UK VISA ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW

Administrative Review is a Home Office process for challenging certain UK immigration decisions where the decision is said to be wrong because of a caseworking error.

It is not an appeal to an independent Tribunal. Instead, a different Home Office decision-maker reviews the eligible decision to determine whether the relevant Immigration Rules or published guidance were applied correctly.

Administrative Review is deliberately narrower than an immigration appeal. It is generally concerned with whether the original application should have succeeded on the information and evidence properly before the original decision-maker.

It is therefore important to decide at an early stage whether Administrative Review is the correct remedy. In some cases, the better course will be a fresh immigration application, a statutory appeal or Judicial Review.

Strict deadlines apply, and making a new immigration application while an Administrative Review is pending will ordinarily bring the review to an end.

1. What Is a UK Visa Administrative Review?

Administrative Review allows an eligible immigration decision to be reconsidered for caseworking error.

The current rules are contained principally in Appendix Administrative Review of the Immigration Rules.

The reviewer considers whether the original decision was wrong because the decision-maker:

• failed to apply, or incorrectly applied, the relevant Immigration Rules; or
• failed to apply, or incorrectly applied, published guidance.

Administrative Review is therefore not a general reconsideration of whether the Home Office reached a desirable or compassionate outcome.

The central question is whether the original decision was legally or procedurally wrong within the Administrative Review framework.

Who Conducts the Review?

The review is carried out by a different Home Office decision-maker rather than the person who made the original decision.

Although the reviewer remains within the Home Office rather than an independent court or Tribunal, the process is intended to provide an independent reconsideration within the department.

What Application Is the Reviewer Considering?

The reviewer considers whether the applicant was entitled to entry clearance or permission on the basis of the original application.

They do not ordinarily consider whether the applicant now qualifies:

• under another immigration route;
• on a different factual basis;
• through a newly raised human rights claim; or
• because new evidence has now been obtained that should have been submitted originally.

This restriction is fundamental to deciding whether Administrative Review is an appropriate remedy.

2. Which Immigration Decisions Are Eligible for Administrative Review?

Administrative Review under Appendix Administrative Review is available only where both:

1. the immigration route is one of the specified routes in Appendix Administrative Review; and
2. the decision itself falls within an eligible category.

Current eligible decisions can include:

• refusal of an application for entry clearance;
• refusal of an application for permission to enter;
• refusal of an application for permission to stay; and
• certain decisions made on arrival in the UK to cancel existing permission.

Cancellation of Permission at the Border

A cancellation decision made on arrival can be eligible where the effect is that the person has no permission and the cancellation is based on:

• a change of circumstances since permission was granted;
• false representations; or
• failure to disclose material facts.

The decision notice should state whether Administrative Review is available.

Decisions About the Length or Conditions of Permission

For current applications, Appendix Administrative Review no longer generally provides Administrative Review simply because an applicant considers that the length or conditions of a grant of permission are wrong.

The provision making those decisions generally eligible was removed in April 2025.

Transitional provisions can still matter in older cases, so a historic decision should be checked against the version of the Immigration Rules applicable at the relevant time.

3. Which Immigration Routes Currently Have Administrative Review?

Appendix Administrative Review identifies specified routes whose qualifying decisions can be administratively reviewed.

The principal current categories include:

Category	Examples of Routes
Study	Student, Child Student, Short-term Student, Parent of a Child Student, Graduate
Sponsored Work	Skilled Worker, Global Business Mobility, T2 Minister of Religion, International Sportsperson
Talent and High-Skill Routes	Global Talent, High Potential Individual, Scale-up
Temporary Work	Seasonal Worker, Creative Worker, Religious Worker, Charity Worker, International Agreement, Government Authorised Exchange
Youth and Mobility	Youth Mobility Scheme
Family/Personal Routes Specifically Listed	Bereaved Partner, Victim of Domestic Abuse
Other Routes	UK Ancestry, Returning Resident, Statelessness, Hong Kong BN(O)
Military Routes	Certain HM Armed Forces and International Armed Forces cases
Legacy Routes	Certain ECAA and Tier 1 cases where the applicable transitional requirements are met

The precise list is determined by Appendix Administrative Review and can change.

An applicant should therefore check the legal basis of the original application rather than assume that a refusal attracts Administrative Review simply because the decision letter concerns a visa.

