Welcome to First Migration, London’s most trusted immigration consultancy. We specialise in helping our clients secure their UK Visa approvals worldwide the first time they apply. Since 2007, we have secured over 33,000 UK Visa approvals globally. Many of our clients choose to use a Priority Service for their UK Visa, and the following guide provides a comprehensive overview of this service.
Based on 1058+ Reviews on Trustpilot & Google
Application processing times for UK Visa applications are often longer than many of us would like. With standard processing times ranging from anywhere between 3 weeks to 24 weeks, depending on the specific visa type and category, many applicants need and want a faster decision. Whether it’s an urgent travel commitment, a long-distance relationship where you want to be reunited as early as possible, or you need the surety of getting a visa decision before your current visa expires, there are many reasons for wanting to expedite the decision process. Fortunately, UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) now accommodates applicants who want or need a faster decision on their visa application. This is done through their priority service applications, which offer a decision within hours or days rather than weeks and months.
Throughout this article, we’ll examine all facets of UKVI’s priority visa service. We’ll examine the different services available within the UK and abroad. We’ll also look at the costs, the process for scheduling an appointment, and the applications where priority services are permitted.
There are two different types of priority services for applications made from both inside and outside of the UK. These two services are as follows:
It’s important to note that there’s a limit on how many people can apply for a priority service. Therefore, availability may be limited at certain times of the year. It’s also important to note that not all visas are eligible for the priority or super priority services. See the ‘what visas are priority services available for’ section below. How you prove your identity can also impact whether you’re eligible for a priority service.
If you want to utilise UKVI’s priority services, an additional fee must be paid. This fee is in addition to the standard application fee, and it needs to be paid by each applicant on the application, i.e. the main applicant and each dependent applicant.
The fees for UK visa priority services currently differ between applications made inside and outside the UK. However, the UK Government has already announced plans for these fees to be harmonised, which will likely occur by April 2024 at the latest. The current fees are as follows:
All fees must be paid upfront when booking your appointment at a visa application centre or UKVCAS appointment centre.
Scheduling a priority service appointment follows the same process for applications made within the UK and from overseas. After entering all of the relevant information for your visa application online, you will be presented with a calendar showing available appointments at your local visa application centre or UKVCAS appointment centre. At this point, you will see whether Priority Service or Super Priority Service appointments are available. If you can only see standard appointments available, your visa type isn’t suitable for priority services, or all the weekly priority service appointments have already been reserved. You should check subsequent weeks to see if there is any availability then.
Priority appointments inside and outside the UK are highly sought after and often booked well in advance. While new appointments are released every week, it’s best to plan ahead and book your appointment as far out as possible. It’s important to note that if you book a standard appointment, this can’t subsequently be upgraded to a priority service.
Whether you can utilise a priority service depends on what you’re applying for, where you’re applying from, and how you prove your identity. The following tables show the eligible services for each type of visa for applications made inside and outside of the UK.
| Application Type | Priority Service | Super Priority Service | ID App: Priority Service |
| Child student visa | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Global Talent visa | Yes | Yes | No |
| Graduate Trainee – Global Business Mobility visa | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Health and Care Worker visa | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hong Kong BNO visa | Yes | No | Yes |
| Intra-company visas | Yes | Yes | No |
| Investor visa (Tier 1) | Yes | No | No |
| inister of Religion visa (T2) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Scale-up Worker visa | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Secondment Worker – Global Business Mobility visa | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Senior or Specialist Worker – Global Business Mobility visa | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Service Supplier – Global Business Mobility visa | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Skilled Worker visa | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| International Sportsperson visa | Yes | Yes | No |
| Student visa | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Temporary Work – Charity Worker visa | Yes | Yes | No |
| Temporary Work – Creative Worker visa | Yes | Yes | No |
| Temporary Work – Government Authorised Exchange visa | Yes | Yes | <No |
| Temporary Work – International Agreement visa | Yes | Yes | No |
| Temporary Work – Religious Worker visa | Yes | Yes | No |
| Temporary Work – Seasonal Worker visa | Yes | Yes | No |
| UK Expansion Worker – Global Business Mobility visa | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Applying as the dependent child or partner on a work, student, global talent, start up or innovator founder visa | Yes | Yes | No |
| Applying as the dependent child or partner on an investor visa | Yes | No | No |
| Applying on the basis of family life as a partner, parent or dependent child or on the basis of private life in the UK (through form FLR(FP) or form FLR(M)) | No | Yes | No |
| Applying for human rights claims, leave outside the rules and other routes through form FLR(HRO) | No | Yes | No |
| Applying for other routes through form FLR(IR) | No | Yes | No |
Many clients choose First Migration for its long history of excellent service and track record of successful visa applications. However, what we feel is our biggest strength and what makes us unique is our small dedicated team that offers a truly personalised service. We genuinely love what we do, and our team relishes making a difference to the lives of our clients.
Keep up to date with the latest news, insights and events
