Administrative review asks the Home Office to check its own homework — free of new evidence, tight on deadlines, and refused far more often than granted. Used on the right case it overturns refusals quickly and cheaply; used on the wrong one it burns your best weeks. Connaught Law's solicitors tell you which yours is, honestly, before you commit.
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How We Can Help
What Administrative Review Is
Administrative review is the remedy for most points-based refusals — Skilled Worker, student and other sponsored routes — where no appeal right exists. A different Home Office caseworker re-checks the decision for caseworking errors only: misread documents, ignored evidence, wrongly applied rules. You cannot submit new evidence, which is the single most misunderstood fact about it — and the reason so many reviews fail before they start.
The Success Rate, Honestly
The question everyone searches deserves a straight answer: published Home Office data has consistently shown that only a small minority of administrative reviews succeed. That's partly because the remedy is narrow — it can only fix the Home Office's errors, not the application's — and partly because many reviews are filed arguing points AR cannot consider. The lesson isn't "never use AR"; it's that the decision to use it should follow a forensic read of the refusal, not reflex. Where a genuine caseworking error exists, review remains the fastest, cheapest fix available.
When AR Is the Right Move
Review fits when the refusal misstates what you submitted, overlooks a document that was there, miscalculates — salary, funds, dates — or applies the wrong rule to the right facts. It doesn't fit when the application itself was short: missing evidence, unmet requirements, credibility. For those, a corrected fresh application usually wins faster than a doomed review. We map your refusal against the error categories before recommending either.
Deadlines
Strict and short: generally 14 days from receiving the decision inside the UK, 28 days if you applied from overseas, and materially less for people in detention. There is one shot — a second review of the same decision isn't available — so the grounds filed must be the best available, first time.
Maximising Your Review
A strong review reads like an audit, not an argument: each error identified precisely, mapped to the evidence that was before the caseworker, with the rule cited and the correct outcome stated. Templates found online fail because they argue the merits — the one thing AR can't reconsider. We draft grounds to the standard the reviewing caseworker can act on, which is what turns a small success rate into your success.
If the Review Fails
An unsuccessful review isn't the end of the road: depending on the case, the next step is a rebuilt fresh application or, where the maintained decision is unlawful, judicial review — for which the AR often serves as the required attempt at alternative remedy. Because we run all three routes, the plan doesn't stall when the first remedy is refused.
How We Work
Same-week turnaround, because the deadline demands it: refusal letter and application reviewed against each other, an honest verdict on whether AR can win — including, often, the advice that it can't and what will — and grounds drafted, checked and filed inside the time limit. You'll know your realistic prospects before you pay for the review.
Why Connaught Law
01Honest go/no-go adviceMost ARs fail because they shouldn't have been filed. We tell you which side of that line you're on.
02Error-audit draftingGrounds written as a caseworker checklist — precise errors, precise evidence, precise rule — not merits argument AR can't hear.
03Senior attention throughoutYour review is run by our experienced immigration team, not passed down — with direct access to the person handling it.
04The next move readyFresh application or judicial review planned in parallel — a failed review costs days, not the case.
Fee structures are set out on our fees page — fixed fees for administrative reviews, agreed before we start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the success rate for UK visa administrative review?
Low — published Home Office data has consistently shown only a small minority succeed. The figure misleads, though: it mixes hopeless reviews arguing new evidence (which AR cannot consider) with well-targeted ones attacking genuine caseworking errors, which succeed far more often. The real question isn't the average success rate — it's whether your refusal contains a reviewable error. That's assessable before you file.
Can I submit new documents with an administrative review?
No — with narrow exceptions, review is decided on the evidence that was before the original caseworker. If your problem is a missing document, the remedy is usually a fresh application including it, not a review arguing it should be considered now.
How long does administrative review take?
The Home Office aims to complete most reviews within 28 days, though complex cases run longer. While it's pending, the refusal stands — so factor the wait into travel and sponsorship plans, and use the time to prepare the next step in case the decision is maintained.
Should I use an administrative review or just reapply?
If the Home Office made the error, review — it's cheaper than a fresh application and vindicates the record. If the application had the gap, reapply with it fixed. Filing the wrong one wastes the deadline of the right one, which is why we read the refusal before recommending either.
Refused on a points-based route?
You may have 14 days. Send us the refusal letter today — we'll tell you honestly whether administrative review can win, and file it in time if it can.
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