
Country / Territory
Related contacts
Related offices
Related contacts
Related offices
Related contacts
Related offices
By: Kiran Dhillon
As the festive period fast approaches, UK visa applicants should be prepared for slower visa processing times and visa application centre closures.
Between 23 December 2022 to 2 January 2023, visa application centres in the UK and abroad will be closing or operating on limited hours or staffing.
Which visas are affected?
All UK visa applications may be affected by the upcoming application centre closures and processing delays.
Who is affected?
UK employers and foreign nationals applying for UK visas in December 2022 and January 2023.
What will be the impact on visa processing times for Skilled Worker applicants and their family members?
Applicants can expect processing delays from the festive period (beginning mid-December 2023) until early January 2023. Appointment availability is likely to be reduced both for in-country and out-of-country applications.
Availability of overseas priority services, which reduce processing times to approximately five working days for Skilled Worker applicants, are currently limited and not guaranteed. Priority services outside of the UK are still not always available to be purchased online for dependant applicants. Some visa application centres may offer the priority service to those individuals during their visa appointment, but this is not guaranteed.
Standard processing times for in-country Skilled Worker Route extensions, switches, and changes of employment applications have recently increased from eight weeks to nine weeks. In-country Skilled Worker applicants including their family members can benefit from the priority service, or the super priority service if attending an in-person appointment, however these services may also be subject to delays.
Will there be a business impact?
Businesses should anticipate delays of one-two weeks in some instances and a possible visa processing backlog immediately following the holidays.
Why is this happening?
Since Christmas 2022 falls on a Sunday, official UK public holidays will be observed on 26 December and 27 December. Additionally, some visa application centres may be closed or observe half days on 23 and 24 December and operate at reduced capacity during 28 – 30 December. The New Year’s Day public holiday will fall on 2 January 2023 and visa centres will be closed on this date.
We encourage applicants to allow for longer visa processing times, and to factor in potential strike action at UK airports when planning business schedules over the festive period. In addition, those with travel plans to and from the UK in December should check with their airlines for updates.
Need to know more?
For UK visa immigration enquiries, please contact Senior Associate Kiran Dhillon at [email protected] or the Fragomen London team at [email protected].
This blog was published on 14 December 2022, and due to the circumstances, there are frequent changes. To keep up to date with all the latest updates on global immigration, please visit our dedicated COVID-19 site, subscribe to our alerts and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Country / Territory
Related contacts
Related offices
Related contacts
Related offices
Related contacts
Related offices
Explore more at Fragomen
Media mentions
Practice Leader Colm Collins explains how Ireland's employment permit updates can help employers address workforce shortages while strengthening the country's ability to attract global talent.
Blog post
Senior Associate Arta Djahanschiri and Associate Iris Barthel discuss how EU-Turkey Association Law, including Association Council Decision No. 1/80, can provide Turkish employees and their family members in Germany with residence and labor market rights that may extend beyond protections available under the German Residence Act.

Media mentions
Partner Marius Tollenaere and Associate Jamela Sharrock examine how employers in Germany can strengthen immigration compliance by embedding it into every stage of the employment lifecycle.
Podcast
In this episode of The Immigration Conversation, Partner Chad Blocker, Senior Counsel Mitchell Wexler and Associate Alex Kim discuss what prospective EB-5 applicants should know now, including source-of-funds documentation, project selection, concurrent filing, retrogression and upcoming program deadlines.
Blog post
In this blog, Partner Jo Antoons and Senior Manager Marina Ocariz discuss the EU’s provisional agreement on revised social security coordination rules and what employers should know about the expected changes to A1 certificate requirements, posted worker rules and short-term cross-border work compliance.
Blog post
In this blog, Partner Rahul Soni explains the EB-5 grandfathering provisions under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 and why prospective investors should consider filing before the September 30, 2026 deadline to help preserve statutory protections and reduce exposure to future program uncertainty.
Video
In this video, Practice Leader Kate Praphakornphiphat explains the key requirements, documents, fees and processing time for a Thailand tourist visa, as well as stay duration and extension options for short-term travel.