Frontier Worker Administrative Review

Frontier Worker decisions are subject to a separate Administrative Review framework under the relevant citizens’ rights legislation.

This differs from Administrative Review under Appendix Administrative Review and has its own rules concerning evidence and procedure.

4. Which Decisions Cannot Be Challenged by Administrative Review?

Administrative Review is not available for every adverse immigration decision.

Human Rights and Protection Claims

A refusal of a human rights or protection claim is not ordinarily challenged through Appendix Administrative Review.

Where a qualifying human rights or protection claim is refused, a statutory right of appeal may arise, subject to any applicable certification provisions.

A person cannot turn an Administrative Review application into a human rights or asylum claim simply by raising Article 8, Article 3 or protection grounds in the review.

Ordinary Visitor Visa Refusals

A standard Visitor visa refusal does not ordinarily fall within the specified routes for Administrative Review.

Depending on the circumstances, the appropriate response may instead be:

• a fresh Visitor application;
• a statutory human rights appeal, where a genuine human rights claim was made and refused; or
• Judicial Review where the legal requirements for public-law challenge are met.

EU Settlement Scheme Decisions

New EU Settlement Scheme Administrative Review applications are no longer available.

The EUSS Administrative Review scheme closed to new applications in 2024, and Appendix AR (EU) was deleted from the Immigration Rules with effect from 8 October 2026.

Qualifying EU Settlement Scheme decisions instead have a separate statutory appeal framework.

Decisions Carrying a Right of Appeal

Where a decision refuses a human rights claim, protection claim or another separately appealable matter, the proper remedy may be an appeal to the First-tier Tribunal rather than Administrative Review.

The decision notice should identify the remedy, but the legal position should be checked where the consequences are significant.

5. Administrative Review, Immigration Appeal or Judicial Review?

These remedies perform different functions.

Remedy	Main Purpose
Administrative Review	Correct qualifying Home Office caseworking errors in an eligible decision
Immigration Appeal	Independent Tribunal determines an appealable human rights, protection or other statutory decision
Judicial Review	Challenges the lawfulness of a public authority decision where an adequate alternative remedy is not available

Administrative Review

Administrative Review is usually appropriate where:

• the decision is eligible;
• the original application met the relevant requirements;
• the decision-maker overlooked or misunderstood material already provided;
• the Immigration Rules were applied incorrectly; or
• published guidance was not properly followed.

Immigration Appeal

An appeal may be the correct remedy where the Home Office has refused:

• a human rights claim;
• a protection claim;
• or another decision carrying a statutory right of appeal.

Unlike Administrative Review, a Tribunal can determine the relevant statutory ground independently and can in appropriate circumstances consider evidence and developments arising after the original decision.

Judicial Review

Judicial Review may be relevant where:

• Administrative Review has been exhausted but the decision remains legally flawed;
• no statutory appeal exists;
• the Home Office has acted irrationally or procedurally unfairly;
• the wrong legal test was applied; or
• another public-law error is alleged.

Judicial Review is not simply a further merits appeal after an unsuccessful Administrative Review.

6. What Counts as a Caseworking Error?

The current legal test is whether the eligible decision is incorrect because the original decision-maker:

• failed to apply or incorrectly applied the relevant Immigration Rules; or
• failed to apply or incorrectly applied published guidance.

This can cover a range of practical errors.

Incorrect Application of the Immigration Rules

Examples might include:

• applying a requirement that does not apply to the route;
• using the wrong salary threshold;
• miscalculating a qualifying period;
• misunderstanding a points requirement;
• applying the wrong suitability provision;
• overlooking an exception contained in the Rules; or
• treating a requirement as unsatisfied when the application evidence demonstrated that it was met.

Failure to Apply Published Guidance

An Administrative Review can also challenge a decision where the caseworker failed to follow relevant published guidance.

This can include circumstances in which published policy explains:

• how a particular Immigration Rule should be applied;
• what evidence should be accepted;
• when additional information should be requested; or
• how a discretionary caseworking question should be approached.

Evidence Overlooked by the Decision-Maker

One of the clearest potential grounds is that the refusal says required evidence was absent when it was in fact properly submitted with the original application.

The review should identify:

• the refusal finding;
• the document or information that was submitted;
• where it appeared in the original application; and
• why considering it correctly should change the relevant refusal reason.

