Guides
Spouse visa priority and super priority services
Reviewed by Kashif Iqbal, Solicitor. Last updated 1 November 2026
The Home Office sells faster decisions on top of the application fee. For a spouse visa there are two levels: priority, which costs £500, and super priority, which costs £1,000. They speed up the decision, not the result: a weak application refused quickly is still refused.
From outside the UK
| Service | Extra cost | Usual decision time |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | none | 12 weeks |
| Priority | £500 | 30 working days (about 6 weeks) |
| Super priority | £1,000 | Next working day, where offered |
Priority for settlement and family applications from abroad usually takes 30 working days from the biometrics appointment. Whether priority or super priority is offered depends on the visa application centre you use, so you see what is available when you book. Check before you rely on super priority from abroad: it is not offered everywhere.
From inside the UK
| Service | Extra cost | Usual decision time |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | none | 8 weeks |
| Super priority | £1,000 | End of the next working day |
For an extension or a switch from a fiancé visa, super priority usually gives a decision by the end of the next working day after you prove your identity, or two working days later if your appointment is at a weekend. Settlement applications with priority usually take 30 working days.
Each person in the application pays the priority fee separately. A spouse and a child on super priority pay £2,000 on top of the application fees.
When it is worth paying
- A start date for a job, a course or a child's school place.
- A family emergency, or an expiring tenancy or travel plans you cannot move.
- In the UK, when you need the decision quickly to start work after a fiancé visa.
It is rarely worth it when the file has any gap: the caseworker has the same discretion to ask for more evidence, and a priority case that needs further checks drops out of the fast track. The priority fee is not normally refunded in that case.
Questions people ask
Can I upgrade to priority after applying?
Usually no. You choose the service when you apply and book your appointment.
Does priority make approval more likely?
No. It changes how fast the decision comes, not how it is made. Our document checklist is the better way to improve your chances.
Is the £500 refunded if the visa is refused?
No. The priority fee pays for the speed of the decision, whatever the outcome.
For the full picture of standard timescales, see spouse visa processing times, and for every fee in one place, spouse visa fees in 2026.