Fragomen news
Fragomen and Talent Beyond Boundaries announce that they will jointly serve as co-chairs of the Global Task Force on Refugee Labour Mobility for a two-year term beginning in June 2026.
Blog post
In this blog, Manager Gillian Gibbons and Immigration Consultants Gemma Oliver and Larna Kate Hadfield examine how Barnsley’s designation as the UK’s first government-backed Tech Town reflects wider AI and digital growth across the North of England, and why immigration strategy will be critical for employers seeking to access the global talent needed to support regional innovation.
Media mentions
In this Hong Kong Business article, Managing Director Magdalene Tennant discusses Hong Kong’s recent decision to allow employment and dependent visa renewal applications to be filed up to three months before expiry, a change intended to reduce the risk of work disruptions and provide employers with greater flexibility in managing foreign talent.
Media mentions
In this article published by Professional Engineering, Senior Manager Nadine Barnole examines how UK engineering employers can continue to access international talent amid growing skills shortages and a rapidly evolving immigration landscape.
Media mentions
In this Times Brasil CNBC Real Tech interview, Partner Diana Quintas discusses Brazil’s recent visa exemption for Chinese nationals, what it signals for Brazil-China mobility and how technology is helping support more efficient cross-border movement.
Media mentions
Practice Leader Colm Collins explains how Ireland's employment permit updates can help employers address workforce shortages while strengthening the country's ability to attract global talent.
Blog post
Senior Associate Arta Djahanschiri and Associate Iris Barthel discuss how EU-Turkey Association Law, including Association Council Decision No. 1/80, can provide Turkish employees and their family members in Germany with residence and labor market rights that may extend beyond protections available under the German Residence Act.

Media mentions
Partner Marius Tollenaere and Associate Jamela Sharrock examine how employers in Germany can strengthen immigration compliance by embedding it into every stage of the employment lifecycle.
Podcast
In this episode of The Immigration Conversation, Partner Chad Blocker, Senior Counsel Mitchell Wexler and Associate Alex Kim discuss what prospective EB-5 applicants should know now, including source-of-funds documentation, project selection, concurrent filing, retrogression and upcoming program deadlines.
Blog post
In this blog, Partner Jo Antoons and Senior Manager Marina Ocariz discuss the EU’s provisional agreement on revised social security coordination rules and what employers should know about the expected changes to A1 certificate requirements, posted worker rules and short-term cross-border work compliance.
Blog post
In this blog, Partner Rahul Soni explains the EB-5 grandfathering provisions under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 and why prospective investors should consider filing before the September 30, 2026 deadline to help preserve statutory protections and reduce exposure to future program uncertainty.
Video
In this video, Practice Leader Kate Praphakornphiphat explains the key requirements, documents, fees and processing time for a Thailand tourist visa, as well as stay duration and extension options for short-term travel.
Fragomen news
Fragomen and Talent Beyond Boundaries announce that they will jointly serve as co-chairs of the Global Task Force on Refugee Labour Mobility for a two-year term beginning in June 2026.
Blog post
In this blog, Manager Gillian Gibbons and Immigration Consultants Gemma Oliver and Larna Kate Hadfield examine how Barnsley’s designation as the UK’s first government-backed Tech Town reflects wider AI and digital growth across the North of England, and why immigration strategy will be critical for employers seeking to access the global talent needed to support regional innovation.
Media mentions
In this Hong Kong Business article, Managing Director Magdalene Tennant discusses Hong Kong’s recent decision to allow employment and dependent visa renewal applications to be filed up to three months before expiry, a change intended to reduce the risk of work disruptions and provide employers with greater flexibility in managing foreign talent.
Media mentions
In this article published by Professional Engineering, Senior Manager Nadine Barnole examines how UK engineering employers can continue to access international talent amid growing skills shortages and a rapidly evolving immigration landscape.
Media mentions
In this Times Brasil CNBC Real Tech interview, Partner Diana Quintas discusses Brazil’s recent visa exemption for Chinese nationals, what it signals for Brazil-China mobility and how technology is helping support more efficient cross-border movement.