Suitability and Deception Errors

Administrative Review can be particularly important where the Home Office has alleged:

• false representation;
• deception;
• previous breach of immigration laws; or
• another suitability issue.

An adverse deception finding can have consequences beyond the immediate refusal, including for future immigration applications.

It may therefore be important to challenge an incorrect adverse finding even where another refusal reason would independently prevent the original application from succeeding.

Evidential Flexibility

Published evidential flexibility policies can, in prescribed circumstances, require or permit a caseworker to seek missing or further evidence rather than refuse immediately.

Administrative Review can challenge a failure to apply the relevant policy where it properly applied to the original application.

This does not mean that every missing-document refusal can be cured retrospectively.

7. What Administrative Review Cannot Do

Administrative Review has important limits.

It Cannot Change the Immigration Route

The reviewer considers whether the applicant qualified on the basis of the original application.

The process cannot ordinarily be used to argue:

“I did not qualify for that visa, but I now qualify for a different one.”

That normally requires a new immigration application.

It Cannot Introduce a New Human Rights Claim

A newly raised Article 8 or other human rights claim will not be substantively determined within Appendix Administrative Review.

A human rights claim must be made through an appropriate immigration or human rights process.

It Cannot Introduce an Asylum or Protection Claim

The same applies to a claim that return would expose the person to persecution or serious harm.

A protection claim must be raised through the appropriate asylum or protection procedure.

It Cannot Normally Rebuild a Defective Application

Administrative Review is not intended to allow an applicant to submit a missing qualification, bank statement, sponsorship document or other evidence after refusal simply because it would now make the application compliant.

The principal question is whether the original decision was wrong.

Where the original application genuinely lacked evidence necessary to meet the Rules, a fresh application may be the more appropriate remedy.

8. Can You Submit New Evidence With an Administrative Review?

Only in limited circumstances.

The general rule is that Administrative Review is decided by reference to the evidence that was before the original decision-maker.

Evidence that was not previously submitted will only be considered within specified exceptions.

These currently include certain cases involving:

• false representations or deception;
• cancellation based on false representations or deception;
• an entry clearance refusal based on a previous breach of immigration laws;
• a historic failure to request documents under the former paragraph 245AA framework; or
• failure to follow the published evidential flexibility policy.

Deception and False Representation

Where the refusal alleges deception or false representations, new evidence can potentially be considered within the Administrative Review framework.

This recognises the seriousness of such findings and the need to determine accurately whether the allegation is justified.

Previous Breach of Immigration Laws

In qualifying entry clearance cases where refusal is based on a previous breach of immigration laws, the Rules also permit relevant new evidence to be considered.

Evidential Flexibility

Where the complaint is that the decision-maker should have requested a document or further evidence under the applicable evidential flexibility policy, material relevant to that issue may be admissible.

The Practical Rule

Before submitting new evidence, the applicant should ask:

1. Was this evidence before the original decision-maker?
2. If not, does one of the specific Administrative Review exceptions apply?
3. If not, would a fresh application provide a better route to rely on the new material?

Simply attaching more documents does not expand the legal scope of the review.

9. Administrative Review or Fresh Visa Application?

This is often the most important strategic decision following refusal.

Administrative Review May Be Preferable Where:

• the application actually satisfied the Immigration Rules;
• the caseworker overlooked evidence already submitted;
• the wrong rule or threshold was applied;
• the Home Office made a clear factual error;
• an incorrect deception or suitability finding should be challenged;
• published guidance was not followed; or
• preserving the original application date or immigration position is particularly important.

A Fresh Application May Be Preferable Where:

• the original application genuinely failed to satisfy a requirement;
• an essential document was never submitted;
• circumstances have now changed;
• a new sponsor or Certificate of Sponsorship is required;
• the applicant has now obtained evidence that is not admissible on Administrative Review;
• the applicant wants to rely on a different immigration route; or
• the likely delay of Administrative Review would cause disproportionate practical problems.

The current processing period makes the choice particularly significant. An ordinary Administrative Review can now take 12 months or more.

Do Not Pursue Both Simultaneously

In most Appendix Administrative Review cases, an applicant cannot maintain the Administrative Review while also making a new application.

A new immigration application will ordinarily cause the pending review to be treated as withdrawn.

