United Kingdom: Visa application processing delays

In brief

The Home Office (UKVI) has suspended priority and super priority processing globally for work visa categories. Most visa applications are now taking between four to eight weeks to process from the point of the applicant's biometric appointment/application submission.


Contents

Processing times

Processing is not at all consistent and processing times can vary greatly from application to application, regardless of the submission date even where the same application centre has been used by different applicants. Therefore, individual processing times are now impossible to predict accurately.

This is an unprecedented situation. The Home Office will only consider expediting applications where there are compelling compassionate circumstances (such as illness or death) and therefore, applicants will need to be prepared for a very long wait for their UK visas to be issued.

In addition, priority services have been suspended for in-country Global Business Mobility and PBS Dependant, which means that they will be processed under the standard service of approximately eight weeks.

We are also now seeing some delays with Skilled Worker visa applications where priority service was applied. Applicants must not leave the UK until their applications have been approved by the Home Office and their new BRPs have been issued.

Related links

Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK

Further details regarding these changes can be obtained by reaching out to your usual contact in our Global Immigration & Mobility team.

Contact Information
Ying Li
Immigration Specialist
London
ying.li@bakermckenzie.com
Wendy Mortimer
Immigration Specialist
London
wendy.mortimer@bakermckenzie.com
Natasha Riley
Immigration Specialist
London
natasha.riley@bakermckenzie.com
Tomoko Sasaki
Senior Immigration Specialist at BakerMcKenzie
London
tomoko.sasaki@bakermckenzie.com

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