UK Skilled Worker Visa Administrative Review 2026: Process, Fee, Timeline

Last reviewed: 31 May 2026

When administrative review is the right route

Administrative review is a statutory remedy available on most points-based system refusals, including the Skilled Worker visa, the Student visa, the Global Talent visa and several minor work routes. It is not the only remedy and it is not always the best one. The refusal letter issued by the Home Office identifies which remedies are available on the particular decision and the deadline for each.

Three remedies typically face a refused Skilled Worker applicant: administrative review, fresh application, or judicial review. Appeal to the First-tier Tribunal is not available on Skilled Worker refusals unless a human rights claim was made in the application. The choice between review and fresh application turns on whether the refusal was based on a caseworker error (review is appropriate) or on a documentary or eligibility issue (fresh application is appropriate, since review cannot accept new evidence). For background on overall headline cost compared with administrative review, see the related Skilled Worker visa cost guide.

Administrative review is a desk-based exercise carried out by a different caseworker from the one who issued the original refusal. It is faster than appeal (where appeal is available) and cheaper than a fresh application, but its scope is narrower than either. The reviewing caseworker examines whether the original decision was correctly made on the evidence that was before the original caseworker. They do not consider new evidence and they do not re-take eligibility judgements where the original assessment was reasonably open on the evidence.

Step-by-step process

The administrative review process for a Skilled Worker refusal follows a tightly defined statutory procedure under Appendix AR of the Immigration Rules:

• Step 1: Read the refusal letter carefully. It identifies the specific refusal reasons under the Immigration Rules and states whether administrative review is available. The letter also gives the deadline (28 days for outside-UK applicants, 14 days for in-UK applicants, 7 days for detained applicants).
• Step 2: Decide whether review or fresh application is the better route. Review is appropriate only if the refusal disclosed a caseworking error: misreading evidence, applying the wrong rule, missing a document that was in the bundle. If the refusal turned on missing evidence the applicant could now supply, a fresh application is the right route.
• Step 3: Lodge the review online via the gov.uk administrative review form. The form requires the applicant's GWF reference (the UK Visas and Immigration application reference) and a detailed statement of why the original decision was wrong, with paragraph-by-paragraph references to the refusal letter.
• Step 4: Pay the £80 fee. Payment is made online at the time of submission. The fee is refunded if the review is successful (the original decision is overturned) but not if the review is unsuccessful (the original refusal is upheld).
• Step 5: Wait for the decision. The Home Office service standard is 28 days for in-UK reviews and 6 months for out-of-country reviews, though actual decision times vary significantly by caseload.

The statement of grounds is the most important part of the application. Generic dissatisfaction with the refusal is not a valid review ground. The statement must identify specific factual or legal errors in the decision and explain why those errors materially affected the outcome. Applicants who engage an immigration adviser to draft the statement of grounds tend to fare better than those who submit unrepresented, though representation is not required.

What administrative review can and cannot fix

Administrative review is bounded by Appendix AR to address a narrow set of caseworking errors. Errors within scope include:

• The caseworker misread a document that was in the application bundle
• The caseworker applied the wrong paragraph of the Immigration Rules
• The caseworker missed a document the applicant had submitted
• The caseworker made an arithmetic error on points calculation or salary threshold
• The caseworker failed to follow a published policy guidance instruction
• An entry on the applicant's record was wrong (date of birth, nationality, prior immigration history)

Errors outside scope (where administrative review will not assist) include:

• The applicant did not provide a document the rules required (this is a fresh application issue)
• The Certificate of Sponsorship was deficient and a new one is needed
• The salary on the Certificate of Sponsorship was below the required threshold
• The English language test certificate has expired
• The applicant's prior immigration history shows a re-entry ban that has not yet expired
• Genuineness or credibility judgements where the caseworker's assessment was reasonably open on the evidence

The boundary between caseworking error and reasonable judgement is the most contested area in administrative review practice. A useful test: if the only way to overturn the decision would be to consider evidence the original caseworker did not have, the review will fail. If the original caseworker had all the evidence but reached a conclusion that does not follow from that evidence, the review may succeed.