If the new application is made first, a later Administrative Review of the earlier decision will ordinarily be invalid.

The strategy should therefore be decided before the next application is submitted.

10. UK Visa Administrative Review Time Limits

The current ordinary deadlines are:

Decision	Deadline
In-country refusal of permission to stay	14 calendar days
Eligible decision where applicant was detained	7 calendar days
Overseas refusal of entry clearance	28 calendar days
Eligible cancellation at the UK border while not detained	14 calendar days
Eligible cancellation while detained	7 calendar days
Eligible decision at specified juxtaposed controls	28 calendar days

The time usually runs from receipt of the relevant decision notice.

Can You Apply Late?

Potentially.

An out-of-time Administrative Review may be accepted where the decision-maker is satisfied that:

• it would be unjust not to waive the time limit; and
• the application was made as soon as reasonably practicable.

The applicant should explain:

• why the deadline was missed;
• the length of the delay;
• when they became able to apply; and
• why the application was made promptly thereafter.

Supporting evidence should be provided where appropriate.

A late application should not be treated as routinely acceptable.

11. How to Apply for Administrative Review

An Appendix Administrative Review application is made online using the specified Administrative Review form.

Before applying, the applicant should review:

• the refusal or cancellation decision;
• the Immigration Rules that applied to the original application;
• relevant published guidance;
• the evidence originally submitted;
• the Administrative Review eligibility rules; and
• the applicable deadline.

The application should identify specific caseworking errors rather than simply state that the decision was unfair.

A clear Administrative Review request will ordinarily explain:

1. what the Home Office decided;
2. what the alleged error is;
3. the correct Rule or guidance;
4. what evidence was before the original decision-maker;
5. why applying the correct approach changes the relevant refusal reason; and
6. the outcome sought.

Where more than one refusal reason exists, each material point should be addressed.

12. Administrative Review Fee and Refunds

The Administrative Review fee is currently £80.

The fee applies to standard Appendix Administrative Review applications both inside and outside the UK.

There is no additional Administrative Review fee merely because eligible dependants from the original application are included in the review.

Fee Exemptions

A fee is not required in certain circumstances, including where:

• the original immigration application itself was fee-exempt or the fee was waived; or
• the applicant is entitled to a second Administrative Review because the first review maintained the decision for different or additional reasons.

Exceptional Fee Waiver

The Home Office can waive the Administrative Review fee in exceptional circumstances where the applicant demonstrates that they are unable to pay.

The threshold is high and such waivers are expected to be uncommon.

Refund Following a Successful Administrative Review

Where the Administrative Review identifies an error that changes the outcome and the original decision is withdrawn, the Administrative Review fee will ordinarily be refunded.

A fee can also be refunded where the Administrative Review application is rejected as invalid in circumstances covered by the refund policy.

The fee is not ordinarily refunded simply because one refusal reason is corrected while the overall refusal remains in place.

13. How Long Does Administrative Review Take?

Processing times have become substantially longer than the original design of the Administrative Review system.

In-Country Administrative Reviews

Current published guidance states that an in-country Administrative Review can take 12 months or more.

If no decision has been made within six months, the Home Office says that it will provide an update.

Overseas Administrative Reviews

Overseas Administrative Reviews can likewise currently take 12 months or more.

The practical effect can be significant where the refused application relates to:

• employment;
• study;
• relocation;
• a time-sensitive job offer; or
• another immigration plan that cannot readily remain on hold.

Border Administrative Reviews

Eligible border cancellation reviews are dealt with separately and currently usually take 28 days or more.

Individual cases may still take longer.

Can an Administrative Review Be Expedited?

There is no general guaranteed priority service for Administrative Review.

Where there are genuinely urgent or exceptional circumstances, representations may be made explaining why the case requires urgent attention, but an expedited decision should not be assumed.

This is another factor to consider when deciding between Administrative Review and a fresh application.

14. Immigration Status While Administrative Review Is Pending

An Administrative Review does not automatically create or extend immigration permission.

The position depends on the applicant’s status before the refusal.

Section 3C Leave

Where:

• the applicant had limited permission;
• they made a valid application to vary that permission before it expired;
• their existing permission was already being extended by section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971; and
• they make an in-time Administrative Review application,

section 3C can continue their immigration permission while the Administrative Review remains pending.

