How To Check Your UK Visa Application Status - Work Visas - UK (2023)

If you've applied for a UK visa, waiting for a decision canbe a stressful experience, particularly if you have a traveldeadline or other important plans. Fortunately, the UK visaapplication process allows applicants to track the progress oftheir UK visa application and check their UK visa applicationstatus.

In this post, we'll walk you through the various ways youcan check your UK visa application status, so that you can stayinformed and up-to-date throughout the UK visa applicationprocess.

We also provide some useful additional information for anyonewho is looking to track the status of a UK visa application,including Home Office service standards for deciding a UK visaapplication, how to find out current UK visa processing times, thefactors that can delay a decision on a UK visa application, how tospeed up a decision on a UK visa application and how to chase adelayed decision on a UK visa application.

The Importance of Checking Your UK Visa ApplicationStatus

Checking your UK visa application status is an important step inthe application process. It allows you to stay informed and cangive you an idea of how much longer you may have to wait for adecision. By checking your UK visa application status regularly,you can ensure that your application is moving through the processas expected and that there are no issues or delays.

Additionally, tracking your UK visa application status can helpyou identify any errors or omissions in your application and allowyou to correct them before it's too late. For example, if younotice that your application has been pending for longer thantheaverage processing time, you may want tocontact UKVI to enquire about the status of your application andensure that there are no issues that need to beaddressed.

By checking your UK visa application status, you can plan aheadand make any necessary arrangements. For example, if you receive anotification that your application has been approved, you can startmaking travel plans or booking accommodation. Alternatively, if youreceive a notification that your UK visa application has beenrefused, you may need to consider reapplying or seeking legaladvice regarding animmigration appeal,administrative revieworjudicial review.

Therefore, it is highly recommended that you regularly checkyour UK visa application status to stay informed and ensure asmooth UK visa application process.

What Information Do You Need to Check Your UK VisaApplication Status?

To check your UK visa application status, you will need certaininformation about your application. Here are the key pieces ofinformation that you may need:

Personal and contact details: You mayneed to provide your first name, last name, nationality, date ofbirth and the email address used on your application form. Thesedetails may be used to verify your identity and ensure that you areauthorised to access the status of your application.

Passport number:You may need to providethe passport number that you used when you applied for your UKvisa. This is another way to verify your identity and ensure thatyou are authorised to access the status of your application.

Type of visa applied for: As part of theprocess to track the progress on your immigration application, youmay need to confirm the category of UK visa or immigration routethat you applied for.

Date of application or biometrics: Youmay need to provide the date of your visa or immigrationapplication, as well as the date when you provided your biometricinformation.

Place of application:If you wish to checkthe status of a UK visa application that was submitted overseas,you may need to provide the location of the visa applicationcentre.

GWF reference number:This is a 9 digit(GWFxxxxxxxxx) unique reference number that may have been assignedto your application when you submitted it. You may need to enterthis number in order to check your application status.

Application reference number:Depending onthe type of visa you applied for, you may also have been given a 16digit (xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx) unique application reference number. Ifyou have been given an application reference number, you may needto enter it when you track your UK visa application status.

Immigration Health Surcharge reference number (ifapplicable): If you paid the Immigration HealthSurcharge then you may be asked to provide your IHS number whentracking the decision on your UK visa application.

It's important to ensure that you have all of the necessaryinformation and documents at hand before attempting to check yourUK visa application status. This will help you avoid anyunnecessary delays or complications, and ensure that you are ableto access the information you need as quickly and easily aspossible.

How to Check the Status of Your UK Visa Application Outsidethe UK

1. Using the VFS Global website

Step-by-step instructions for checking your UK visaapplication status on the VFS Global website:

You can track the progress of your out-of-country UK visaapplication on the VFS Global website:

1. Go to the VFS Global website: Start byvisiting the VFS Global website at https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/ inyour web browser.
2. Select your VAC location:Select thelocation of the visa application centre where you provided yourbiometric information.
3. Click on 'Track your application': Atthe top of the page for your VFS Global visa application centre,you may see a section called 'Track your application'. Ifso, click on this section to begin the process of tracking yourapplication status (If you cannot see a section called 'Trackyour application' then proceed to '3. Using the UKVIwebsite' below.).
4. Click on 'Track your visa application statusonline':You will see 'track your visaapplication status online' highlighted in orange. Click on thisto be taken to a login page.
5. Enter your reference number: Thereference number may be your GWF number or your VAC referencenumber, depending on the type of visa you applied for. Enter thenumber in the appropriate field.
6. Enter your last name: You will also needto enter your last name in the appropriate field.
7. Click 'Submit':Once you haveentered all of the required information, confirm that you are not arobot and click the 'Submit' button to view yourapplication status.
8. View your application status: You shouldnow be able to view the status of your UK visa application. Thestatus may indicate that your application is being processed, orthat a decision has been made. If a decision has been made, you mayalso be able to view the details of the decision, such as whetheryour application has been approved or refused.

