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Ever since the end of last year, the number of people applying for a UK visa has increased by a large amount. Additionally, a lot of people have asked us about delays regarding their visa applications and the processing of Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS).
The CoS Home Office delays, and other delays, are a result of the announcements made by the UK Government last year regarding updates to the immigration rules to tackle immigration.
As all of the announced changes are being implemented at different points in the year, people have been applying for their visa before the changes are introduced. This is because the changes make the rules more strict.
A summary of the changes causing Home Office delays
In summary, these changes include an increase to the salary requirement to get a Skilled Worker Visa.
For you to be eligible to work in the UK, the job you have been offered must have a salary of at least £38,700. Currently, the salary requirement is £26,200. This change will come into effect on 4 April 2024.
Additionally, anyone applying for a Health and Care Visa will no longer be able to bring their dependants with them to the UK after 11 March.
As previously stated, a lot of people are applying before the changes are fully implemented, so as to be able to enter the UK whilst the rules are less stringent.
The mass of people applying has caused Home Office delays that are impacting processing times, with Certificates of Sponsorship taking longer to be processed.
How long is the Home Office taking to process applications?
There is not a set time at the moment for how long your visa application, or other type of application will take to be processed.
In some cases, it is a few weeks. In others, it can be a few months. We have seen cases where visa applications are taking up to eight months to be processed.
There are priority services, where you can pay extra for faster processing times. While priority services will still be faster than the standard times, you will still experience some delays.
Finally, Certificates of Sponsorship generally take around 18 weeks to be processed at the moment.
How long do processing times normally take?
Usually, the Home Office’s processing time for most visa applications takes three weeks.
However, Family Visas such as the Spouse Visa, Parent Visa, Child Visa, and the Family Visa to come and be cared for by an adult relative usually take around 24 weeks.
Also, the British National Overseas Visa takes around 12 weeks to be processed.
Certificates of Sponsorship usually take around a day to be processed.
Visit our page on visa processing times to see more about how long each application usually takes.
How we can help
While we cannot resolve Home Office delays, we can help you with your visa application, Certificate of Sponsorship, or any other immigration related application.
Our dedicated team of immigration experts can guide you through every step of your application.
Arrange a free 10-minute consultation with a member of our team to discuss your issue, and see if we can help you. After this, you can arrange a longer, 30-minute consultation or an hour long consultation.
The team member who you initially talk to will act as your point of contact within the company, so you can ask them any questions you may have.
Get in touch with us today if you need our assistance.
Ready for assistance?
If you have any questions about the changes or want legal advice, contact
Woodcock Law & Notary Public today. Contact us by phone on +44 (0)20 7712 1705 or
by email at info@woodcocklaw.co.uk.
