Appeals and Complaints
UKvisas is committed to providing the best possible service and believes that handling complaints is an important part of our service. We also welcome any comments that you may wish to make about our operation. We are committed to:
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listeninig to our users' views
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learning from our mistakes
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continually improving our service.
If you have a complaint to make, this page tells you how to contact us.
Individual Applications Overseas
If you want to find out about an application already made at a British mission overseas, or about a decision made on an application, please contact the office where the application was made.
Settlement Applications
If you want to comment on, or complain about the service that you or your visitor have experienced at a UK visa office overseas, please contact UKvisas:
Write to
Desk Officer for (name of office where the application was made)
Visa Correspondence Section
UKvisas
LONDON
SW1A 2AH
United Kingdom
Fax:
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh & Gulf States: 020 7008 8302
Africa: 020 7008 8361
Rest of the World:020 7008 8359
+44 (0)20 7008 8359 or 8361
We aim to respond to your complaint or comment within 20 working days. To help us achieve this, please provide the details of your complaint, and the:
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full name of the applicant
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applicant's date of birth
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applicant's nationality
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name of the UK visa officer where the application was made
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type of application made
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application reference number, if known.
The Visa section in Freetown aims to provide an efficient and courteous service to all visa applicants.
The target times for dealing with applications are as follows:
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90% of straightforward non-settlement visa applications to be processed and available for return to the applicant within 24 hours from the date of receipt by a visa section of the application and all supporting documents including the fee.
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90% of non-settlement applications requiring further enquiries or interview to be decided within 15 working days from the date of receipt by a visa section of the application and all supporting documents including the fee.
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90% of applicants for settlement visas to be interviewed (or decided) within 12 weeks.
If you have any complaints about the service provided by this Section, please write to the Head of the Visa Section, the Entry Clearance Manager, at the British High Commission, who will respond where possible within twenty working working days.
Occasionally, applications may be deferred for further information, this is most often the case with settlement applications. The below notices give details on cases which are deferred for DNA testing or for Home Office checks. Please note that the target time for dealing with settlement cases is 12 weeks.
Settlement Applications – Home Office referrals (DOC, 38KB)
Settlement Applicationts – DNA testing (DOC, 41KB)
Guide to Refusals and the Right of Appeal (DOC, 42KB)
If you are refused, your refusal notice will specify whether you have been given a full right of appeal or a limited right of appeal against your decision. The above leaflet on appeals gives further information about the process for appealing against your decision. Please note that the appeal process is a lengthy one, and takes around 6 to 12 months. We will receive documents from the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal around 4 to 6 weeks after you do.
