I don't know if this will help. But I have found the booking computer needed to be nudged for domestic upgrades. With some the points upgrade would be posted immediately, others would just sit there for weeks. I deceided to cancel the up grade request and then immediately resubmitted it, and voila it went thru and was approved. I don't know if this would help with international up grades and I would be concerned if somehow priority was based on the length of time the upgrade request had be waiting. But I was past careing as I was expecting not to get it.