The United Kingdom is one of the most popular regions for studying abroad. According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), 2,532,385 students enrolled in the UK for 2019-2020. Of these 2,532,385 enrollments, 1,975,380 were from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and other UK areas. At the same time, 147,800 enrollments were from European Union countries and 556,625 from the rest of the world. This data suggests how the UK is among international students. One of the critical aspects of studying in the UK is a Student Visa, and students from many countries apply for it. According to the UK’s official data, there were 428,428 sponsored visas granted in 2021. Students from countries like China, Nigeria, India, and many others apply for study visas in the UK every year.
So, the anxiety of knowing your UK visa status is natural. But fret not! Here is a guide on Visa Tracking for UK. But first, let’s discuss how to check your visa status if you are already in the UK.
Check Visa Status in the UK
Many UK students who want to extend their visas need to apply for extensions or even transfer visa categories. The UK government has formed UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UK VACS) for such applicants. Here, you must appear physically in a single appointment before the committee, along with the required documents. Then, after biometric enrollment and submission of the application with all the required credentials, it is sent to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) for further processing. If you have followed the above procedure and are waiting for the status update on your visa application, there is no way to check online. However, you will receive an email from the visa home office within the waiting time to decide on the visa application. The ideal waiting time for UK visa applications through UK VACS is around 3-8 weeks. However, the processing is executed in UKVI. So, you can visit the official website of UKVI and learn the processing times for a new visa application. Now that we know how visa tracking for UK immigration can be done within the country, it’s time for the Students outside of the region.
Also Read: Reasons to Study in UK
Check UK Visa Application Status Outside the Region
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If you are an applicant for a UK Visa outside the country, you must visit an application centre locally. For example, if you have applied for a UK visa from India, you can visit a visa application centre locally for biometric and interview purposes.
Some of India’s visa application centres are in Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, etc. Such a visa application centre helps you interview and get a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). BRPs are essential for people looking to stay in the UK for more than six months, extend their visa, or want to settle in the country. However, if you are looking for UK visa tracking in India, there are no direct responses that you may receive regarding the status. Here, you can contact the UKVI staff about the application status. Another critical aspect of applying for a visa from outside the UK is that the processing times are less than applications within the country. The average processing time for an application for a UK visa outside the country is three weeks. However, there are premium processing services offered by UKVI, which will cost you higher. Now that we have covered how to track UK visa application status when you apply from outside and inside, it’s time to discuss Visa Facilitation Services (VFS).
Track UK Visa with VFS
It is an outsourcing partner for the British high commission immigration department. VFS has features on its official website to track the confirmation of your visa application. However, if you are looking for UK visa tracking from India, then VFS is not that useful. There is no way to receive direct updates for your visa application through the VFS website, but here are some tricks that you can use:
- SMS VFS on 7333 with the following text- VISA UK “Your Passport Number,” which is facilitated by all the Indian network service providers across CDMA and GSM platforms
- Contact the official UK Visa and Immigration Department for information regarding the UK visa application status
- Use Reference Number, UAN, Case ID, or even a combination of numbers
If you need visa tracking for UK immigration, you must have several key pieces of information. So, here are the information related to your application form for tracking application status.
Details Required to Check UK Visa Application Status
These are some details that you will need to check the status of your UK visa application. The following are essential for your visa tracking process:
- Payment Reference Number – It is a unique number that can be used as a Reference or Proof of Payment for Application fees. At the same time, you can also use the payment reference number to check your UK visa status.
- Unique Application Number (UAN)- It is a unique 16-digit number found in all the e-mails and letters sent by the visa office during the application process.
- Case Identification Number- It is another 8-digit unique identification number provided by the visa office in their communication letters that you can use to track the application’s status.
- Immigration Health Surcharge- When you pay for the National Health Surcharge, you get an IHS number alphanumeric. Further, you can use this number to track your UK Visa Application Status.
- Passport number- With a passport number provided by your Government, you can easily track the visa application status. You only need to give the passport number and date of birth on the official website to check your UK visa status.
Please do note the above details can vary for other countries like the United States, Canada, or others, depending on the immigration rules.
Conclusion
Whether you are looking to settle in the UK or want a student visa for the UK, tracking the status can be difficult without proper guidance. Fortunately, you have the right guide by your side to tackle all the problems and overcome the hassles of tracking UK visa status with LeapScholar. So, don’t be confused by the complex immigration process and start your journey toward the UK!
Related Articles:
- Guide on UK Visa: Application, Process & Fees
- UK Visa Interview Question & Answers
- UK Visa Fees for Indian Students
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to speed up the application process for a UK visa?
With UKVI’s enhanced processing services, you can speed up the process. In addition, UKVI provides two premium priority services- ‘5 working day priority service’ and ‘next working day super priority service.’ However, it will cost you extra.
2. What is the Global Web Form number?
The GWF or Global Web Form number is first generated when applying for a UK visa. You can get this number immediately when you submit the payment and application forms. In addition, it can help you track your UK visa application status through email or telephone inquiries.
3. What’s the response time of UKVI staff?
UK’s immigration department or UKVI staff responds to different queries within two days if the medium is mail. For instant updates, the best option is to have a telephonic inquiry.
