Appeals & reviews · IAA-regulated advice
UK Administrative Review Advice in Birmingham & London
Refused a work, study or other visa that carries administrative review? You have 14 days to apply if you’re in the UK, or 28 days from outside. We check whether a caseworking error was made, tell you honestly whether a review or a new application is the better option, and prepare your review, for a fixed fee agreed in writing.
Last checked 11 October 2026 · Reviewed by Vishal Gautam, IAA-regulated adviser
Overview
What is an administrative review?
Administrative review asks the Home Office to check whether your refusal was wrong because of a caseworking error: the caseworker applied the wrong rule, applied a rule or published guidance incorrectly, or missed evidence you sent. A different person, on an independent team, does the review. It isn’t an appeal, and it isn’t a chance to make a new case.
It’s set out in Appendix Administrative Review of the Immigration Rules and is available only on the routes listed there, such as Student, Skilled Worker, Graduate, Global Talent, Youth Mobility and UK Ancestry. Visit and family visa refusals aren’t covered. Your decision letter tells you whether you can apply.
✓This is the right route if…
- Your refusal letter says you can apply for administrative review
- You think the caseworker applied the rules or guidance wrongly, or missed evidence you sent
- You’re still within 14 days in the UK (7 if detained), or 28 days outside the UK
- You haven’t made a new application since the refusal
Quick check
Is a review worth it? Six questions, one minute
Answer honestly. Nothing is saved or sent: this is a general guide, not advice on your case.
Does your refusal letter say you can apply for administrative review?It’s only for routes listed in Appendix Administrative Review.
Are you within the time limit?14 days in the UK (7 if detained), 28 days outside the UK, from receiving the decision.
Can you point to a specific error in the decision?For example a rule applied wrongly, points added up wrongly, or a document overlooked.
Was everything the caseworker needed in your original application?New evidence is allowed only in limited cases.
Have you avoided making a new application since the refusal?A new application withdraws a pending review.
Were you refused on the rules, rather than doubts about your credibility or genuineness?For example, whether you’re a genuine student or the job is genuine.
Eligibility
Administrative review requirements
Your review must be valid, made in time, and point to an error the Rules allow the reviewer to correct.
Who can apply
- A refusal of entry clearance or permission to stay on a route listed in Appendix Administrative Review
- Or a decision to cancel your permission on arrival in the UK, for a change of circumstances or false representations
- Entry clearance refusals are reviewed only while you’re outside the UK, and a refusal made in the UK can’t be reviewed from abroad
- Family members can be included if they were dependants on the refused application
There’s one review per decision, unless the review keeps the refusal for new or different reasons. A second review is then free.
Time limits
- Calendar days, counted from when you receive the decision
- Your review is made on the date you submit it online
- A late review is accepted only if it would be unjust not to, and you applied as soon as reasonably practicable
Contact us the day your letter arrives: the clock is already running.
What can be argued
- The caseworker applied the wrong Immigration Rules, or applied them incorrectly
- Published guidance wasn’t followed, or was applied wrongly
- Evidence you sent was overlooked or misread, for example bank statements added up wrongly
- Points weren’t awarded correctly, for example for a qualification
The reviewer looks only at whether you qualified on your original application, not on any other basis.
New evidence
- Usually, only the evidence the caseworker had counts
- New evidence is allowed if you were refused for deception or false representations, or refused entry clearance for a previous breach of immigration law
- Or if the caseworker should have asked for missing documents under the evidential flexibility rules
- Where it’s allowed, the reviewer may ask for it, usually giving you 14 days
If the real problem is missing evidence, a new application may be quicker than a review.
While your review is pending
- If you applied in the UK before your permission ran out and request the review in time, your permission continues until the review is decided or withdrawn
- You won’t be removed from the UK while a review of an in-UK decision is pending
- Leaving the UK, asking for your passport back to travel, or making a new application withdraws the review
- If the review fails and you have no permission, you must leave the UK
Any health surcharge you paid isn’t refunded while a review can still be made or is being decided.
Documents
Administrative review documents: the easy part
The online form is short. What matters is finding the right error, and showing it from the papers the caseworker already had.
What everyone needs
- Your refusal letter
- A copy of your original application
- The documents you sent with your application
- Your passport and Home Office reference numbers
- Any letters or emails from the Home Office about your application
- £A way to pay the £80 fee online
New evidence is allowed only in limited cases, so we work from what the caseworker already had.
Costs & timeline
Administrative review cost and processing time
An administrative review costs £80, refunded if the review succeeds. GOV.UK says it can currently take 12 months or more, and the Home Office will update you if it takes longer than 6 months.
