What is happening with UDI?

[Vixenxeena]

23.02.2020, packed up for a night 10hrs trip to submit her application for family reunification together with her two son, one from her ex husband and another one from her unsuccessful relationship.

Finally, she and her Norwegian partner was married from 8years of being together after her annulment already finalized.

24.02.2020, haggard but have to take photo for the visa. And few minutes earlier she was told that her application will take 2 months and in case of approval you will received your passport at your doorstep at least a week or two.

Week earlier before the submitting their application, She and her husband got married in Norway exactly 2 days before she returning to the Philippines or before her days in Norway expired.

March 2020, was announced for a locked down on some countries, and Norway was one of them. Then Udi was updated to 5 months waiting since they handed the application and before they get to 5th months, again it was moved to 6 months, its because employees was working at home and also summer came and typical summer holiday for Norwegian so then it moved to 7 months from the day they are handed out their application. She had read allot of visa before, from visiting boyfriend to family reunification for a future references. Her husband was given an authorization by her to follow their application, and they found that her husband wasn’t registered as POA fullmakt. But her husband was keeping on track on it, he emailed them if they got a chance to moved the application on top of the file, reason because the school year in Norway is started and that his wife and stepsons has to be in Norway to start stabilizing in Norway by going to school. The couple was looked for the all possibilities that their application moved up front of the ques but the UDI refused. Actually all the reasons that you have found in this link https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/can-your-case-moved-front-queue-priority/?pr=f will never help you to move your case in front of a ques or be given priority just like what the caption on the link. And I wonder why such choices of reasons was on that link just to turned applicants hopeful to hopeless depressing feeling especially those who are eager to start their life with their family soon as they got married.

16.09.2020, they were very nervous as they will not accept another month to be added on waiting time, well lucky enough that on 17.09.2020 the UDI page update was sticked to 7 months of waiting so despite of being frustrated they just have wait a few more days to get to the maximum of waiting 7 months. It could be plus or minus, it could be a week before 23.09 or week after 23.09. Correct me if I am wrong.

23.09.2020, exactly 7 months of waiting and her husband called UDI, unfortunately what her husband got was the general information that you can find in their UDI page that everyone found its not very helpful at all. This couple been together since 2012 they lived together in Asia for 4 years in one roof while they working in that country. Until the husband decided to moved back to Norway and they agreed that his wife will be on visiting boyfriend visa until her annulment finalized and that goes from 2016 to 2019. That’s very tough for them, away to each other every other 3 months (90days) because that would be the maximum allowed for a tourist to stayed in Schengen State. They had to accepted that, in fact the lady didn’t stayed until max days but around 88 -89 days only.

Now I had this little bit of researched about this family reunification visa, which is very important to give an attention by the government. This year, around the world experiencing this pandemic that gave us a really huge slow motion of life. Some has to work at home, some was layed off from work. That’s a very big craft for all of us. And I assured that UDI was one of the affected, I read and follow a news about travelling. And of course UDI was resumed on application from 14.04.2020. I also read that after the pandemic the percentage of the visa application was lower than the past years. Government in Norway slowly lifted up the restriction of travellers, but they prioritized their citizen that was locked down from the third world country. Soon that they let their families visit them BUT from EU/EEA only. That’s when they announced that the waiting time was 6months for family reunification visa. Now before they updated to 7 months, they already accepting family reunification application from third world countries. The thing is they haven’t had the chance to look into all applications they had in the pile that was affected by the locked down or home office scenario, but they already accepting applications to fill up another pile. We all know that applicants MUST pay a huge amount before they can book their appointment to the visa offices in their respected country. We are talking about 10500kr per first time applicant ( https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/fees/#link-3593 ) that was allot. Where does this money goes? Where does those applicants money goes? Why they didn’t get an attention since they paid that huge amount of money? The husband of the lady I was talking about, called UDI week 39 the day exactly 7 months of their application of family reunification, and the lady who attended his call told him, " It would be next week" and he asked regarding their documents if they have something they missed to submit, do they need a new tax declaration? But she was told him " all good, and tax declaration they can always check it directly from skatt". That was a sign of relief, documents good all, the requirements was apostilled and it will be next week.

