I replied to the Home Office's document request but there's no decision — what next?
If you replied to a Home Office request for further documents on your settlement (ILR) application and the estimated decision date has passed with no answer, the most useful next steps are: confirm your documents were received and linked to your file, then escalate through a defined ladder — the UKVI help service, a formal complaint, an MP enquiry, and, as a last resort, the pre-action protocol for judicial review for unreasonable delay. A "decision by" date is a service standard, not a legal deadline, so the delay alone is not yet unlawful — but you are entitled to chase it properly.
- The standard service standard for settlement (ILR) is a decision within 6 months of applying — this is a target, not a binding legal deadline.
- It can take longer than 6 months if UKVI needs more information or has to verify documents or run checks.
- Contacting UKVI from inside the UK about an existing application is not the charged service (the paid email route applies to overseas customers).
- A formal complaint is free, but UKVI states it does not speed up or change the decision itself.
- For genuinely unreasonable delay, the pre-action protocol for judicial review is the formal legal step before court.
First, confirm your documents were received and linked
The single biggest risk after you respond is that your evidence — absence records, passport stamps, proof of cohabitation — never gets attached to your file. To reduce that risk:
- Reply on the exact email thread the caseworker used, rather than starting a new message or using a generic inbox. This keeps everything against one reference.
- Quote your Unique Application Number (UAN) and any case reference in the subject line and body of every email.
- Ask explicitly for written acknowledgement that the documents have been received and added to your application.
- Keep delivery and read receipts, plus dated copies of everything you sent, so you can prove the date and content of your submission.
Because one of UKVI's emails landed in your spam folder, also check your spam and junk folders regularly and add the Home Office domain to your safe senders, so a later request or the decision itself is not missed.
Do not assume silence means a problem with your documents — but do not assume they were linked either. Get the receipt in writing. If you used a representative or sponsor to submit, confirm with them that the evidence was sent against your UAN and not a different case.
Understand what the "decision by" date actually means
For settlement (indefinite leave to remain), GOV.UK states you will usually get a decision within 6 months using the standard service. That date is a published service standard, not a statutory deadline. UKVI can lawfully take longer where it needs further information, has to verify supporting documents, or is carrying out checks — which is exactly what happens after a document request. So a passed estimate, on its own, is frustrating but not unlawful. What you are entitled to is a reasonable explanation and progress, which is what the escalation ladder below is for. For a fuller view of how to monitor a live case, see how to check the progress of a UK immigration application.
The escalation ladder once the date has passed
Work through these in order — each one builds a paper trail for the next:
- UKVI help service. Use the official "Contact UK Visas and Immigration for help" tool to reach the right team. Quote your UAN and ask specifically whether your further-evidence email has been received and linked, and for a realistic timeframe.
- Formal complaint. If you cannot get a clear answer, complain about the service through the UKVI complaints procedure. It is free and must be replied to within 20 working days. Note: a complaint must usually be made within 3 months of the issue, and UKVI is explicit that complaining will not make your application faster or slower — it addresses service, not the decision.
- MP enquiry. Your local MP can raise a long-delayed case with the Home Office through the dedicated MP enquiry team. Find your MP, write giving your full address and UAN, and ask them to chase the decision-making centre. This is often the most effective non-legal lever.
- Pre-action protocol (last resort). Where delay is genuinely unreasonable, the pre-action protocol for judicial review is the formal legal step before issuing court proceedings — a "letter before claim" sent to the Home Office (immigration cases use the address UKVIPAP@homeoffice.gov.uk). This is a serious step; take independent legal advice first.
If your case has now run well beyond the standard, the tactics in ILR application delayed past 6 months: how to chase and escalate UKVI walk through the same ladder in more detail.
Keep your evidence ready
Whatever route you take, keep your absence evidence, passport stamps and cohabitation proof organised and dated. A clean, indexed bundle makes it easy to resend if UKVI says it cannot locate your documents, and it strengthens any complaint, MP enquiry or pre-action letter. Persistence plus a written record is what moves a stuck file — not the volume of polite follow-ups.