If you have any questions or concerns about your UK visaapplication status, you can contact VFS Global customer service forassistance. Their contact details can be found on the'Contact us'page of the VFSGlobal website.

2. Using the TLScontact website

Step-by-step instructions for checking your UK visaapplication status on the TLScontact website:

You can track the progress of your out-of-country UK visaapplication on the TLScontact website:

1. Open your confirmation email from UK Visas andImmigration: Start by locating the confirmationemail that you received from UK Visas and Immigration when you setup your visa application form.
2. Sign into your application:Next, clickon the link in the email and sign into your application on theGOV.UK website by entering your password and clicking 'Signin'.
3. Navigate to the TLScontact website: Oncesigned in, click on 'Provide Documents and Biometrics' andthen on 'Continue'. You will now be redirected to youraccount on the TLScontact website.
4. Select 'Track': Select 'Track'to view the status of your application in real-time.
5. View your application status: You shouldnow be able to view the status of your UK visa application. Thestatus should indicate whether biometric enrolment has beencompleted, whether your application has been transferred to andreceived by the decision-making centre (DMC), whether the decidedapplication has been transferred to and received by the visaapplication centre (VAC) and whether you have picked your passportup from the VAC.

If you have any questions or concerns about your UK visaapplication status, you can contact TLScontact support by clickingon the'Contact us'page on theTLScontact website.

3. Using the UKVI website

Step-by-step instructions for checking the status ofyour UK visa application on the UKVI website:

You can track the progress of your out-of-country UK visaapplication on the UKVI website. Please note that this is apaid-for service.Queries about the progress of a UK visaapplication cost £2.74. This cost includes an initial emailenquiry plus any follow-up emails that you send relating to thesame enquiry:

1. Go to the UKVI website: Start byvisiting the UKVI websiteathttps://ukvi.mysecurepay.co.uk/Homein your webbrowser.
2. Click on 'Start': You will see'Start' highlighted in green. Click on this to be taken tothe next page.
3. Click on 'General Enquiry': Youwill see 'General Enquiry' highlighted in green. Click onthis to be taken to an online form.
4. Complete the online form: Complete allthe fields on the online form. In the 'Enquiry' box youshould make clear that you are enquiring about the status of yourapplication. If thestandard processing timehas beenexceeded then you should mention this.
5. Click on 'Continue': You shouldnow be able to proceed to enter your payment details andconfirm.
6. Click on 'Submit': If you do notselect 'Submit' then your enquiry will not be completed andyou will not be charged. You should receive a reply to your querywithin 5 days, except on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and UK publicholidays.

4. Contacting UKVI by telephone

Instructions for checking the status of your UK visaapplication with UKVI by telephone:

You can track the progress of your out-of-country UK visaapplication by calling UKVI on+44 (0)300 790 6268 andselecting option 1.

The telephone line is open 24 hours a day, Monday to Friday.

Calls cost 69 pence per minute on top of your standard networkcharges.

If you cannot contact UK 0300 numbers, then use +44 (0)203 8754669.

How to Track the Status of Your UK Visa Application Insidethe UK

1. Using the UKVCAS website

Unfortunately, UKVCAS does not provide any application statusupdates on its website.

If you have any questions or concerns about the applicationstatus of an in-country immigration application, you should contactUK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) instead (proceed to '4.Contacting UKVI by telephone' below).

2. Contacting UKVCAS by telephone

It is also not possible to telephone UKVCAS to check theprogress of an immigration application.

If you have any questions or concerns about the applicationstatus of an in-country immigration application, you should contactUK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) instead (proceed to '4.Contacting UKVI by telephone' below).

3. Using the UKVI website

Unfortunately, UKVI does not provide any application statusupdates on its website (proceed to '4. Contacting UKVI bytelephone' below).

4. Contacting UKVI by telephone

Instructions for checking the status of your in-countryUK immigration application with UKVI by telephone:

You can track the progress of your in-country immigrationapplication by calling the UKVIcontact centre on 0300 7906268 and selecting option 2.

The telephone line is open 9am to 4:45pm on Monday to Thursday(excluding bank holidays) and 9am to 4:30pm on Friday (excludingbank holidays).

