I see a lot of questions in various forums about timelines, so thought I’d share my timeline in case anybody finds it helpful.
I also posted this in the phase 1 section, as it includes both phase 1 & 2 timelines. Note my GTV was exceptional talent. In my phase 1 posting I mistakenly said promise. Don’t know how to correct it. Oops.
Details
Self: GTV via Tech Nation Exceptional talent in Digital Technology.
Wife: Dependent visa.
Applying from USA (Denver) with US passports.
Both phase 1 and phase 2 were standard handling. Didn’t use priority.
Applied for and received 5-year visas, despite the 3-year ILR timeline for this GTV.
Dates:
Initial Phase 1 application, with payment and documentation upload: Nov 3, 2025
Transferred to Tech Nation: Nov 17, 2025
Successful GTV Endorsement (by email): Dec 2, 2025
Initial Phase 2 application, with visa and IHS payments: Dec 8, 2025
Phase 2 document upload: Late December, 2025.
Biometrics appointment first available: Jan 6, 2026
eVisa received (by email): Jan 15, 2026
Next step: Will arrive Heathrow Feb 12,2026 for visa activation.
I’ll tell you about my experience, but don’t assume your process will be the same. Anecdotally, I’ve heard that eVisas are not yet ubiquitous, and some people still get vignettes and still have to pick up a BRP in the UK – possibly depending upon your citizenship country, where you are applying from, your travel history, etc.
In our case, US citizens applying from Colorado, there was no vignette. Everything was based on eVisa, linked to our passport numbers. “Activation” was as simple as arriving at Heathrow and scanning in our passports. (We did go through a manned lane with a border officer, but he told us it would have worked just fine going through the automatic machine lane too).
As for whether “activation” was even necessary at all? At very least, UK entry using your new visa is needed to start your ILR clock. If you plan to apply for ILR after three years (or five), that period begins with your first arrival in the UK on the GTV - combined with other restrictions on absences during the ILR period. That was my definition of “activation”. There were no other steps - no BRP pickup, for example.