Priority Visa Service Resumes For New Family Visa Applications
With effect from 20 February 2023, the Priority Visa Service has now resumed for new Marriage and Family Visa applications submitted from outside the UK.
This change means that individuals applying for the following settlement visas can now receive a faster decision on their applications:
- Spouse
- Civil Partner
- Unmarried Partner
- Fiancé(e)
- Proposed civil partner
- Child
- Adult dependent relative
Standard Processing Times for New Marriage and Family Visa Applications
The published service standard for deciding an application from outside the UK to settle in the UK as the spouse, partner or family member of a British citizen or settled person is currently 12 weeks.
However, the Home Office has, for some time, been advising applicants that standard applications for family visas submitted from outside the UK may take up to 24 weeks to process whilst it prioritises Ukraine Visa Scheme applications. This has led to many families being separated in different countries for extended periods whilst waiting for a decision on their UK visa applications.
In a positive development, following a reduction in the backlog of Ukraine Visa Scheme applications, the Home Office has recently announced that, from 3 April 2023, standard marriage and family visa applications will start to be processed within 60 working days.
This means that, from 3 April 2023, individuals applying for a UK visa as the spouse, partner of family member of a British citizen or settled person via the standard service can expect to receive a decision on their UK visa application within 12 weeks.
Priority Visa Service Resumes For New Family Visa Applications
For those who don’t want to wait until 3 April 2023 to apply for a UK marriage or family member visa, or for whom 12 weeks still sounds like a long time to wait for a decision, the resumption of the Priority Service for new family visa applications means that there is now an additional option to receive a quicker decision.
The Home Office is currently advising that new marriage and family visa applications submitted from outside the UK using UKVI’s Priority Service will be processed within 30 working days or 6 weeks from the date of the appointment at the visa application centre. This is considerably longer than the 5 working day Priority Service that is available for other immigration routes, but still an improvement on the standard processing time for a partner or family visa application submitted from outside the UK.
The Priority Service is optional and a £573 fee must be paid in addition to the standard visa application fee.
Applicants should note that not all applications are suitable for the Priority Service. If an application is not straightforward then it may not be possible for the Home Office to meet the 30 working day service standard. If this is the case, then the application will still be put at the front of the queue at every stage of the decision-making process, but a decision within 30 working days will not be guaranteed. Our immigration lawyers can advise you on whether your family visa application is likely to be suitable for the Priority Service.
Applicants may also wish to keep in mind that the “Keep My Passport When Applying” service that is generally available to applicants when applying for a UK visa from outside the UK is not compatible with UKVI’s Priority Service. Therefore, if you apply via the Priority Visa service from outside the UK you will not be able to use the “Keep My Passport When Applying” service.
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Contact our Immigration Barristers
To discuss your UK Marriage or Family Visa Application with a member of our team, including the possibility of applying via the Priority Service, contact our immigration barristers on 0203 617 9173 or complete our enquiry form below.
