Regarding checks, and why it can take 12 weeks or longer. As most sponsors will be British, the HO can very easily check that their passports are genuine online, can confirm their banks statements etc, are genuine very easily and quickly with the banks, and do checks with other gov departments as they share data.

Now what they can't do as easily or as quickly, are these same checks on someone in China or another country, yet they will process a visa within 24 hrs or 15 days. Now, if they can do these checks in that time scale, why the 12 wks for a settlement visa ?

Some will say it's because they are doing 'local checks' on the person in the Phils. So they are not doing these 'local checks' on people applying for another type of visa in the Phils or any other country?