Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of how much time it takes on average for applicants of UK (a) visas, (b) nationality, (c) right to remain and (d) asylum to receive back the official documents they submitted as part of their applications once a decision on their application has been reached.

The Home Office does not hold the requested information. For the majority of our visa routes, we are moving to a digitalised system whereby the customers’ documents are scanned and uploaded to our system digitally, removing the need for physical documents to be submitted and retained.

For customers and claimants who submit their official documents to a Service and Support Centre (SSC) for consideration, the Home Office aims to return their documents as quickly as possible, in-line with published guidance. Further information can be found on the GOV.UK webpage: retention of documents (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Customers attending a Visa Application Centre (VAC) overseas will have their passport retained by the commercial partner whilst a decision is made on their application. Once a decision has been made, the commercial partner will contact the customer to invite them to attend the VAC to collect their passport and decision. The length of time that a passport is retained varies depending on the route that the customer has applied to. For added convenience, customers also have the option of purchasing the ‘Keep my Passport’ service, which allows them to retain their passport whilst a decision on their application is being made.