Decision timelines and what to expect

The Home Office publishes target service standards for administrative review but actual decision times vary. Typical timelines in current practice are:

• In-country reviews (Skilled Worker extensions, switches, in-country first applications): 28 to 84 days. Most are decided within 6 weeks.
• Out-of-country reviews (initial Skilled Worker visa from outside the UK): 28 days to 6 months. Median around 3 months in current caseload.
• Detained reviews: 7 working days. These are prioritised because of the impact on liberty.

While the review is pending, the applicant's immigration status depends on whether the original application was made in-country or out-of-country. In-country applicants whose existing leave has expired retain section 3C leave (statutory continuation of leave during a pending application or review) for the duration of the review. Out-of-country applicants have no UK status during the review and cannot travel to the UK pending the outcome.

Successful reviews result in the original refusal being overturned and the visa being issued (or in-country leave being granted). The £80 fee is refunded. Unsuccessful reviews result in the original refusal standing. A second review of the same decision is not available. The applicant's options then narrow to a fresh application on the same route, a different route, or judicial review of the original decision if a public law error is engaged.

If the review is refused or upheld

If the review is successful the Home Office issues a fresh decision overturning the refusal. The application is treated as if it had been granted at the original decision date for the purposes of leave start date and Skilled Worker route conditions. Vignettes for outside-UK applicants are issued in the normal way after the review decision. The £80 fee is refunded to the original payment method, typically within 14 days of the favourable decision.

If the review is unsuccessful the original refusal is upheld and no further administrative remedy is available on that specific decision. The applicant has several options:

• Fresh application on the Skilled Worker route, addressing the original refusal reasons with corrected or supplementary evidence. The full application fee and IHS are payable again. This is the most common path forward.
• Fresh application on a different route if the applicant qualifies (for example switching to the Global Talent route if endorsement is achievable).
• Judicial review of the original Home Office decision in the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). This is expensive (typically £5,000 to £15,000 in legal fees plus court costs), slow (12 to 24 months) and limited to challenges based on public law errors rather than disagreements with the factual conclusions.
• Withdraw and abandon the route, with whatever consequences that has for the original sponsor relationship.

Frequently asked questions

What is the deadline for submitting an administrative review?

The deadline is 28 days from receipt of the refusal letter for applicants outside the UK. For applicants in the UK who are not detained the deadline is 14 days. For applicants in detention the deadline is 7 working days. The deadlines are strict: a late review is rejected without consideration of the merits. The refusal letter states the specific deadline applicable to the case.

Can new evidence be added during administrative review?

No. Administrative review is a paper review of the application as it stood before the original caseworker. New evidence is not accepted. If the refusal reason is that a required document was not provided, the right remedy is a fresh application, not administrative review. The only exception is a very narrow category of evidence about the applicant's identity or status held by the Home Office, where the applicant can ask the Home Office to consult its own records.

Is the £80 fee refundable if the review is successful?

Yes. If the administrative review is successful and the original decision is overturned, the £80 fee is refunded to the original payment method, typically within 14 days of the favourable decision. The fee is not refunded if the review is unsuccessful, withdrawn, or rejected as out of time.

What is the difference between administrative review and appeal?

Administrative review is a paper review of the original application by a different caseworker, addressing caseworking errors only, with no new evidence accepted. Appeal is a tribunal hearing before an independent judge who can take new evidence and make a fresh decision. Appeal rights are limited to human rights and protection cases; the Skilled Worker route does not carry appeal rights except where a human rights claim was made in the application.

Can a Skilled Worker remain in the UK while administrative review is pending?

An in-country applicant whose existing leave has expired retains section 3C leave (statutory continuation of leave) for the duration of a pending administrative review. The applicant can remain in the UK and continue to work for the sponsor that issued the Certificate of Sponsorship. Travel outside the UK during this period ends 3C leave and the applicant cannot re-enter on the original visa. An out-of-country applicant has no UK status during the review and cannot travel to the UK pending the outcome.

Sources

• Apply for an administrative review (gov.uk)
• Immigration Rules Appendix AR administrative review (gov.uk)
• Skilled Worker visa route guidance (gov.uk)
• Administrative review caseworker guidance (gov.uk)
• Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)