The leave generally continues until:

• the review is determined;
• the review is withdrawn;
• it ceases to be pending for another reason; or
• the applicant leaves the UK.

Administrative Review Does Not Create Section 3C Leave

If the applicant did not already have section 3C leave, obtaining a right to Administrative Review does not itself create section 3C permission.

For example, a person whose immigration status had already expired before making the application will not gain section 3C leave simply because their refusal carries Administrative Review.

Protection From Removal

Separately, Appendix Administrative Review provides that a person will not be removed from the UK while an in-country Administrative Review is pending.

This protection from removal is not the same thing as holding immigration permission.

The distinction can affect issues such as:

• work;
• renting;
• benefits;
• driving;
• access to services; and
• future immigration applications.

Border Cases

A person allowed into the UK following an eligible cancellation decision at the border may be placed on immigration bail rather than continuing to hold the cancelled immigration permission.

15. Can You Work During Administrative Review?

It depends on whether the applicant has continuing immigration permission.

Where section 3C leave applies, the conditions attached to the applicant’s previous permission ordinarily continue.

For example, if the previous permission allowed employment, that work permission can normally continue on the same conditions while section 3C leave remains in force.

Any existing restrictions also continue.

An applicant cannot assume that Administrative Review itself provides a right to work.

Where section 3C does not apply and the person has no other permission, Administrative Review does not independently authorise employment.

16. Can You Travel While Administrative Review Is Pending?

An applicant pursuing an in-country Administrative Review should not leave the UK while the review is pending.

The review will be treated as withdrawn if the applicant:

• leaves the UK; or
• requests the return of their passport because they intend to travel outside the UK.

If the applicant has section 3C leave, that leave also ends when they leave the UK.

The Administrative Review cannot then simply be resumed when the applicant returns.

Anyone contemplating travel should therefore consider the immigration consequences before making arrangements.

17. Can You Make a Fresh Application During Administrative Review?

Not ordinarily while keeping the existing Administrative Review alive.

If a person with a pending Appendix Administrative Review makes a new application for:

• entry clearance;
• permission to enter; or
• permission to stay,

the Administrative Review will ordinarily be treated as withdrawn from the day before the new application is made.

Conversely, if the applicant first makes the new immigration application and then attempts to seek Administrative Review of the earlier eligible decision, the Administrative Review will ordinarily be invalid.

This is why the choice between Administrative Review and fresh application should normally be made before either step is taken.

There are separate procedural regimes, such as the Frontier Worker framework, which should be considered under their own rules.

18. What Are the Possible Administrative Review Outcomes?

Appendix Administrative Review provides four principal outcomes.

1. Administrative Review Succeeds

The eligible decision is withdrawn and will be reconsidered.

Where it is clear that the original application should have been granted, the Home Office may be able to correct the decision accordingly.

In other cases, the application may be referred back to the original caseworking team for a new decision.

A successful Administrative Review therefore means that the incorrect decision has been withdrawn. It does not invariably mean that a visa is physically issued on the same day as the review decision.

2. Decision Maintained for All Original Reasons

The Administrative Review does not succeed and the original decision remains in force for all of the reasons originally given.

3. Decision Maintained but Some Refusal Reasons Withdrawn

The review may identify errors in one or more refusal reasons while concluding that another valid reason means that the overall decision should remain.

This can still be important.

Removing an incorrect allegation of deception, for example, may protect the applicant from unfair consequences in future applications even where another independent refusal reason remains.

4. Decision Maintained With Different or Additional Reasons

The reviewer may conclude that the original decision should remain but that different or additional reasons apply.

Where new refusal reasons are introduced, a further right of Administrative Review can arise in relation to those new reasons.

19. Can You Request a Second Administrative Review?

Only in limited circumstances.

There is no general right to keep requesting Administrative Review because the applicant disagrees with the outcome.

A second Administrative Review is available where the first review maintains the original decision but introduces different or additional reasons that the applicant has not previously had an opportunity to challenge.

The second review is directed to those new reasons.

There is no additional Administrative Review fee for an eligible second review.

An applicant should not confuse this with a general right to ask another reviewer to reconsider the same arguments for a second time.

20. What Happens After an Unsuccessful Administrative Review?

The appropriate next step depends on why the Administrative Review failed and whether the original application can now be improved.

