Understanding how long a UK visa application is likely to take, and at what point the official “clock” starts and stops, is essential for planning travel, work and study arrangements in line with UK immigration law. Recent changes, including the wider rollout of digital eVisas and the gradual move away from physical BRP cards, mean that applicants now need to focus on the date of the decision and the activation of their online immigration status, rather than the production of a physical document, when considering processing times and rights to enter or remain in the UK.
What Are the Current Home Office UK Visa Processing and Decision Waiting Times?
Most non‑settlement visa applications made outside the UK, such as visit, study and work routes, are generally subject to a service standard of around 3 weeks from the date of your biometric appointment, although in practice some applications can take up to around 12 weeks depending on the category and demand. Applications made inside the UK to extend or vary existing leave (other than visit routes) are usually decided within around 8 weeks under the standard service, while many family and settlement routes, and some human rights‑based applications, can take up to 6 months or longer in more complex cases.
When does the UK visa application processing time start and end?
For applications submitted from within the UK, processing is normally treated as starting once you have both submitted the online application and completed the identity stage, either by using the UK Immigration: ID Check app to verify your identity and upload documents, or by attending a UKVCAS or Service and Support Centre appointment to enrol your biometrics. The end of the processing period is usually the point at which you are notified of the grant or refusal by email or letter; under the developing digital system, this is best understood as the point when the decision is reflected in your online UKVI/eVisa account, rather than by the production of a new BRP. New physical BRP cards are no longer routinely issued for most grants after late 2024, so card receipt is not a reliable indicator of the processing timeframe.
How long does it take to process a UK Visitor Visa?
For Standard Visitor, Marriage Visitor and Transit visas applied for from outside the UK, the published non-settlement service standard is typically around 3 weeks from the date of your biometric appointment. However, during peak periods such as summer holidays, the end of the calendar year and major global events, actual waiting times can exceed this, so it is strongly advisable to apply well in advance wherever possible.
Where a visit-related application is made from inside the UK in one of the limited situations permitted under the Immigration Rules, it will usually fall under the standard in-country timescale of up to about 8 weeks. In practice, most visit applications are expected to be made from outside the UK, and in-country visit extensions or switches are only allowed in very narrowly defined circumstances.
How long does it take to process a UK Worker Visa?
For most work and work-related routes applied for from outside the UK – including Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, the various Global Business Mobility categories and Temporary Work routes such as Creative Worker and Government Authorised Exchange – the Home Office generally aims to make a decision within about 3 weeks of biometric enrolment. Actual processing times can be longer where additional security screening, tuberculosis testing or further checks on the sponsoring employer and role are required.
For in-country applications to extend or switch into a work route (for example, extending as a Skilled Worker), UK Visas and Immigration typically apply a standard processing period of around 8 weeks. Where a valid in-time application has been submitted before the current leave expires, section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 will usually operate to extend the applicant’s existing leave and conditions while the application is under consideration.
What is the processing time for a Study Visa?
Student, Child Student and short‑term English language study visas applied for from overseas are usually processed within about 3 weeks of the biometric appointment, in line with the non‑settlement service standard. Around key academic intakes, particularly late summer and early autumn, processing times often lengthen in practice, so applicants are advised to apply as soon as their Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies and financial requirements are in place.
For in-country applications to extend or switch into the Student route, the standard published timescale is generally up to around 8 weeks, although this can be exceeded where additional checks are needed in relation to academic progression, maintenance funds or the applicant’s immigration history.
Will my dependants’ visas be processed within the same time frame as mine?
Where dependants (such as a spouse, partner or children) apply at the same time as the main applicant, under the same immigration route and in the same country, UKVI normally applies the same service standard to all linked applications and seeks to reach decisions at or around the same time. In practice, dependants’ decisions often arrive on the same day, or within a few days, of the main applicant’s decision, although it is possible for an individual dependant’s case to take longer where additional checks are required, for example, regarding age, parental responsibility, relationship evidence or birth/adoption documentation.
How long does it take to process a UK Settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain) application?
Family settlement visa applications made from outside the UK, such as spouse or partner settlement visas, are subject to longer service standards than non-settlement applications, with many decided within about 12 weeks and an outer limit of up to roughly 24 weeks from the date of application. These applications usually involve detailed examination of relationship evidence, financial requirements and immigration history, which can extend processing times.
Indefinite Leave to Remain applications made from within the UK are generally subject to a standard processing time of up to around 6 months under the normal (non-priority) service. Straightforward applications that clearly meet the rules may be decided sooner, whereas long residence, human rights/private life cases or those involving criminality or alleged deception can take longer than the indicative timeframe.
What Factors Affect UK Visa Processing and Decision Waiting Times?
Processing and decision waiting times are influenced by a combination of structural and individual factors. Structurally, the visa category (visit, study, work, family, settlement, etc.), whether an application is made inside or outside the UK, seasonal peaks such as academic intakes and holiday periods, and internal policy or resourcing changes within UKVI all have a significant impact on case‑handling times.
Individually, the length and nature of the applicant’s immigration history, any previous refusals or periods of overstaying, the complexity of financial and relationship evidence, and the clarity and completeness of the documentation can all generate further enquiries or verification steps, which naturally increase the time taken to reach a decision.
What factors can delay UK visa processing times?
