If you’ve been planning to move your family abroad, now is the perfect time! UK visa services are back and better than ever – with priority service available for partner visas. And not only that: typical waiting periods have also decreased from six months.
To facilitate the Ukraine crisis, visa services for employers have delayed but now resumed to normal operations while those intended for family members are soon following suit. To date, Home Office staff have processed an impressive 212 600 visas as part of their efforts in providing support and aid to Ukrainian refugees.
In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Home Office personnel implemented new immigration plans for those seeking refuge in Britain. This prompted a suspension of priority services offered by UK visas which allow applicants to pay extra fees for quicker decisions.
Despite limited resources, the Home Office was able to maintain priority services for in-country applications during a time of increased demand from Ukrainian citizens seeking permission to remain in Britain. This caused waiting times of applications across the board to increase significantly.
Priority Service Details
After months of slowness, UK visa application processing is finally returning to its typical speed. Those in need of a quicker decision can choose the priority service option and receive their response faster than ever before.
From August 2022, the UK Home Office has reopened its priority services for work and business visas from abroad. Good news for our clients with pending family visa applications, the Home Office has now resumed their priority service and sending emails to notify them of the option. UK Visas and Immigration are now offering a three-week decision turnaround which is significantly faster than the previous six weeks. By paying an additional £537, travellers can bypass the current standard wait time of six months for their visa applications to be processed.
UK Visas and Immigration has announced a new initiative to prioritize the longest-waiting applicants for family visas. The Home Office intends to begin offering this upgrade option in early 2023, giving individuals the opportunity to expedite their applications with an upgraded status.
The Home Office have declared they are looking to drastically reduce the time it takes for a family visa decision, currently at 24 weeks. By the end of this year, you can expect to wait just 12 weeks for decision on your application!
