Priority Visa Services Suspended | UK Visa Applications

Last modified on January 21, 2024 at 8:01 am

Priority Visa Services Temporarily Suspended

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) have announced that priority visa services, including regular priority and super priority, have been temporarily suspended for all applications outside of the UK in order to prioritise applications for the Ukraine Family Scheme amid the war in Ukraine.

The temporary suspension applies to applications for study visas, family visas and work visas. This includes common UK visas such as the Skilled Worker Visa and Spouse Visa.

UKVI has not yet confirmed how long the suspension of priority processing services will last for.

Ukraine Family Scheme to be prioritised

Priority services are being suspended so that UKVI can instead focus on processing applications for the Ukraine Family Scheme.

A UKVI statement said:

“The reason for the suspension is that we are prioritising Ukraine Family Scheme applications in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to UKVI data, more than 8,000 UK visas have been issued to Ukrainians, but numbers are expected to rise even more.”

The Ukraine Family Scheme allows Ukrainian’s who were residing in Ukraine before the 1st January 2022 to join family members who are either British nationals or someone settled in the UK, this includes both immediate and extended family members.

What are the priority services?

The priority and super priority services offered by the UKVI are services that allow your visa to be processed quicker than other visa applications. With the priority service applications are usually processed within 5 working days and super priority service applications are processed the next working day.

Now, visa applicants will have to go through the regular processing service which could take up to three weeks. UK Visit Visa applications are currently facing longer than usual processing times at 6 weeks.

UKVI haven’t yet confirmed whether current priority and super priority applications will be processed or whether refunds will be issued.

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Written by Immigration Advice Service

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