Delays commonly occur where there are inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the application form, where key documents are missing or incomplete, or where documents are unclear and require verification with third parties such as banks, employers, educational institutions or foreign authorities. Additional delay is likely where there is a criminal record, adverse immigration history or other suitability concerns that trigger enhanced security and background checks.
Broader external factors, such as seasonal surges in application numbers, operational pressures within UKVI, IT system outages and international events or crises, can also contribute to longer processing times across multiple visa routes.
Can I get a faster decision on my UK visa application?
For many routes, it is possible to pay an additional fee for an enhanced processing service. Priority service typically aims to provide a decision within 5 working days of the biometric appointment or identity verification, while super priority service aims to provide a decision by the end of the next working day (or within 2 working days for certain weekend or bank‑holiday appointments). These are target times rather than legally guaranteed deadlines and are subject to eligibility, local capacity and availability at the visa application centre.
If a case is complex or requires further enquiries or security checks, the decision can still take longer than the indicative priority timescales, even where the applicant has paid for a priority or super priority service.
Can I travel to the UK while waiting for a decision on my application outside the UK?
If you have applied for entry clearance from outside the UK (for example, as a visitor, student, worker or family settler), you are generally expected to await the outcome and then travel using the permission granted under that application, rather than attempting to enter the UK on another basis while the application is pending. In practice, your passport will often have been retained by the visa application centre, or your details may be tied to the new entry clearance vignette or digital status, which can make travel difficult or impossible until a decision has been made.
Even if you hold another form of permission, travelling to the UK while a fresh entry clearance application is under consideration can raise concerns about your intentions and may adversely affect the way your case is assessed.
Can I stay in the UK while waiting for a decision on my immigration application?
Where you make a valid in‑time application inside the UK to extend or vary your leave before your current permission expires, section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 will usually extend your existing leave and its conditions until a decision is made, the application is withdrawn, or any in‑time appeal or administrative review is finally concluded. During this period, you will normally be able to remain lawfully in the UK and, subject to the conditions of your previous grant, continue working or studying while your application is under consideration.
However, if an application is submitted out of time, is rejected as invalid, or is refused in circumstances where section 3C does not apply, your leave may end, and you may become an overstayer, which can seriously prejudice future visa applications and entry to the UK.
Can I travel outside the UK while my in‑country application is being processed?
In most cases, if you leave the UK or the wider Common Travel Area (the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) after submitting an in-country application, UKVI will treat your application as withdrawn. This will usually leave you without a pending application and may mean that your leave is no longer extended under section 3C, requiring you to make a fresh application from overseas if you wish to return.
Even where you have retained your passport and used digital identity verification (for example, via the ID Check app), the same principle generally applies, so applicants are strongly advised not to travel internationally while an in-country application is outstanding.
What can I do if a decision is not made in time, or I need an urgent decision?
If your application has exceeded the current published processing time and you have not received any update from UKVI, you should first check all email accounts, including spam and junk folders, to ensure that you have not missed any request for further information or documentation. You can then use the official UKVI contact channels, or, where relevant, the visa application centre, to request a status update and clarify whether anything further is required from you.
Where the route permits and there is local capacity, you may be able to upgrade to a priority or super priority service for an additional fee. In genuinely urgent or compassionate circumstances, such as serious illness, imminent bereavement or other exceptional factors, you may request expedition with supporting evidence, but such requests are entirely at UKVI’s discretion and are not guaranteed.
Are there any special considerations for complex UK visa applications?
Applications involving criminal convictions, alleged deception, previous breaches of immigration law (such as overstaying or refusals of entry), long residence claims or human‑rights-based/private‑life grounds are often treated as complex and may take longer than the standard service times, even where the formal standards have not been revised. These cases typically require detailed fact-finding, legal analysis and sometimes liaison with other departments or external agencies, which can significantly prolong the decision-making process.
Given the importance and complexity of such cases, applicants in this position are generally well advised to seek specialist immigration advice both when preparing the application and when responding to any further correspondence or potential refusal grounds from UKVI.
Can I extend my stay in the UK if my visa application is delayed?
If you have already submitted a valid in‑time in‑country application before your current leave expired, you would not normally need to make a further extension application solely because of the delay; section 3C leave will ordinarily continue to extend your existing permission and conditions while the application (and any in-time appeal or administrative review) remains pending.
If, however, an application is made out of time, treated as invalid, or refused outside the protection of section 3C, your leave may end, and you may become an overstayer. In such circumstances, it is essential to obtain prompt legal advice to assess your remaining options, including any right of appeal or administrative review, the possibility of a fresh application and the risks of removal or voluntary departure.
What should I do if my visa application is refused after using the priority service?
If your application is refused despite having paid for priority or super priority processing, the fact that the outcome is negative, or that the decision fell outside the indicative processing window, does not in itself usually entitle you to a refund of the enhanced service fee. Once you receive the refusal notice, you should carefully review the reasons given and identify what remedy is available in your particular route – this may be an administrative review, a right of appeal, or the option of making a fresh application that addresses the refusal grounds.
Each of these options is subject to strict deadlines and evidential requirements, so obtaining professional advice at this stage is highly advisable to select the most appropriate course of action and maximise your prospects of a successful outcome.
Processing times and decision waiting periods under UK immigration law are influenced by changing policy, operational pressures and individual circumstances, so they should always be considered as guidance rather than guarantees. For expert advice and assistance regarding a UK visa application or UK visa processing and decision waiting times, contact us on 020 3865 6219 or leave a message.