UK processing times · from India
UK visa processing times
Read from gov.uk's own feed. These are the standards UKVI commits to rather than averages of what happened, which changes how much weight to put on them.
The short answer
A UK Standard Visitor visa has a published standard of 3 weeks and a Student visa 3 weeks. Family routes are the outlier at 12 weeks, about 4 times longer. UKVI last revised these on 26 June 2026, and they apply worldwide rather than being specific to India.
These are targets, not averages
UKVI states the standard it aims to meet. It does not publish what actually happened to recent applications, and it does not break any of it down by the country you apply from. So unlike Canada's figures, there is no India number here to isolate and nothing to rank India against.
That matters when you are comparing countries. A UK standard of 3 weeks and a Canadian figure in days are not the same kind of measurement, and the smaller one is not automatically the faster decision. The difference is set out on the hub.
Every published standard
Grouped the way UKVI groups them. The clock starts at your visa application centre appointment or ID Check verification, not when you start the form.
Visit visas
| Category | Standard |
|---|---|
| Standard Visitor | 3 weeks |
| Marriage Visitor | 3 weeks |
| Chinese tour group | 3 weeks |
| Transit | 3 weeks |
Study visas
| Category | Standard |
|---|---|
| Student | 3 weeks |
| Child Student | 3 weeks |
| Study English in the UK: Short-term student (6 to 11 month English language courses) | 3 weeks |
Family visas
| Category | Standard |
|---|---|
| Partner or spouse | 12 weeks |
| Parent | 12 weeks |
| Child | 12 weeks |
| Adult coming to be cared for by a relative | 12 weeks |
Work visas
| Category | Standard |
|---|---|
| Skilled Worker | 3 weeks |
| Health and Care Worker | 3 weeks |
| Government Authorised Exchange | 3 weeks |
| Charity Worker | 3 weeks |
| Creative Worker | 3 weeks |
| International Agreement | 3 weeks |
| Seasonal Worker | 3 weeks |
| Religious Worker | 3 weeks |
| Global Talent | 3 weeks |
| Youth Mobility Scheme | 3 weeks |
| India Young Professionals Scheme visa | 3 weeks |
| UK Ancestry | 3 weeks |
| High Potential Individual (HPI) | 3 weeks |
| Innovator Founder | 3 weeks |
| Start-up | 3 weeks |
| Overseas Domestic Worker | 3 weeks |
| Graduate Trainee | 3 weeks |
| Secondment Worker | 3 weeks |
| Senior or Specialist Worker | 3 weeks |
| Representative of an Overseas Business | 3 weeks |
| Service Supplier | 3 weeks |
| UK Expansion Worker | 3 weeks |
How long after biometrics?
3 weeks. The standard already is the after-biometrics figure, because biometrics is where UKVI starts counting.
“UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) starts processing your application once you either: verify your identity and submit your documents and application online using the UK Immigration: ID Check app … attend your appointment at a visa application centre (VAC) to provide your fingerprints and a photograph (biometric information)”gov.uk, Visa processing times: applications outside the UK
So there is no second, shorter clock that starts after your appointment. Sites publishing a separate “after biometrics” number are republishing the same standard under a different heading. What the figure does exclude is everything before that appointment: gathering documents, and waiting for a VAC slot.
Paying for a faster decision
Where UKVI offers them, these replace the standard above. Availability varies by route and by country and is never guaranteed.
- Priority
- 5 working days
- Priority, family routes
- 30 working days
- Super priority
- Next working day
When it takes longer than the standard
UKVI publishes its own list of reasons. Every one of them except the last is something a properly prepared file avoids.
- The information in your application is not accurate, or requires further consideration
- You need to provide further evidence, for example evidence of funds
- Your supporting documents need to be verified
- You need to attend an interview
- Further information is required on your personal circumstances, for example a criminal conviction
- UKVI is experiencing high demand
How we work on UK files
The firm's RCIC licence is Canadian and covers Canadian applications. UK work is handled under the firm's own name, to the same document standard, with no claim to a licence that does not cover it. That distinction is worth more to you than a badge would be, because it tells you exactly what recourse you have and where.
Visitor visas we file, and what each involvesAlready past this number?
Passing the published time is normal rather than a fault, and both governments contact you when they need something. What silence means, whether you can check the status, and the point at which contacting them is worth doing are all set out separately.
When a visa is taking longer than expectedQuestions about UK processing times
How long does a UK visitor visa take from India?
UKVI's published standard for a Standard Visitor visa is 3 weeks, and that standard is the same worldwide rather than specific to India. It is a target UKVI aims to meet rather than a measured average of recent decisions, which is a genuine difference from the way Canada publishes its figures. The clock starts once you have attended your appointment at a visa application centre or verified your identity in the UK Immigration: ID Check app, not when you begin the form.
How long does a UK student visa take?
3 weeks is UKVI's standard for the Student route, the same as the visitor standard. As with every figure UKVI publishes, it is a service commitment rather than an observed average, and it excludes the time spent obtaining a CAS from your university and assembling financial evidence, which is the part most applicants underestimate.
Why do UK family visas take so much longer?
Family routes carry a separate and much longer standard, currently 12 weeks, roughly 4 times the visit and study standard. UKVI does not publish a reason alongside the figure. What it does mean practically is that a partner, parent or child application should be planned in months rather than weeks, and that anybody quoting you the three-week figure for a family application is quoting the wrong row of the table.
Can I pay for a faster UK decision?
UKVI offers paid priority and super priority services on many routes, and where they are available they replace the standard timescale with a much shorter one. Availability changes by route and by country and is not guaranteed, so it is worth checking on the visa application centre booking system for your city rather than assuming. The published standards on this page are the non-priority figures.
UK processing times · from India
A UK file that goes in right the first time.
UKVI's standard describes an application that was already complete. The weeks most people lose are the ones before filing. Send us what you have and we will tell you honestly what it still needs.
Three fields · about 30 seconds