Changes to the Home Office Immigration Priority Visa Services
By Maryem Ahmed, of OTS Solicitors
As immigration lawyers, we understand all too well the frustrations of waiting for Home Office decisions on immigration and visa applications. The wait can seem interminable and frustrating. I know that my impatience in waiting for Home Office determinations is nothing in comparison to those of you who are waiting for the Home Office to decide on your own visa application. You can feel in limbo, unable to move forward with your life until you get the go ahead from the Home Office.
There is some very welcome news for immigration and UK visa applicants, namely changes to the Home Office immigration priority visa services, effective from the 12 August 2022. In this article, I run through the key priority service changes and outline how they can help you.
UK Online and London Based Immigration Solicitors
For advice on immigration law call the expert London immigration lawyers at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
Priority service from the Home Office for work visa and student visa applications
The Home Office has reintroduced some priority services to speed up visa applications for the lucky ones who are able to use either the:
- Priority service
- Super priority service
With priority service the turnaround time is within 5 working days and the super priority service timescale is the end of the next working day.
The priority services are available for:
- Sponsored work visa routes
- Global talent visa applications
- Student visas
You have to:
- Be a new applicant
- Apply to use the priority service online when making your application – you can't decide to convert your application to priority status at a later date
Applications for priority service from within the UK
The Home Office has said that the following applications may be capable of a priority application when applying for the visa from within the UK:
- Child student visa
- Global Talent visa
- Health and Care Worker visa
- Innovator visa
- Senior or specialist worker visa
- Minister of Religion visa
- Skilled Worker visa
- International Sportsperson visa
- Start-up visa
- Student visa
- Temporary Work - Charity Worker visa
- Temporary Work - Creative Worker visa
- Temporary Work - Government Authorised Exchange visa
- Temporary Work - International Agreement visa
- Temporary Work - Religious Worker visa
- Temporary Work - Seasonal Worker visa
- Applying as the dependent child or partner on a work, student, global talent, start up or innovator visa
If you want to make a priority visa application from overseas then our immigration lawyers can advise on your options. Contact us online.
Priority services for family and spouse visa applications
Unfortunately, the Home Office has not reinstated priority services for:
- Spouse visas
- Partner visas
- Family visas
The Home Office say they intend to reinstate family visa priority services but no date has been set yet.
If you are making a family or spouse visa application then our Spouse Visa Solicitors say the best tips they can offer to speed the application process up is to ensure that:
- The application and statement address any Home Office red flags. For example, that your sponsored partner is self-employed and therefore how you meet the financial requirement is complicated to work out because of the nature of their accounts
- You provide the best supporting paperwork so the Home Office don’t need to raise queries
- You pay the correct application fee
UK Online and London Based Immigration Solicitors
For immigration law queries and advice call the immigration team at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.