Using the ‘priority service’ for citizenship applications means you will usually get a decision within 30 working days. The time starts from the day of your biometric enrolment and ends when you get an email or letter telling you that a decision has been made. A citizenship application that you have already submitted cannot be upgraded to a priority service application. It can take longer (more than 30 working days) to get a decision - for example, if the Home Office needs to perform enhanced scrutiny, external checks with other government departments, national security/identity enquiries, or for applications that are particularly complex.  You will be informed if this is the case.

Please note that ‘super priority’ service is not available for citizenship applications.

This article deals with the guidance on Priority treatment requests updated on 6 July 2026. This guidance tells nationality caseworkers about the handling of priority treatment requests for citizenship applications.

Eligible types of citizenship applications for priority treatment

You can use the priority service request if you are making an online application for British citizenship:

• by naturalisation

• if you are registering a child aged under 18

• as a British Overseas citizen (A person with British citizenship linked to former British colonies who does not hold British citizenship in another category), British Overseas Territories citizen (A person who holds British citizenship through a connection with a British Overseas Territory, such as Gibraltar or Bermuda), British subject (A person with a historical form of British nationality, mainly connected to the former British Empire, with limited rights compared with British citizens), British protected person (A person connected to certain former British-protected states or territories who has this special form of British nationality), or British National (Overseas) (A person who was a British National (Overseas) registered before the Hong Kong registration deadline in 1997, generally connected with Hong Kong).

• if you were born in the UK on or after 1 January 1983 and lived here up to the age of 10

• if you are becoming a British citizen again after you renounced it (gave it up) 

• if you were born to a British father and your father and mother were not legally married to each other

• if you were born prior to 1 January 1983 to a British mother

• if you are a stateless person

When you apply, you will be told whether you are eligible for the priority service request. 

Applying for a fast decision on your application using Priority Service

If you want your application to be treated as a priority, but your circumstances do not satisfy the requirements (listed in the ‘Criteria for priority’ section below), you can submit your citizenship application through the nationality priority service. You will be required to pay £500 in addition to the application fee.

Using the ‘priority service’ means you will usually get a decision within 30 working days for your visa, settlement, or citizenship application.

The time starts from either your biometric appointment day, if you enrol your biometric information (fingerprints and a facial photograph) in person, or the working day after you finish uploading your documents to prove your identity, if you use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app.

1. Priority requests made by ministers

The first consideration is whether the priority request has come from a minister and if that minister is dealing with it:

• as a constituency matter

• in their ministerial capacity 

When a minister wants to raise a case as a constituency MP, they must write to the responsible minister from their constituency office, and a nationality caseworker must deal with their letter in the same way as a case from any other MP. The minister raising the case as a constituency MP must not decide on the case. A second minister must be designated to deal with the minister’s constituency cases. If a constituency case goes to the private office of a minister, they must keep a record of when the case arrived, and any action taken on it.

It is appropriate for ministers to look into cases that are drawn to their attention by MPs, individuals, or representative groups that write to, or approach them, in their ministerial capacity. The right procedure is to send the case to the relevant minister to respond. In all cases, the private office of the minister must record when and where the case was raised, and any actions taken on it.

Caseworkers need to take care of cases in which a minister has a personal connection or interest, such as if they concern family, friends or employees. If a minister wants to raise question (s) about the handling of such a case, they must write to the minister responsible and must make clear their personal interest or connection. The minister who is responsible for the case must make sure that the enquiry is dealt with following the right procedures, and no special treatment takes place. Throughout the process, a full audit trail must be recorded.

2. Applications for citizenship by naturalisation

It is possible to give a degree of priority to your naturalisation application if you meet the circumstances mentioned in the criteria for priority below. The degree of priority your application is given will depend on the nature of your case along with the stage it has reached. For most, the only priority caseworkers must give is that they agree to start enquiries on the application.

Where your application is nearing completion, it can be possible for a nationality caseworker to deal with your priority request fairly quickly. In other cases, it may not be possible for the caseworker to meet a deadline, and they must explain this to you.

A caseworker must not give you a specific date when your application will be completed. In appropriate cases, the travel document centre (“travel document centre” refers to a Home Office service/team dealing with travel-document issues) may be able to help you if you are not able to obtain documentation from your own authorities. A caseworker should not give you any such undertaking without first consulting with the travel document centre.

3. Applications for citizenship by registration

When you make a priority service request, and the reasons you have given meet the 'Criteria for priority' (listed below), the caseworker should deal with your request appropriately.

Where the priority service request is related to a minor registration application associated with a parent’s naturalisation application, the caseworker should consider the request as follows:

• Where the minor registration application is not dependent on the outcome of the parent’s application, such as applications made under the British Nationality Act – Section 1(3), the application can be given priority

• Where the outcome of the minor registration application is dependent on the outcome of the parent’s application, such as some applications under the British Nationality Act – Section 3(1), the application must only receive priority treatment in exceptional circumstances.

Criteria for priority

When deciding whether to agree to a priority service request, a nationality caseworker must consider whether there is evidence that your case has been mishandled or overlooked. If your case is more than 12 months old, but the delay is justifiable, the caseworker should not give your case a priority.

The caseworker, in addition, considers granting a measure of priority in circumstances where you:

• are not able to make journeys necessary for business or compassionate reasons on existing documents

• have compassionate or compelling circumstances where you may be required to travel to the UK quickly

• are approaching your 18th birthday and may not be able to make the oath of allegiance and pledge as an adult

• can show that, for a particular job, you need British citizenship 

• have been selected to represent the UK internationally in a sport or other event but this is subject to first becoming a British citizen (caseworker should obtain confirmation confirming you meet a sufficient calibre (a high enough standard of ability, achievement, or performance to genuinely qualify as a person who could represent the UK internationally)). 

• are in the immediate family of a civil servant who either is posted, or soon to be posted, abroad

• have already been significantly inconvenienced due to an administrative error or delay by the Home Office

• have secured a minister’s agreement to priority consideration

• have demonstrated that considering your application out of turn would be in the national interest despite the circumstances being otherwise undeserving

How can Visa and Migration Ltd. Help?

We can help you if you have urgent or exceptional circumstances and want the Home Office to consider your visa, ILR or settlement, or nationality application for priority treatment. 

We can assess your circumstances, review your application, help you gather supporting evidence, prepare a clear request explaining the reasons for priority treatment, submit the Priority service request to the appropriate Home Office team where applicable, communicate with the Home Office if requested, advise you about realistic timescales, and help you if the Home Office refuses or cannot accommodate the priority request, including advising you on the available options.

For expert advice and queries on Priority service request, you can call us at +44 (0)20 3411 1261 or write to info@visaandmigration.com