Priority and super priority visa services: what they offer and when to use them

Priority and super priority are paid services that ask the Home Office to decide some applications faster. They can help when a deadline is fixed. They do not make an application stronger. This guide explains what they offer, what they do not change and how to decide.

What the two services offer

These figures are the ones GOV.UK currently lists. Fees can change, so check the GOV.UK page for faster decisions before you pay.

The fee is paid on top of the normal application fee and any other charges, such as the Immigration Health Surcharge. It is charged for each person. If family members apply with you and want the faster service, each of them pays it too.

What the clock runs from

The target does not start when you submit the form. It runs from the identity step, which is your biometric appointment (fingerprints and a photograph). Abroad, that is at a visa application centre. In the UK, it is at a UKVCAS service point. A weekend or bank holiday can push a super priority decision beyond the next working day.

The services speed up the decision stage only. They do not shorten the wait for a biometric appointment. Check appointment availability first, because it is part of your real timeline.

Who can use them

You can only choose a faster service if your application is eligible. In the UK, you must also have valid permission to be here. Availability depends on the route, on whether you apply from inside or outside the UK, and on how you prove your identity.

• Work and study routes: many are eligible, including the Skilled Worker visa and the Student visa.
• Some routes offer only one service. A route may have priority but not super priority, or the other way round. Family and settlement routes in particular vary.
• ID Check app: if you prove your identity in the UK using the UK Immigration: ID Check app, super priority is generally not available.
• Citizenship: super priority is not available. A paid priority service, with a usual target of 30 working days, is now offered for some eligible applications for British citizenship made online from the UK. It is not available for every nationality application.
• Applications from outside the UK: availability depends on the route and the country. Check GOV.UK and your visa application centre.

Eligibility lists are updated from time to time, so always check the live tables for your exact application.

How and when you pay

You choose the service while completing the application, if you are eligible. The extra fee is paid with the application fee. Once an application has been submitted as a standard application, it generally cannot be upgraded. Decide before you submit.

What the services do not change

• The eligibility rules. You must still meet every requirement of your route.
• The evidence required. Missing or unclear documents are still a problem.
• The Home Office's right to take longer. It can ask for more documents, call you for interview or carry out further checks. The published targets do not apply to cases it treats as non-straightforward, or where information is not supplied in time.
• The outcome. You are paying for speed, not for a better chance of approval.

If the target is missed

A refund of the extra fee is not automatic. Under Home Office refund policy, one may be sought where you took all the necessary steps and the application was still not decided within the published time. No refund is due where the case was excluded from the targets. A refund of the priority fee does not affect the application, which carries on as a standard one.

Common mistakes

• Not checking the route and identity method first. Confirm that your exact application is eligible before you pay.
• Not planning the biometric appointment. The fee is easiest to recover if an application is withdrawn before biometrics are submitted. After that, the policy does not provide for a refund of the priority fee. Check that you can get an appointment in time.
• Expecting speed to fix incomplete evidence. A weak or incomplete application can be taken out of the fast timescale, with no refund. Careful preparation matters more than the service you choose.
• Assuming a refusal is less likely. It is not. A refusal can also come quickly.
• Forgetting the fees for family members, or that the fee is on top of everything else.

Employers and sponsor licences

Employers should allow for biometric appointment availability and the risk that a case is treated as non-straightforward when setting a start date. A separate paid priority service exists for sponsor licence applications. It costs £750. See our page on sponsor licence applications.

A short checklist for choosing

1. Is there a fixed deadline, such as a job start date, course start, visa expiry or travel?
2. Is your application eligible for priority, super priority or both, from where you are applying?
3. Can you get a biometric appointment in time?
4. Is your evidence complete, and is the case straightforward?
5. Have you counted the extra fee for every applicant?
6. Have you checked the current GOV.UK fees and service standards?

If the standard waiting time fits comfortably within your deadline, you may not need to pay. If it does not, it is worth getting advice before you submit.

How Garth Coates Solicitors can help

If a deadline is tight, speak to us before you pay or submit. We can explain which services apply to your route and help you prepare a complete application. Please request a consultation.