We are committed to providing a quality visa service that meets the needs of our customers worldwide.  Our service ranges from the provision of visa information, through the application process and its outcome. 

We understand that our customers want to know how long their visa applications will take to be processed. The new standards and visa processing times take account of the business changes we have introduced in the last few years. These include the introduction of biometric enrolment for all visa applicants and the expansion of our network of visa application centres run by our commercial partners VFS Global and WorldBridge Service. The information is now presented to the customers in a more transparent and meaningful way.

Our agreed standards are:

• To complete 90% of straightforward*, non-settlement applications in not more than a week**, 98% in not more than 2 weeks, and 100% in not more 12 weeks.
• To complete 90% of non-straightforward***, non-settlement applications in not more than 3 weeks, 98% in not more than 6 weeks and 100% in not more than 12 weeks.
• To complete 95% of  applications for settlement visas in not more than 12 weeks and 100% in not more 24 weeks. 

*A straightforward application can be decided on the basis of the application and the supporting documents submitted without the need for further enquiries or more detailed scrutiny.
** A week is defined as 5 working days.
***A non-straightforward application requires more time to be decided, for example if more detailed  enquiries or a personal interview are needed

We may need to change these standards without prior notice due to exceptional circumstances, changes in government policy or for operational reasons.

More information on our standards is available in our list of frequently asked questions.

How to use the guide

This UK Border Agency guide gives updated quarterly information on the performance of UK Border Agency regional visa application centres and shows the performance against our customer service standards. This guide is for UK Border Agency stakeholders and should not be used by applicants to assess how quickly their application will be processed. Applicants should instead refer to the information provided on our Guide to visa processing times page.  The UK Border Agency regional visa application centres are listed alphabetically by city. Processing times are given in working days, excluding weekends and public holidays.

Performance against processing times target (October - December 2009)
Please note that the links for returning to the index page within this document are not working.

 Performance against processing times target (July - September 2009)

 Performance against processing times target (April - June 2009)
Please note that the links for returning to the index page within this document are not working.

 Performance against processing times target (January - March 2009)

 Performance against processing times target (October - December 2008)

The UK Border Agency launched its new Customer Strategy on 26 January 2009.  The document explains how offering excellent customer service helps our Agency to deliver our objectives, improve our reputation and save money.

Your views matter – Visa Customer Information Services survey results
Applicants for visas to the UK are generally happy with the service provided by the UK Border Agency and its partners – but there is some room for improvement, particularly in telephone and e-mail services, and in the guidance given to applicants.

This is the main conclusion from the results of a worldwide survey of people who applied for visas for the UK, carried out by the International Group of the UK Border Agency.  Nearly 10,000 people from 142 countries took part in the customer survey, which was carried out in the second half of 2008.

The full customer survey report can be found following the link below:

 Customer Information Service Survey Report UK Border Agency - International Group