What is an administrative review?
An administrative review is a process where the Home Office checks whether a casework error was made in refusing your application. It is available for most points-based system refusals, including Skilled Worker and Student visas. It is not an appeal. The reviewer checks for errors, not whether the decision was correct on the merits.
What is a First-tier Tribunal appeal?
A First-tier Tribunal appeal is a formal legal challenge to a refusal heard by an independent immigration judge. It is available for human rights claims, asylum claims, and some family visa refusals. You can choose a paper decision, which is cheaper, or an oral hearing where you present your case in person.
Can I appeal a visitor visa refusal?
Generally no. Visitor visa refusals do not carry a right of appeal or administrative review in most cases. Your main options are to reapply with stronger evidence addressing the refusal reasons, or in very limited circumstances, to seek judicial review. Judicial review is expensive, slow, and only available on narrow legal grounds.
What are the time limits?
Time limits are strict. For both administrative reviews and tribunal appeals, you generally have 14 days from the date of the refusal decision to submit your challenge. If the decision was made outside the UK, the time limit is 28 days. Missing these deadlines almost always means losing the right to challenge, so act immediately upon receiving a refusal.