After you apply: processing times, priority services and refusals
Last verified 5 September 2026 against GOV.UK sources·Page updated 5 September 2026
| Standard times (published service standards) | Most applications from outside the UK: ~3 weeks. Inside the UK: ~8 weeks. Family entry and settlement: longer |
|---|---|
| Priority service | £500 — decision in around 5 working days (where available) |
| Super priority | £1,000 — decision by the end of the next working day (where available) |
| The decision | Granted as an eVisa on your UKVI account — no physical card |
| If refused | Administrative review (£80) for casework errors; appeal only where a human-rights claim was decided; reapplying is always open |
Submitting the application is the halfway point, not the end. Here is what the waiting period looks like, how to shorten it, and what your options are if the answer is no.
How long decisions take
UKVI publishes service standards rather than guarantees. As a planning baseline: most work, study and visit applications made outside the UK are decided within about 3 weeks of your biometric appointment; applications made inside the UK (extensions, switching) within about 8 weeks; family entry clearance and settlement applications run longer — months rather than weeks. Complex cases (past refusals, criminal-record questions, verification of documents) fall outside the standards entirely. Check the current published waiting time for your route and country before booking anything, and never buy non-refundable travel before the decision — the refusal letter will not reimburse your flights.
Paying for speed
Where available for your route and location, the priority service (£500) targets a decision in around 5 working days, and the super priority service (£1,000) by the end of the next working day (both unchanged in the April 2026 fee revision). Two caveats: priority buys a faster place in the queue, not a better decision, and availability is switched off for some routes and countries when demand spikes — the online application shows what is actually offered for your case.
The decision
Grants now arrive as an eVisa on your UKVI online account rather than a physical card — check immediately that your details and passport are correctly linked. Refusals come with a letter setting out the reasons by reference to the rules. Read it carefully: the stated reasons determine which of the next steps makes sense.
If you are refused
There are three paths, and choosing the right one depends on why you were refused:
- Administrative review (£80) — for eligible decisions where you believe the caseworker made an error applying the rules to the evidence you already submitted. Strict deadlines apply (14 days inside the UK, 28 days outside). It cannot introduce new evidence.
- Appeal — only available where the decision refused a human-rights claim (most commonly family/partner cases), heard by the First-tier Tribunal.
- Reapply — always open, at any time, with a fresh fee. If the refusal reason was missing or weak evidence, a corrected reapplication is usually faster and cheaper than fighting the old one.
Application fees are not refunded on refusal (the IHS is). For anything beyond a straightforward evidence fix — and for any appeal — use an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) or a UK solicitor.
Related guides
- Visiting the UK: ETA and visitor visas Who needs an ETA, who needs a Standard Visitor visa, what visitors can and cannot do, and how the £20 ETA works.
- Spouse and partner visa Joining a British citizen or settled partner: the £29,000 financial requirement, English tests, the 5-year route to ILR and unmarried partners.
- Skilled Worker visa Sponsorship, the £41,700 salary threshold, degree-level job requirement, B2 English and the path to settlement — the UK's main work visa explained.