two weeks ago, when i handed in my forms, was told 13 working days, so anyday now hopefully the licence will arrive.
you can fly solo (must be properly authorised by an instructor), and get checked out by an instructor, but must not carry passengers until the licence is in your hands.
the wait will depend on how many applications they have to deal with. if there is a rush of passes, would expect delay to increase and vice-versa.
good luck with the exams.