How long does it take to get my UK visa?
The processing times for UK visas vary from Embassy to Embassy. To get an idea of how long it will take to process your UK visa application, you can visit UKBA’s Processing Times page. You will find this page here (this link will open in a new window). If you enter the place where you submitted or wish to submit your application, it will tell you the average processing time at your visa application centre for the type of application that you have submitted/propose to submit.
Please note that UKBA visa officers work to published service standards. These service standards currently (October 2012) say that they will process:
- 90 per cent of non-settlement applications within 3 weeks, 98 per cent within 6 weeks and 100 per cent within 12 weeks of the application date;
- and 95 per cent of settlement applications within 12 weeks of the application date and 100 per cent within 24 weeks of the application date.
Please note that UKBA defines 1 week as 5 working days.
In other words, if you have submitted your application and the deadline under the published service standards has not been reached yet, it is not worth your while to contact UKBA (unless there are urgent compassionate circumstances, e.g. a funeral, pregnancy etc.).
