UK Visa Priority & Super Priority Service 2026: Costs and Times
What the priority and super priority services cost in 2026, how much faster they make a decision, which applications can use them inside and outside the UK, and when paying for speed is actually worth it.
Five things to know about the priority service
What is the UK visa priority service?
The priority and super priority services are optional, paid add-ons that move your application to the front of the queue so you receive a decision faster than the standard service standard. Standard processing remains free; you only pay if you choose a faster service and it is available for your route.
The services are run by the Home Office and are offered on top of the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge. They affect the speed of the decision only. A complex case, or one that needs an interview or further checks, can still fall outside the committed timeframe, in which case the Home Office processes it as a standard application. Availability varies by route and by country, and there is a daily limit on how many applicants are offered the option.
Priority vs super priority: what is the difference?
The difference is speed and price. Priority gives a decision within a few working days; super priority gives a decision by the end of the next working day. Super priority is the faster and more expensive of the two.
Priority service
Inside the UK, the priority service usually returns a decision within about 5 working days of your biometric appointment, for an extra £500. From outside the UK, a priority service is available on some routes and shortens the wait rather than guaranteeing a fixed number of days.
Super priority service
The super priority service, available for in-country applications, usually returns a decision by the end of the next working day after your biometrics, for an extra £1,000. If your appointment or identity verification falls on a weekend or a bank holiday, the decision is usually made within two working days.
How much do priority services cost?
The priority fee is £500 and the super priority fee is £1,000, each charged per person on top of the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge.
| Service | Where applied | Typical decision time | Fee (per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard service | Inside or outside UK | The published service standard for the route | Included |
| Priority service | Outside UK | Family and settlement: up to 30 working days (about 6 weeks) | £500 |
| Priority service | Inside UK | Usually within 5 working days | £500 |
| Super priority service | Inside UK | Usually by the end of the next working day (2 working days if your appointment is on a weekend or bank holiday) | £1,000 |
The fee is per applicant. A family of four choosing super priority pays four times £1,000, on top of four application fees and four IHS payments. Factor the whole family cost into the decision rather than the headline single-person figure.
Inside the UK: which applications qualify and how fast?
Most in-country applications can use a faster service, but the option you are offered depends on the route and on whether you verify your identity at a UKVCAS appointment or on the UK Immigration: ID Check app. The tables below show, by route, where the 5-working-day priority service and the next-working-day super priority service are available.
Leave to remain — work, study and family routes
| Application (inside the UK) | Priority (5 working days) | Super priority (next working day) |
|---|---|---|
| Most work routes — Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Global Talent, High Potential Individual, Graduate, Global Business Mobility, Scale-up, Minister of Religion, Innovator Founder, Hong Kong BN(O), International Sportsperson, Youth Mobility, and temporary work routes | Yes | Yes |
| Student and Child Student | Yes | Yes |
| Investor (Tier 1) | Yes | No |
| UK Ancestry | No | Yes |
| Family visa (partner, parent or child) | No | Yes |
| Other leave to remain — FLR(HRO), FLR(IR) | No | Yes |
Settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain)
| Settlement route | Priority (5 working days) | Super priority (next working day) |
|---|---|---|
| SET(O) — work, business or investor | Yes | No |
| SET(M) — partner or parent of a settled person | No | Yes |
| SET(F) — child under 18 | No | Yes |
| SET(AF) — former member of HM Forces | No | Yes |
| Long residence (10 years) | No | Yes |
| UK Ancestry settlement | No | Yes |
| Innovator Founder settlement | Yes | Yes |
| Hong Kong BN(O) settlement | Yes | No |
Availability also depends on your identity-verification method: some routes can use a faster service only at a UKVCAS appointment, and super priority is generally not offered for settlement applications made on the ID Check app. Always confirm what is offered to you at the point of booking. Based on the GOV.UK list of eligible visas when applying inside the UK.
Outside the UK: priority for entry clearance
From outside the UK you can buy a priority service on most entry-clearance routes for £500. How fast it is depends on the route: non-settlement routes are usually decided within about 5 working days, while family and settlement applications get a longer priority window of up to 30 working days (about 6 weeks), still well inside the 12-week standard.
| Service (outside the UK) | Applies to | Typical decision time | Fee per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard service | All entry-clearance routes | Visit, work, study about 3 weeks; family and settlement up to 12 weeks | Included |
| Priority — non-settlement | Visit, work and study routes | Usually within 5 working days | £500 |
| Priority — family and settlement | Partner, parent, child, adult dependent relative | Up to 30 working days (about 6 weeks) | £500 |
| Super priority (where available) | Selected routes and countries only | End of the next working day | £1,000 |
Outside the UK these services are bought through the Home Office’s commercial partner — TLScontact or VFS Global, depending on the country — when you book your biometric appointment. Availability varies by country and visa application centre, not every centre offers a faster service, and some routes (for example certain visit, EU Settlement Scheme and BN(O) applications) are excluded. For the underlying standard times each service is measured against, see our UK Visa Processing Times guide.
