Only involve your MP if things with your case are starting to go pear-shaped. Do not go to your MP for "routine" questions, or anything that is not urgent - and consider an actual definition of "urgent", not your own definition! Your MP may not be able to do anything, but sometimes they can provide a bit of a shove to CIC, or may at least be a bit more successful in getting an update. But use your MP sparingly. If you use your MP excessively early on when you probably didn't need to, you will find it much harder to get your MP to act on your behalf later in the process when you may actually need their help! So be sensible with involving your MP.
Examples of when members have gotten their MP involved:
- One member had not had sponsor approval after 5 months of waiting when the posted time for sponsor approval was 3 months. He had emailed and called CIC repeatedly and was not getting any answers. He got his MP involved who was able to determine that the application had been accidentally filed as an inland application instead of an outland application - big difference! The member was able to get his MP to intervene with CIC to have the application correctly refiled as an outland application.
- One member's application had been in London for 15 months with no indication of movement, well above London's average of about 6-7 months at the time. She had contacted London numerous times through their email address and using the case-specific enquiry form, but had not received a response in weeks. She asked her MP to enquire on her behalf. The MP never received a response, but the applicant received COPR in the post a few days later. So we don't really know what happened there, or if the MP had anything to do with it, but she did get there in the end.
