The amount of time you will have to wait for a decision while applying for a UK visa will depend on the type of visa you are applying for, whether you submitted your application from outside the UK or within it, and whether you used any of the Home Office’s paid priority services.
In order to provide consumers a general idea of the anticipated lead time for the majority of easy applications, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has established standard processing periods. Even yet, there are circumstances when processing timeframes for visas may go above this goal, such as during periods of high application volume for UKVI or when an application is complicated or calls for the submission of additional supporting documentation.
A revised schedule of typical processing times for UK visa applications submitted from both inside and outside the UK was recently released by the Home Office. In-country applications for employment, study, and visit visas typically take eight weeks to process, compared to three weeks for applications from abroad.
Processing times start after you have submitted your application and verified your identity either using the UK Immigration: ID Check app or by attending an appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC), and end once you have received a letter or email from the Home Office containing a decision on your application.
Outside of the UK applications
It is suggested not to schedule any travel until after receiving a decision on your application if you are applying for your UK visa from outside the country.
Following are the usual processing times for each category as of right now-
- Work visas
- Skilled Worker – 3 weeks
- Health and Care Worker – 3 weeks
- Global Business Mobility visas (all categories) – 3 weeks
- Temporary Work visas (all categories) – 3 weeks
- Innovator Founder – 3 weeks
- Global Talent – 3 weeks
- High Potential Individual (HPI) – 3 weeks
- Scale-up Worker – 3 weeks
- Visit visas (all categories) – 3 weeks
- Study visas (all categories) – 3 weeks
- Family visas – 24 weeks
- British National (Overseas) visas – 12 weeks
- Homes for Ukraine & Ukraine Family Scheme visas – As quickly as possible.
Applications made inside the UK
Processing timeframes are typically lengthier than they are for applications from abroad if you are applying to extend your visa or change to a different visa category from within the UK. If you submitted your application prior to the expiration of your previous visa, you may remain in the UK until a decision has been made.
The waiting times for in-country applications are listed below, broken down by type.
Work visas
Skilled Worker – 8 weeks
Health and Care Worker – 8 weeks
Global Business Mobility visas – 8 weeks
Temporary Work visas (selected categories) – 8 weeks
Innovator Founder – 8 weeks
Global Talent – 8 weeks
High Potential Individual (HPI) – 8 weeks
Scale-up Worker – 8 weeks
Study visas – 8 weeks
Graduate visas – 8 weeks
Family visas – 8 weeks
Standard Visitor visas – 8 weeks
British National (Overseas) visas – 12 weeks
Homes for Ukraine & Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Extension Scheme visas – As quickly as possible.
Getting a faster decision
If your application is urgent, you may be able to get a faster decision by using the Home Office’s priority services, which are available for an additional cost.
You may be able to get a decision:
- Within 5 working days use the Priority service.
- By the end of the next working day use the Super Priority service.
You’ll find out if you can use these services when you apply for your visa. More information can be found HERE.
Updates on your application
In some cases, your application may not be decided within the standard processing times outlined above. The Home Office will contact you to let you know if you are required to provide further evidence or attend an interview.
For updates on your submitted visa application, you should contact UKVI directly. You should not contact UKVI to track your application if you’ve already made a visa application and it is still within the current processing times.