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How long does it take to approve student finance?

Hi. I've had some problems applying for student finance due to incorrectly entered information and SFE losing a form I sent in, meaning I've only just recently been able to send in the form giving evidence of my identity, along with my birth certificate. While speaking with one of the advisers on the phone, I asked approximately how long it takes to approve these things, as at this point, I'm quite worried about my application not being complete on time, meaning I won't have the funds for university. His response was 3-5 days to confirm my identity evidence and 48 hours for the online declaration, which didn't match up with any numbers I saw online.

Speaking from experience, can anyone confirm that this is correct? Also, what is meant by 'online declaration'? I know about the declaration form but is there a version you only have to confirm online that is processed quicker?