Fresh Immigration Application

A fresh application may be appropriate where:

• the original application lacked required evidence;
• circumstances have changed;
• an eligibility requirement can now be met;
• the applicant has a new sponsor;
• a different immigration route is now appropriate; or
• the previous refusal can be addressed directly through better evidence.

Before reapplying, any damaging findings in the refusal and Administrative Review decision should be considered carefully.

Judicial Review

Judicial Review may be appropriate where the Administrative Review decision remains legally flawed.

Potential public-law issues can include:

• misinterpretation of the Immigration Rules;
• irrationality;
• procedural unfairness;
• failure to consider relevant evidence;
• reliance on legally irrelevant matters; or
• another material error of law.

Judicial Review is not an opportunity simply to repeat the Administrative Review arguments before a different decision-maker.

The court or Upper Tribunal considers the lawfulness of the public authority’s decision.

Human Rights or Protection Claim

If circumstances genuinely give rise to a human rights or protection claim, that claim needs to be raised through the appropriate immigration, human rights or asylum procedure.

It should not be inserted into an Administrative Review application in the expectation that the reviewer will determine it.

21. Frequently Asked Questions: UK Visa Administrative Review

What is Administrative Review of a UK visa refusal?

Administrative Review is an internal Home Office process for checking whether an eligible immigration decision was wrong because the relevant Immigration Rules or published guidance were applied incorrectly. It is not an independent Tribunal appeal.

How do I know if my visa refusal has Administrative Review?

Your refusal decision should normally tell you whether you are entitled to Administrative Review. Eligibility also depends on whether the application was made under a route specified in Appendix Administrative Review and whether the decision itself is an eligible decision.

How long do I have to apply for Administrative Review?

The usual deadline is 14 days for an in-country refusal, 7 days if you were detained when the relevant decision was received and 28 days for an overseas entry clearance refusal. Different rules apply to some border decisions.

How much does Administrative Review cost?

The current fee is £80. Exemptions apply in some cases, including where the original application was fee-exempt or where an eligible second Administrative Review arises because new refusal reasons were introduced.

How long does Administrative Review currently take?

Current published guidance states that ordinary in-country and overseas Administrative Reviews can take 12 months or more. Border Administrative Reviews are currently usually decided within 28 days or more.

Can I provide new evidence with Administrative Review?

Usually only in limited circumstances. Administrative Review primarily examines whether the original decision was wrong on the original application material. New evidence can be considered in specified cases involving issues such as deception, previous immigration breaches or evidential flexibility.

Is Administrative Review better than making a fresh application?

It depends on the reason for refusal. Administrative Review may be preferable where the original application already met the Rules and the Home Office made an error. A fresh application may be more suitable where evidence was genuinely missing or circumstances have changed.

Can I remain in the UK while Administrative Review is pending?

A person with a pending in-country Administrative Review will not ordinarily be removed while it remains pending. If you already had section 3C leave following an in-time application, that leave can also continue during an in-time Administrative Review.

Can I work during Administrative Review?

Only if you have immigration permission that allows you to work. Where section 3C continues previous leave, the existing work conditions ordinarily continue. Administrative Review itself does not create a right to work.

Can I travel outside the UK during Administrative Review?

An in-country Administrative Review will ordinarily be treated as withdrawn if you leave the UK or request return of your passport for overseas travel. Section 3C leave will also end when you leave the UK.

Can I make another visa application while waiting for Administrative Review?

You can choose to make another application, but in most Appendix Administrative Review cases doing so will automatically end the pending Administrative Review. The strategic choice between review and reapplication should therefore be made first.

What happens if Administrative Review succeeds?

The original eligible decision is withdrawn and reconsidered. The Home Office may grant the original application where the correction resolves the case, or the matter may be returned to the relevant caseworking team for a new decision.

Can I appeal if Administrative Review fails?

There is no automatic Tribunal appeal simply because an Administrative Review was unsuccessful. Depending on the circumstances, the next step may be a fresh application, Judicial Review or, where a separate human rights or protection claim exists, an appropriate appealable application.

Can I apply for Judicial Review after Administrative Review?

Potentially. Judicial Review may be appropriate where the Administrative Review decision remains unlawful, but the court considers legal error rather than conducting another general merits review. Alternative remedies and the availability of a fresh application will also be relevant.