Information on call charges can be foundhere.

Frequently Asked Questions About Checking UK VisaApplication Status

Does UKVI have standard processing times for UK visaapplications?

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has published service standardsfor waiting times for decisions on visa and immigrationapplications. If you want to track the status of a UK visaapplication then it is useful to refer to these.

If a UK visa application includes all relevant information andsupporting documents (and the Home Office does not need to requestfurther evidence or explanation) then the following waiting timecustomer service standards should apply:

• Non-settlement visa applications submitted outside the UK: 90%to be decided within 3 weeks; 98% within 6 weeks and 100% within 12weeks of the application date (where 1 week is 5 workingdays);
• Settlement visa applications submitted outside the UK: 98.5% ofsettlement applications to be decided within 12 weeks of theapplication date and 100% within 24 weeks of the application date(where 1 week is 5 working days);
• Applications for leave to remain submitted within the UK,including as spouses, workers and students: 8 weeks to bedecided;
• Applications for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) submittedwithin the UK: 6 months to be decided;
• Applications for no time limit (NTL) submitted within the UK: 6months to be decided;
• Organisations seeking to sponsor a worker: 8 weeks;
• Organisations updating their sponsor licence details: 18weeks.

These service standards are the visa processing times that UKVIaims to deliver on for the processing of straightforward, completeapplications, based on itscustomer charter. Actual UK visa processingtimes can vary considerably. However, if the service standard hasbeen exceeded then this is a factor that can be raised as part ofany attempt tochase a delayed decision.

What Are the Current Home Office UK Visa Processing Times?

Aside from its customer service standards for visa processing,the Home Office also publishes up-to-date information on currentprocessing times for visa and immigration applications submittedboth within the UK and outside the UK.

Up-to-date information on current UK Visa processing times forall the main immigration routes can be found in our post:

If you wish to track the status of your UK visa applicationthen, in addition to referring to the customer service standard, itmay be helpful to refer to these published current processing timesin order to ascertain approximately how long it should take foryour pending UK visa application to be decided.

What Factors Can Delay UK Visa Processing Times?

When you check the status of your UK visa application you shouldbe aware that there are a number of factors which can delay UK visaprocessing times and cause the customer service standard and/or thecurrent processing time to be exceeded, including:

• The complexity of the case, for example if it involves anassessment of Article 8 ECHR rights or derivative rights of EEAextended family members;
• Concerns regarding suitability requirements such ascriminality;
• Consideration of any adverse immigration history;
• Any concerns regarding the authenticity ofdocuments;
• The volume of documents provided;
• Whether further investigations are required or an interviewscheduled;
• The capacity of caseworkers; and
• The time of the year.

If you are looking to check your UK visa application status thenit is worth keeping in mind that there is no published servicestandard for waiting times for more complex applications and UKVIhas a wide margin of appreciation with regard to the timing oftheir decisions.

How Can I Get a Faster Decision on a UK Visa Application?

UK Visas & Immigration offers a 'priority service'and a 'super priority service' for applicants who, for anadditional fee, wish to receive a faster decision on their UK visaapplication. Selecting one of these premium services at the pointof application will ensure that an application is placed at thefront of the queue at every stage of the decision-makingprocess.

In our comprehensive guide to UK Visa Premium and PriorityServices, we look at the Priority Service and Super PriorityService in detail, covering everything from processing times, tocurrent availability, costs and whether an application is likely tobe suitable for an expedited decision:

• A Guide to UK Visa Premium and PriorityServices

How Can I Chase a Delayed UK Visa Application?

It is deeply frustrating when the Home Office takes longer thanstated on its website to process a visa or immigration application.If the processing of your UK visa application has been delayedthen, as well as tracking the progress on your UK visa application,you may wish to consider taking additional steps to chase adecision on your UK visa application.

We explain how to chase a delayed UK Visa or immigrationdecision in 6 steps in our post:

• How to Chase a Delayed UK VisaApplication

Conclusion

In conclusion, checking your UK visa application status is acrucial step in the application process, as it will allow you tostay informed and up-to-date on the progress of yourapplication.

Whether you use the VFS Global website, the TLScontact website,the UKVI website or the UKVI telephone enquiry lines, it'simportant to ensure that you have all the necessary information tohand before checking your status.

Remember to be patient, as processing times can vary dependingon the type of visa you have applied for and the nature of yourapplication.

By following the steps outlined in this post, you'll be ableto check your UK visa application status with ease and plan yournext steps accordingly. Good luck with your application!

The content of this article is intended to provide a generalguide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be soughtabout your specific circumstances.

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