UK Student Visa — SLA Compliance
Verified from UK Home Office on 2026-04-20
This is a UK immigration route processed by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) under the Home Office. The data below shows the percentage of Student visa applications decided within the service level agreement (SLA) timeframe, broken down by quarter and priority tier.
Latest: 2025 Q3
Priority
98.6%processed within 5 working days
Standard
98.8%processed within 3 weeks
Super
96.1%processed within Next working day
Quarterly History
| Quarter | Standard | Priority | Super Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q3 | 98.8% | 98.6% | 96.1% |
| 2025 Q2 | 99.2% | 99.3% | 97.4% |
| 2025 Q1 | 99.4% | 99.0% | 93.8% |
| 2024 Q4 | 93.8% | 94.2% | 90.7% |
| 2024 Q3 | 99.1% | 98.8% | 98.1% |
| 2024 Q2 | 99.1% | 98.7% | 90.6% |
| 2024 Q1 | 99.2% | 99.2% | 94.5% |
| 2023 Q4 | 99.3% | 97.8% | 90.7% |
| 2023 Q3 | 96.0% | 94.7% | 94.7% |
| 2023 Q2 | 96.5% | 93.5% | 93.1% |
| 2023 Q1 | 97.7% | 95.8% | 93.9% |
| 2022 Q4 | 92.0% | 94.0% | 95.9% |
| 2022 Q3 | 84.1% | 95.5% | 98.0% |
| 2022 Q2 | 60.2% | 74.3% | 84.6% |
| 2022 Q1 | 94.1% | 98.6% | 99.4% |
| 2021 Q4 | 92.6% | 97.4% | 98.7% |
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a UK Student visa take to process?
The UK Home Office targets 3 weeks for standard Student visa applications. As of 2025 Q3, 98.8% of applications were decided within this timeframe. You can pay for Priority processing (5 working days) or Super Priority (next working day) for faster decisions.
What does "98.8% SLA" mean for UK Student visa?
It means 98.8% of Student visa applications were processed within the 3 weeks service standard. If the SLA is below 80%, a significant number of applicants are experiencing delays beyond the target timeframe. Priority and Super Priority tiers have their own separate targets.
Is it worth paying for Priority processing on a Student visa?
It depends on the current standard processing performance. Standard processing is meeting its 3 weeks target 98.8% of the time, while Priority (5 working days) is at 98.6%. If the standard SLA is below 80%, paying for Priority significantly reduces your risk of delays.
How often is UK Student visa processing data updated?
The UK Home Office publishes transparency data quarterly. Each report covers a 3-month period and includes SLA compliance rates for Standard, Priority, and Super Priority processing across all visa routes.
Why are there different processing tiers for UK visas?
The UK offers three processing speeds: Standard (3 weeks), Priority (5 working days, additional fee), and Super Priority (next working day, highest fee). The SLA percentages show how reliably each tier meets its target — even paid tiers occasionally miss their targets during high-volume periods.
Source: WaitVisa.com — UK Home Office, updated 2026-04-20