Spouse Visa Extension Processing Time: How Long
How long a spouse visa extension takes is set by a published Home Office service standard, with one faster service available at extra cost. This guide covers the published timings and what affects processing speed.
- Section
- Spouse & Partner Visa
- Reading time
- 8 min
- Last checked
- 20 March 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- Standard service: 8 weeks, from the fingerprints and photograph appointment.
- Super priority: £1,000 per person, decision by the end of the next working day.
- The £500 priority service (5 working days) is not offered on family visa applications made inside the UK.
- Permission continues under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 while the extension is pending.
- Section 3C permission ends if the person leaves the UK.
The Home Office service standard for a partner or spouse extension made inside the UK is 8 weeks. The super priority service (£1,000 per person, decision by the end of the next working day) is the only faster option on this route inside the UK. This guide covers the published timings and what can cause delays.
Current Processing Times
The Home Office publishes a service standard for each route. For a partner or spouse application made inside the UK it is:
- Standard service: 8 weeks, counted from the appointment where fingerprints and a photograph are given
- Super priority service: £1,000 per person on top of the application fee, for a decision by the end of the next working day
There is a separate 12-month timescale for partner applications made on the basis of private life, where the income and English language requirements do not apply. GOV.UK notes that there is no service standard for those.
These are service standards, not guarantees. The Home Office states that a decision can take longer — for example where it asks for more information or checks details with another government department. The current figures are on the GOV.UK page on waiting times for applications made inside the UK.
Faster Services
GOV.UK lists which routes can pay for a faster decision. For a family visa application made inside the UK, the table shows the 5-working-day priority service as not available, and the next-working-day super priority service as available where identity is proved at an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services centre. It is not available through the UK Immigration: ID Check app on this route.
The super priority fee is £1,000 per person, in addition to the application fee. Every family member applying at the same time has to pay it separately, and the decisions are issued together. A decision given at the weekend or on a bank holiday takes 2 working days rather than one. The Home Office also states that there is a limit on how many people can use a faster service, so it is not always offered. The route-by-route table is on GOV.UK.
Your Status While Waiting
Where the extension application is made before the existing permission expires, that permission is extended automatically by section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 until the application is decided. Under section 3C:
- The person stays lawfully in the UK and is not an overstayer
- The conditions of the previous permission continue, so work that was allowed before continues to be allowed
- Access to the National Health Service continues, having already been paid for through the immigration health surcharge
- Section 3C permission ends if the person leaves the UK
That last point is the significant restriction. The Home Office caseworker guidance on 3C and 3D leave states plainly that section 3C leave will end if the person leaves the UK — there is no grace period for a short trip.
What Causes Delays
- Incomplete applications: Missing documents or information
- Complex financial evidence: Self-employment income or multiple income sources
- Requests for further information: The Home Office may write to you requesting additional evidence
- High application volumes: Seasonal peaks or policy-driven surges in applications
The Home Office decides on the evidence submitted with the application. Our common mistakes guide sets out the document gaps that most often lead to a request for more information.
Checking Application Status
UK Visas and Immigration answers questions about a pending application through its enquiries service. The application reference number, which appears on the confirmation email, is needed. The published service standard for this route is 8 weeks, so an application is not outside the standard until that has passed. GOV.UK lists the contact routes.
The Fixed Points In The Timeline
Two published dates shape the timing. The first is the expiry date of the current permission: the application has to be made before it, because section 3C only extends permission that is still running. The second is the 8-week service standard, which starts at the appointment where fingerprints and a photograph are given, not on the day the online form is submitted.
The gap between submitting the form and that appointment depends on appointment availability, which the Home Office does not publish a standard for.
Next Steps
The expiry date on the current permission and the 8-week service standard are the two figures to work from. Our guide to the priority and super priority services sets out what each one costs and which routes GOV.UK lists them for.
Related guides:
Questions and answers
How long does a spouse visa extension take to process?
The Home Office service standard for a partner or spouse extension made inside the UK is 8 weeks, measured from the date fingerprints and a photograph are provided. The super priority service costs £1,000 on top of the application fee and usually gives a decision by the end of the next working day. The 5-working-day priority service is not offered on family visa applications made inside the UK.
Can I work while waiting for my spouse visa extension decision?
Yes. Where an application to extend is made before the existing permission expires, that permission continues automatically under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 until the application is decided, on the same conditions. Work that was permitted before the application continues to be permitted.
What should I do if my extension is taking longer than expected?
Where an application has been pending for longer than the 8-week service standard, UK Visas and Immigration can be contacted through its enquiries service. The Home Office may also have written asking for more information. Permission continues under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 while the application is pending.
What faster services are available on a spouse visa extension made inside the UK?
One: the super priority service, at £1,000 per person on top of the application fee, for a decision by the end of the next working day (2 working days if the appointment falls at a weekend or on a bank holiday). It is only available where identity is proved at an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services centre. The £500 priority service, which gives a 5-working-day decision on many other routes, is listed as not available for family visa applications made inside the UK.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.