QueueCheckofficial waits, shared datesUK student visa processing time
Visa topic3 weeks-8 weeks
The latest official timing. Reader reports below are separate and do not change it.
Last checked August 13, 2026. This figure may have changed, so confirm the official source below before making plans.
Unchanged at every check since July 18, 2026.
None yet
Checked reports appear here once shared.
Current wait at a glance
Official information beside reader reports, kept clearly separate.
Official wait
3 weeks to 8 weeks
This is the current official timing. Reader reports are shown separately.
Updated Aug 13
The official figure is the only timing on this page so far. Reader comparisons appear here once people share their dates below.
Official updates over time
Official history chart
How the official wait has changed over time. When the official figure is a range, the chart plots its midpoint.
UK student visa: about 3 weeks outside the UK and 8 weeks for in-UK applications, after biometrics
Updated Aug 13, 2026, 4:33 PM
3 weeks-8 weeks
UK student visa: about 3 weeks outside the UK and 8 weeks for in-UK applications, after biometrics
Updated Jul 18, 2026, 10:04 AM
3 weeks-8 weeks
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Reading the UK student visa figure
The CAS is the spine of the application
A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies is an electronic record a licensed sponsor creates, and its reference number ties the visa application to the sponsor's licence. Nothing can be applied for before it exists, and details that disagree between the CAS and the application, or a course that changes after the CAS is assigned, both require the sponsor to act before the Home Office can.
What the published decision times assume
The service standards on this page describe straightforward applications, counted from biometrics rather than from the online submission, and they assume the money and documents already satisfy the rules. Applications referred for further checks leave that standard entirely, and no service level covers the wait for a biometrics appointment in front of it.
The money rule that catches people out
Maintenance funds must sit in a qualifying account for a consecutive twenty-eight-day period ending shortly before the application, which makes a balance that dipped for a single day fatal in a way applicants rarely anticipate. Priority and super-priority services buy a faster decision where offered, not a different assessment, and they do nothing for an application whose financial evidence does not meet the rule.
News
Recent official updates connected to this queue.
Sep 11, 2026
UKVI stops sponsors adding Level 2 SMS users and sets March 2027 deadline
UK sponsors cannot appoint new Level 2 SMS users from September 9, 2026. Existing Level 2 users must be upgraded if eligible or deactivated by March 8, 2027.
Sep 3, 2026
UK raises Student visa funds and changes work, visitor and settlement rules
The Home Office's HC 584 changes raise Student visa maintenance funds from November 30 and alter Visitor, Skilled Worker, family settlement and EU Settlement Scheme rules on separate dates. Most changes start October 8, 2026.
Jul 21, 2026
UK immigration rule changes on 30 July and 3 August 2026: what HC 259 actually does
The Statement of Changes HC 259 takes effect on 30 July and 3 August 2026. It mostly adds options rather than closing doors: UK-born children of Graduate route holders can apply as dependants, EU Settlement Scheme travel permit biometrics are eased, and family leave rules are aligned. Here is who is affected and whether you need to act before the dates.