled program today, and I like it. I woke up, hung out with my brother for a bit, went to the gym, showered, took the dogs to the park, and have been doing other odds and ends since then. Tomorrow I'm going to get my grocery shopping done.

Still no word on my visa. It has been six working days since I received the confirmation that they received the application. They said the average waiting time right now is five to ten working days, so I'm still within the normal range. Hopefully I'll hear this week, though!

Nothing new!

No new updates yet. I'm hoping I get a confirmation email that they received my visa application tomorrow. From what I've read online, people usually receive this email in 1-2 days.

I can not WAIT to have my visa in hand. Five weeks from tomorrow!

Biometrics...check

I had my biometrics appointment today at noon. I got there at about 11:50 and was out before noon...much easier than I anticipated! I was the only person in there. All they did was take my fingerprints (twice) and a picture for a face scan. They stamped my appointment confirmation sheet and off I went.

After my appointment, I went straight to the post office and mailed off my entire visa application to the British consulate in Chicago! It is a little nerve wracking to put your only passport and original college transcript in an envelope to send off...eek! But hopefully I'll get those back within the next couple weeks and I'll be all set to go.

39 more days. :)

Officially

My loan letter is officially here. At last. I'm completely ready for my biometrics appointment on Thursday, and right after that I can send in my entire visa application and hopefully get it back within 10 business days! Then I will be 100% set to GO. It feels so good to have most of the biggest obstacles taken care of. The visa application should be very standard and there is no reason it should be rejected, so I'm not too worried about it...but it will be nice when it comes back done and set.

Off to help my mom at the club for the afternoon...I still need to get a few things done in the next couple days before heading back to GR.

FINALLY

After a successful round of email stalking, I finally received my loan letter...just as a pdf! Hopefully the official letter gets to me by mail eventually, but I think this will do. I was awarded the full amount that I need.

So now two of my three big issues have been resolved: accommodation and money. One more obstacle: the visa (dun, dun, dun)......

I have my biometrics appointment next Thursday in GR, where I submit my fingerprints and do a full face scan. After that, I get allll the materials together (printed online application, application appendix, passport, passport photos, loan letter, transcript, etc.) and mail them off to the consulate in Chicago. HOPEFULLY this process will take no more than ten business days, as "most" visa applications do, according to the website. Though they can, and sometimes do, take much longer. Well, I will have about five weeks...so as long as I get it back before then, we're all good to go!