I've given up with this lot. 3 times now we've been promised 'we'll let you know by XX dates', only for those dates to come and go and nothing in the way of correspondence. I know why there has been a delay from sources inside, a simple email could have explained everything.
Instead, silence.
As an aside, surely you don't suggest that if joining as an SO, you'd remain an SO for good. 5-7 years sure, but longer seems unrealistic. What % of VARA even want to sit in the back of a 777 for 5 years?