UKVI Guide to Visa Processing Times

Applying for immigration benefits takes time. It really doesn't matter which country you are applying for or even what kind of benefits you are applying for, applying for benefits at any government agency is going to take a significant amount of time.

When applying for immigration it is particularly important to pay attention to processing times because if you secure your travel plans too soon or too late you may be turned away at the United Kingdom's ports-of-entry.

The United Kingdom's Border Agency does publish processing times online on their website, but some people may find their arrangement confusing. This is because they do not simply say that it will take 30 days to process your application. That is because it might not take 30 days to process that application.

This is why we have put together this guide to the UK'ss processing times to assist immigrants in understanding how long it may take for their application to get approved.

Probably the most important thing to remember about processing times is that they are fluid, not absolute. Figuring out how long your application will take to be processed is more of a range instead of a set date.

The Processing Times Site

This is where you will start out on your assessment of processing times.

Scroll down the page until you find the "Guide to Processing Times" which will have a drop-down menu. When you applied for immigration benefits you applied at a certain consulate, select the city and country of this particular consulate and the website will return the processing times to your browser.

There are a great number of UK consulates throughout the world and it is exceedingly important that you select the correct consulate city. Otherwise the processing time estimates will not be accurate or valid whatsoever.

Processing Times Table

Processing times are not measured in time as much as they are measured in likelihood to be completed during a period of time. We will explain.

On this page you will find the UKVI's Service standards which state that "100 per cent [of applications] within 12 weeks of the application date" will be processed. A week is defined as five business days.

While this is the standard, the actual amount of time it takes for a center to process an application may be less or it may be more than this.

To figure out the processing time for your application you must first find the type of visa you applied for. The visas listed in the charts include:

  • Long term Visitor Visa
  • General Visitor Visa
  • Business Visitor Visa
  • Family Visitor Visa
  • Transit Visa
  • Other Visitor Visas
  • Tier 1 of the Points Based System
  • Tier 2 of the Points Based System
  • Tier 4 of the Points Based System
  • Tier 5 of the Points Based System
  • Other Non-Settlement Visas
  • Settlement Visas.

When you find the visa for which you applied you can then begin to estimate the amount of time that it will take for you to receive a processed application.

By tracing the column to the right you will notice that the percentages will increase. When you come across the first percentage that is 100% and look up the column; that will be the most you will have to wait for your application to be processed.

Links:

Click on one of the below links to find out more information about applying for visas from these countries:

Australia

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/australia/?langname=UK%20English

Canada

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/canada/?langname=UK%20English

China

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/china/?langname=UK%20English

India

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/india/?langname=UK%20English

Russia

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/russia/?langname=UK%20English

South Africa

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/south-africa/?langname=UK%20English

United States

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/united-states/?langname=UK%20English