When is priority worth paying for?
Priority is worth paying for when a fixed deadline is at stake and the application is genuinely ready. It is rarely worth it where there is plenty of buffer, or where the evidence is borderline.
When it tends to be worth it
- You need to start a new role by a set date on a work route.
- Your current leave is close to expiring and you need a decision before you can travel.
- A wedding, a birth, or another fixed-date event would be missed on the standard timeline.
When it is usually not worth it
- The application has weeks or months of buffer before any deadline.
- The case is complex or the evidence is borderline, so it may be taken out of the fast service for further checks anyway. Priority affects speed, not the decision.
- The faster service is not offered for the route or country, or the daily cap has been reached.
When is priority not suitable for your application?
A faster decision is not always the right choice. Because priority changes the speed, not the depth, of the decision, it can work against you on a case that needs careful handling or that carries a real risk of refusal.
Think carefully, and take advice, before paying for a faster decision if any of the following apply:
- You have a previous UK refusal, or a refusal, removal or visa ban from another country such as the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or a Schengen state.
- You have a criminal record or caution, or any history of overstaying, working in breach of conditions, or a previous curtailment.
- Your application relies on evidence the Home Office is likely to want to verify, such as overseas documents or a complex financial picture.
- You are switching route or extending where there is a genuine risk of refusal — here the timing and strength of the application matter far more than the speed.
On cases like these a faster decision often just brings a refusal sooner, or the application is taken out of the fast service for checks and the fee is not refunded. A regulated adviser can tell you whether your case is a good candidate for priority, or whether the time is better spent strengthening the application first.
Availability, booking and the cap on numbers
A limited number of faster decisions are released at any time, so the option is not guaranteed. If it is not offered when you apply, the standard service still applies at no extra cost.
You choose a priority or super priority service when you book your biometric appointment, not afterwards. You cannot usually add it once the application is booked, and if the option does not appear it is because the cap is full for that period, with new slots released from time to time. The Home Office can also pause or withdraw the services at busy times.
A few further points worth knowing:
- Your identity method matters. Some routes can use a faster service only at a UKVCAS appointment, and super priority is generally not available for settlement applications made on the ID Check app.
- All family members must use the same service. You cannot put one applicant on super priority and another on the standard service; everyone pays the chosen fee and is decided together.
- Overseas, availability is centre-specific. It is offered through TLScontact or VFS Global by country, and smaller centres may not offer it at all.
Where a faster service matters to your plans, confirm it is available for your route and location before you build the timing into a job start date or travel, and keep a fallback in case it is not offered on the day.
What if the committed timeframe is missed?
Where the Home Office does not meet the committed timeframe for a priority service, the priority fee may be refunded, depending on the terms of the specific service at the time you applied.
A refund of the priority fee does not affect the application itself, which continues to be processed as a standard application. The application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge are not refunded simply because a priority timeframe was missed; those are only refunded where the rules on refused or withdrawn applications apply. If your case is taken out of the fast service for further checks, the Home Office should tell you, and you can then ask about the priority fee.
Frequently asked questions about the priority service
The priority service costs £500 and the super priority service costs £1,000, each charged per person on top of the application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge. A family applying together pays the fee for each person.
Inside the UK, priority usually returns a decision within about 5 working days, while super priority usually returns a decision by the end of the next working day (or within 2 working days if your appointment is on a weekend or bank holiday).
Yes, on a range of entry-clearance routes for £500. For family and settlement applications it reduces the wait from the 12-week standard to up to 30 working days, about 6 weeks. There is no next-working-day super priority service for family or settlement applications made from outside the UK.
No. Priority and super priority change how quickly your application is decided, not whether it is approved. A borderline or poorly evidenced application is not helped by paying for a faster service, and may be taken out of the fast service for further checks.
Yes. Both the £500 priority fee and the £1,000 super priority fee are charged for each applicant, so each dependant applying at the same time pays the fee again.
The priority fee may be refunded where the Home Office does not meet the committed timeframe, depending on the terms of the service when you applied. The application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge are not refunded just because a priority timeframe was missed.
No. You choose a priority or super priority service when you book your biometric appointment. You cannot usually add it afterwards, and if the option is not offered it is because the cap is full for that period, with new slots released from time to time.
Priority speeds up the Home Office decision, not what follows it. Your status is issued digitally as an eVisa that you access through your UKVI account, and a faster decision does not change how your eVisa is then updated.
Usually not. Priority changes the speed of the decision, not the outcome, and complex or refusal-risk cases are often taken out of the fast service for further checks, with no refund of the fee. It is usually better to strengthen the application first, so take advice before paying.
Talk to a regulated immigration adviser
The Whytecroft Ford Immigration Team advises on whether a priority service is worth using for your route and deadline, and prepares the application so it is ready to use one. Every matter runs on a written engagement letter, with a named handler and a named supervisor.