I was considering applying late 2021 during the rush (and kinda glad I didn’t given I’d still be waiting for pre-approval by the looks of it.
But I just heard about the online renewals AND we’re processing Dec 2021 applications now.
Should I feel a little more optimistic that by middle of the year given SEF won’t need to do much renewal work, and the December 21 will have been processed that they’ll process all 2022 and most 2023 by mid-year.
I’ll be in a better state soon and if I can see positive results as we recently have I’d be up to pursuing this again.
PS. I still think PT is the best option. I’m after a Visa which gets EU Citizenship without significant time on the ground. PT seems like the only one that really does this.
I think it is incredibly optimistic to expect SEF will magically speed up by that degree. However, pre-pandemic it seems the process was fairly quick, and 2021 involved a huge rush of people trying to beat the rule changes. So I share a little of your optimism that maybe it will speed up a little after December 2021 is processed.
Plus they didn’t accept any applications in 2022 until June or something, so there will be a big time skip “soon”. But that may also mean another December-like logjam in June (and beyond) 2022.
We applied in October 2022, so at this point I will consider us lucky if we receive pre-approval in 2023 in time to be eligible for the round of biometrics appointments that opens up at the end / beginning of year…
The best time to apply seems to be “yesterday”.