Complaints procedure

Find out how to complain about UK Visas and Immigration and how we deal with complaints.

Contact us if:

  • you have a complaint about our service or professional conduct
  • the incident happened within the last 3 months

Complaints should be made no later than 3 months after the date of the incident unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Before you complain

Check if we can resolve your problem without you needing to complain.

If there’s an error with your eVisa

Report an error with your eVisa. You will receive an email when your problem is resolved. You do not need to call UKVI or chase your request.

If you’re waiting for a decision on an application

To find out when you can expect a decision on your visa application, check your visa processing time.

If you want an update on the progress of your application, you can read our service standards. This page includes details on how we will contact you if your application cannot be decided within the normal service standard.

We will not respond to progress enquiries sent through the online complaints form.

If you’re unhappy about a decision

If you’re not satisfied with a decision we have made, or if you want to ask for a review, you may be able to apply for an administrative review.

If you’re refused entry or leave to remain

You may be able to appeal against a visa or immigration decision.

If your access to work, benefits or government services has been affected because of your immigration status

You can ask the Home Office to check your immigration status is correct.

If you want to report an immigration crime

Report an immigration crime if you believe someone is:

  • working illegally
  • has made a false application to stay in the UK
  • involved in smuggling

If you’ve had goods or a vehicle seized

You can check your options when customs seizes your things.

If your complaint is about another area of the Home Office

There are different complaints procedures for:

How to complain to UKVI

We will only respond to enquiries that are considered as complaints.

Complaints do not affect our decision-making process. Making a complaint does not mean your application will be dealt with more quickly or more slowly.

We can only accept complaints in English or Welsh.

Prepare your complaint

Tell us as much information about yourself as you can. This will help us to find the information relevant to your case, and to contact you about it. You should provide:

  • your contact details – it is important you include your address and phone number as we may contact you to resolve your complaint by phone or to request further information

  • full details of the matter you’re complaining about, including times, dates and locations
  • the names or identifying numbers of any staff you’ve dealt with, if you know them
  • details of any witnesses to the incident, if appropriate
  • details of any reimbursement issues, including papers and receipts, to support your claim
  • any reference numbers you have – for example, refund reference, appeal reference, unique application number (UAN), immigration health surcharge (IHS) reference, or any payment references

If you’re complaining on behalf of someone else, you must provide:

  • the name of the person affected
  • written authority to disclose information about that person’s case

If your complaint is in relation to a UKVI contact centre, we need to know:

  • the date you called
  • the number you dialled
  • the number you called us from

We may contact you if we need further evidence to support your complaint.

Send your complaint online

Start complaint

What happens next

Your complaint will be managed by our correspondence team. They’re responsible for ensuring that your complaint is resolved in a satisfactory and timely manner. We’ll send you an acknowledgement when you make a complaint and we may contact you during an investigation for further information.

Read the complaints management guidance for further information about how we deal with your complaints.

Read the ex-gratia guidance for further information about how we deal with your ex-gratia claim.

How long it will take

We will investigate your complaint and reply to you within 20 working days. We will contact you if we need more time to investigate your complaint. If your complaint suggests serious professional misconduct we aim to respond within 12 weeks, following an impartial investigation.

Ex-gratia claims have separate timescales, for further information read the ex-gratia guidance.

Serious complaints

If you make a very serious complaint we may refer it to the Home Office’s professional standards unit who will write to you and inform you that they are handling your case. If you’ve made a complaint about serious professional misconduct, the investigators will tell you the outcome. Their letter will tell you who to contact if you’re still not satisfied with the outcome.

If you are not satisfied with our response

If there are aspects of your complaint that you consider have not been addressed, you may request a review within one month of our response, detailing specific reasons for your request.

A staff member will conduct an independent review of your complaint. A response should be provided within 20 working days from the date of receipt.

You can request a review setting out the reasons by email to: complaintsreview@homeoffice.gov.uk.  

Or write to us at:

Complaints Allocation
Customer Correspondence Hub
4th Floor
2 Ruskin Square
Dingwall Road
Croydon
CR0 2WF

If you are writing on behalf of somebody else you will need to provide a signed letter of authority from them, to allow us to respond to you in full. Please provide this with your request.

If you are still not satisfied after our review response

If you are still not satisfied after your complaint has been reviewed, you can escalate your complaint to the Independent Examiner of Complaints (IEC) within 3 months of receiving our review response. If you decide to escalate your complaint to the IEC, please provide them with copies of all correspondence you sent us and our replies.

Read more about the Independent Examiner of Complaints.

Email iec@homeoffice.gov.uk or write to:

PO Box 6147
Sheffield
S2 9JD

If you’re still not satisfied at this stage, you may be able to raise the matter with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. They independently investigate complaints about UK government departments, other public organisations and the NHS in England.

Complaints about Citizens’ Rights Agreements issues

You can complain to the Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens’ Rights Agreements (IMA) if you want to report any issue affecting your citizens’ rights.

The IMA is an independent body and monitors how public bodies in the UK and Gibraltar implement and apply the citizens’ rights provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement and the EEA EFTA Separation Agreement.

The IMA cannot resolve individual complaints or overturn decisions but your complaint may help them to identify an issue which affects other people. The IMA can then address that issue with the relevant public body.

If you are unhappy about a decision on your application to the EU Settlement Scheme (for example if your application was refused) you may be able to apply for an administrative review or you may have a right of appeal.

If you’re dissatisfied with the service provided by the Home Office, follow the relevant Home Office complaints procedure.

Other ways to complain to UKVI

You can email your complaint to complaints@homeoffice.gov.uk.

You can send a written complaint to:

Complaints Allocation
Customer Correspondence Hub
4th Floor
2 Ruskin Square
Dingwall Road
Croydon
CR0 2WF

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