Applying in or outside the UK
| Administrative review feerefunded if the review succeeds or is rejected as invalid | £80 |
| Second reviewonly if the refusal is kept for new or different reasons | £0 |
| Home Office total, per reviewthe same fee in or outside the UK | £80 |
Fee from the fees table in force from 8 October 2026 and GOV.UK, checked 11 October 2026. Any health surcharge you paid with your application isn’t refunded while a review can be made or is pending. A new application would have its own fees. Our consultation fees →
Refusal letter
Day 0Check whether it offers administrative review, and note when you received it.
Apply online
Within 14 or 28 days14 days in the UK (7 if detained), 28 days from outside the UK. Pay the £80 fee.
Review
Often 12 months or moreA different caseworker checks the decision. You’ll get an update if it takes longer than 6 months.
Decision
Withdrawn or maintainedIf the review succeeds, the refusal is withdrawn and your application is decided again. If not, the refusal stands.
Next steps
If the refusal standsA second review only if new or different reasons were given. Otherwise a new application, or advice from a higher-level adviser.
Avoid common mistakes
Common administrative review mistakes
Most failed reviews come down to timing or arguing the wrong thing. These are the issues we check first.
Missing the deadline
The time limit runs from when you receive the decision, and late reviews are accepted only in limited cases.
We check: your exact deadline the day you contact us.
Sending new evidence
New documents are ignored unless your case falls within one of the limited exceptions in the Rules.
We check: whether your case is one of the exceptions.
Rearguing the case
A review corrects caseworking errors. It won’t reassess your application on a different basis.
We check: which rule or guidance was applied wrongly.
Making a new application
A new application withdraws a pending review, and a review requested after a new application isn’t valid.
We check: the order you do things in, if you want both.
Leaving the UK
If you were refused in the UK, leaving or asking for your passport back to travel withdraws your review.
We check: your travel plans before you apply.
The wrong remedy
Visit and family refusals can’t be reviewed. If your letter gives a right of appeal instead, that needs a higher-level adviser.
We check: your letter and the right next step.
How we help
Our administrative review services
Choose a one-off consultation, or let us prepare your review from start to finish for a fixed fee.
Refusal review
We read your refusal letter against the Rules and guidance, and tell you honestly whether there’s an error worth challenging.
Administrative review
We prepare and submit your review, setting out each error and the rule or guidance that should have been applied.
New application
If a new application is the better route, we prepare it with the evidence the first one lacked.
Referral
If you were refused on credibility or genuineness, or your letter gives a right of appeal, we refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser.
Our scope: we’re regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1, which covers administrative reviews of the kinds of application we handle, except refusals based on credibility or the genuineness of documents or relationships. Where your case needs a higher level of advice, we refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser.
FAQs
Administrative review questions, answered
What is the deadline for administrative review?
14 days from receiving the decision if you’re in the UK, or 7 days if you were detained. If you were refused entry clearance outside the UK, it’s 28 days. A late review is accepted only if it would be unjust not to and you applied as soon as reasonably practicable.
Can I send new evidence with my administrative review?
Usually not. New evidence is considered only in limited cases, for example if you were refused for deception or false representations, or the caseworker should have asked you for missing documents under the evidential flexibility rules. Otherwise, a new application may be the better way to add evidence.
Can I stay in the UK while my review is decided?
If you applied in the UK before your permission ran out, and you request the review in time, your permission continues until the review is decided or withdrawn, and you won’t be removed while it’s pending. Leaving the UK, or asking for your passport back to travel, withdraws it.
Should I ask for a review or make a new application?
It depends on why you were refused. If the caseworker made an error, a review can put it right for £80, but it can take 12 months or more. If your application lacked evidence, a new application may be quicker, but it withdraws any pending review, so get advice before you choose.
What happens if the review succeeds?
The refusal is withdrawn and your application is decided again, which can still end in a refusal, and your £80 is refunded. If the review keeps the refusal but for new or different reasons, you can ask for a second review free of charge.
Can you help if I was refused as not a genuine student?
We can explain the refusal and your options. Reviews of refusals based on credibility or genuineness, such as the genuine student test, need a higher-level adviser under our regulator’s rules, so we refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser straight away.
Can I get an administrative review of a visit visa refusal?
No. Visit routes aren’t listed in Appendix Administrative Review, and nor are family visas. Your decision letter says whether you have a right of review or appeal; if you have neither, you can usually make a new application with stronger evidence.
How long does administrative review take?
GOV.UK currently says it can take 12 months or more. If you haven’t had a decision after 6 months, the Home Office will contact you with an update, and again every 6 months after that.
Related routes
Other ways forward after a refusal
Ready when you are
Reviewed, sorted.
Book a consultation, or start with the free quick check on this page.