Week 40, the husband called again if their application are already on top of the file but unfortunately the man who attended him said " not yet" he asked if how many more in front of them and sadly UDI man said " I don’t know". What was that all about? UDI don’t know how many more in front of their applications? Like come on, 20 applications? 30? 50? How many application you UDI had to approved or denied a day? You can't sort at least 50 applications? How many officers working in UDI? That was the first call in that week, the next day he called again and guess what he was on the number 48 and UDI never call him back after waiting 3hrs. Can you believe that? Do you think how many call queuing behind that number 48? Must be hundred isn’t it? Why so much ques? Why so much enquiry? Does UDI didn’t do their job? In that case, why? Doesn't they get the proper salary to at least finished 80 applications a day? How many applicants paid 10500kr? Are they becoming lazy? There’s a lot of questions that UDI needs to give an attention, I am sure those question I had written here was one of them maybe few? We are expecting them that after being trapped into home office or work at home and enjoyed the summer holiday they should working double now. UDI has a problem, not much as they think, its just that, they have to do their job. What they doing is that they collecting application as well as 10500kr per applicants and never look at the pile of applications waiting to get approval. Where the 10500kr goes? Is family reunification or seeking immigration visas becoming a legal scamming? Why they don’t have time to look at the pile? Because they are busy answering complaints from the applicants or reference person. Now, what they have to do to get away from allot of complaints and calls? They have to start looking at the piles and start working on them, they have to set their goal day by day or maybe stop the submission of application and tackle the thousands of applications that UDI wasn't look into it? And if they said 7 months since they handed the application then it should be 7 months and that’s 213 +/- days (depends when) from the day they handed the application. Just a simple application/recommendation to the simple problem

----why the UDI sorts the piles of applications from pile to pile like:

* this pile is for those 7 months now from the day they handed their applications. From that you have to look at each every application and split them from:

Pile 1. Complete and ready to get approval applicants.

Pile 2. Has minor missing documents that they needs to submit and when its done and finally complete the applications moved to pile 1 under the last applications on that pile.

Pile 3. This needs more investigation ( this pile needs to be 18 months before they get to pile 1. )

With this simple way, just like the all time reminder at school when you having examination, teacher will advice that if you don’t know the answer in number one, leave it, go to the next question and when you done with the rest then you can go back to the one you didn’t answer yet. Always remember don’t stick yourself to something you cannot solve.

I am assured that like this, at least it will minimize the calls of complaints and questions that they hold them back to look at the piles of applications, that they giving so much attention but in reality they just giving the same answer to everyone, they repeating the same that they can found in the UDI page but with a twist ( that’s sucks and I called that a waste of time). Aren't they fed up? Aren't they tired with the same things everyday? I came to believed that Norwegian are hard working and efficient and you could have a equal right and treatment as long as its legal, but I was wrong all this time, it was just a few.

Oh before I forgot, why the fiancée visa is more priority than the family immigration visa ?( i am talking about those already married with Norwegian citizen) there’s a case or application that this lady whom I am referring too, was the same month that was handed an fiancée visa application and guess what, it was approved and now arrived in Norway week ago. Why? That wasn’t take 7months,and we all knew that waiting time of passport from Norwegian Directoriate Bangkok at least week to arrived to the applicants and we all know that the fiancée visa wasn't able to depart from Philippines without securing a CFO and CFO now a days ( I also researched for this https://cfo.gov.ph/overseas-filipinos-cfo-online-registration-system-or-of-cors/ ) it takes time because of the pandemic and as far I am concerned, they paid the same 10500kr, same reference tax declaration, but one is getting married and the other one is already married. Now tell me was it fair? No, it wasn't fair especially when the UDI said that all the documents that was submitted by the already married, was all good. I am thinking does the already married has more chances of paying taxes to the government to use than the getting married? But why they giving more attention to the fiancée visa? In fact I read the UDI page under fiancée visa saying "For applicants from your country ( this is for Philippine citizen applicants),it may sometimes be difficult to be granted an application for family immigration in order to get married. This is because the UDI decides whether it is likely that you will return to your home country if you do not get married as planned. It is more likely that your application for family immigration will be granted if you get married first (https://www.udi.no/en/want-to-apply/family-immigration/family-immigration-with-norwegian-or-nordic-citizen/?f=nor&c=phl#link-1182 ). Seriously??? This needs an explanation that is out from the UDI page like out from the general information. And yes, as what it is written to all the checklist, if relevant, please provide a written explanation as why you cannot present one or more of the documents mentioned above but in this case it should be, if relevant, Udi should provide a written explanation out from general information  as why they are sticking into allot of calls of complaint.

Come on, UDI its time! UDI set the rules that are strictly the applicants must followed them now its time to UDI to apply them:

If applicants MUST pay the 10500kr, then they should get the treatment as MUST as the UDI rules.

[Alexander4840]

First rule of debating, be consise.
Not even gonna read, but you can make your point in a summary-post if you wanna.

This seems like a rant.