ILR Super Priority Service: Who Can Use It and What One Working Day Means
The ILR Super Priority service costs £1,000 for each applicant and, where the exact settlement route and identity method are eligible, usually aims to deliver a decision by the end of the next working day. A weekday identity appointment normally points to the following working day; a weekend or bank-holiday appointment normally points to two working days later. It is not a same-day guarantee, and it is not offered for every ILR route.
This guide was checked on 27 August 2026. ILR Calculator UK is independent of the Home Office and provides general information, not legal advice or a prediction of your application outcome.
Check the settlement row before you budget £1,000
Super Priority is a paid processing option, not a separate immigration route. The official faster-decision guide says eligible applicants choose it when they apply. The service changes the target for receiving a decision; it does not change the qualifying period, evidence rules, suitability checks or legal test for settlement.
Eligibility is more specific than “I am applying for ILR.” The current inside-UK eligibility table separates each settlement application and the way identity is proved.
| In-country settlement application | Five-working-day Priority at UKVCAS | Next-working-day Super Priority at UKVCAS | Five-working-day Priority using ID Check app |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK Ancestry through SET(O) | No | Yes | No |
| Former member of HM Forces through SET(AF) | No | Yes | No |
| Child under 18 through SET(F) | No | Yes | No |
| Long Residence | No | Yes | No |
| Work, business or investment settlement through SET(O) | Yes | No | No |
| Partner or parent settlement through SET(M) | No | Yes | No |
| Innovator Founder settlement | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hong Kong BN(O) settlement, including listed dependants | Yes | No | Yes |
This table explains why an applicant should not copy the option shown for a visa extension, a friend or even another ILR route. A Skilled Worker applicant normally falls within the work/business/investment SET(O) settlement row, which currently lists five-working-day Priority at UKVCAS but not next-working-day Super Priority. SET(M) and Long Residence show the opposite pattern.
The settlement section of the official table currently has no next-working-day ID Check app column. Generic GOV.UK guidance explains how Super Priority app timing works where that method is offered, but the live settlement row controls an ILR application. There is also a limit on faster-decision places. Being in an eligible row does not guarantee that the option will appear when you apply; if it is not offered, you can still submit a Standard application.
“One working day” starts after identity is completed
For an in-person application, the important date is the UKVCAS appointment, not the day you began the form or paid the application fee. GOV.UK describes the usual Super Priority target this way:
- a weekday appointment: by the end of the next working day;
- a weekend or bank-holiday appointment: two working days after the appointment.
Assuming there is no intervening bank holiday, the calculation looks like this:
| Identity appointment | Usual target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | End of Tuesday | Tuesday is the next working day. |
| Friday | End of Monday | Saturday and Sunday are not working days. |
| Saturday | End of Tuesday | A weekend appointment uses the two-working-day rule: Monday is day one and Tuesday is day two. |
A bank holiday moves the count again. For example, if Monday is a bank holiday after a Friday appointment, Tuesday becomes the next working day. Use the calendar that applies to the appointment rather than counting 24 hours from its time.
The target ends when the Home Office sends a letter or email saying that a decision has been made. It does not promise that an eVisa update, a separate document or every practical consequence of the decision will be completed within the same period. Check the email address and spam folder used for the application.
The real cost is per person, not per application group
The Home Office fee table effective from 8 April 2026 lists Super Priority at £1,000 and the usual in-country ILR application fee at £3,226 for a main applicant or dependant. Where that ILR fee applies, one person using Super Priority pays £4,226 in Home Office fees.
| Applicants using Super Priority | ILR application fees | Super Priority fees | Combined Home Office total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £3,226 | £1,000 | £4,226 |
| 2 | £6,452 | £2,000 | £8,452 |
| 3 | £9,678 | £3,000 | £12,678 |
Every family member applying together must pay the extra £1,000. GOV.UK says the family receives decisions at the same time, and that a member who must provide fingerprints and a photograph in person can make the group decision take longer. The totals above exclude any separate commercial appointment, document-scanning or advice charges.
For a wider comparison of Standard, Priority and route-specific targets, use the site's ILR processing-time guide. The Super Priority question is narrower: whether one working day instead of the available alternative is worth £1,000 for each person.
Test readiness before paying for speed
Super Priority has the most practical value when the application is already ready to decide and an earlier decision changes a real plan. Work through these checks before selecting it:
- Identify the exact settlement application. Use the settlement row, not a leave-to-remain or visa-extension row with a similar route name.
- Confirm the identity method. The service available at UKVCAS may not be available through the ID Check app.
- Protect the qualifying date. Faster processing does not let an applicant submit before the route's residence and timing requirements are met.
- Reconcile the evidence. Names, employment details, salary, absences, relationship evidence and form answers should be consistent before a case enters a faster queue.
- Price the whole family. Multiply both the application fee and Super Priority fee by every person applying.
- Define the benefit. A faster answer may reduce uncertainty, but plans should still tolerate a delay because the target is not guaranteed.
Paying £1,000 does not improve the merits of an application or prevent further checks. If the pressure comes from missing evidence, an unclear route, an incorrect qualifying date or a status problem, faster handling can bring the same underlying problem to a decision sooner without solving it.
A late decision does not create an automatic refund
The Home Office may take longer if it asks for more information or checks details with another government department. The applicant should be told if that happens, and the case will be prioritised after requested information is received. That is different from a promise that a new one-day clock will begin.
The official faster-service refund guidance says a person who is not cancelling will not usually receive the extra fee back. There is no refund where the target was missed because more information or evidence was needed. A refund may be considered individually where something outside the applicant's control, such as an official technical problem, caused the delay.
Cancellation follows a different test. An in-person applicant may get the faster-service fee back if the application is cancelled before fingerprints and a photograph are provided, but usually not after biometrics. A refused application does not receive a refund. When a refund is due, GOV.UK says it can take up to 28 days, so keep the payment record, application reference, appointment confirmation and decision or delay messages.
The live application offer is the decision point
The published table is the right planning source, but it is not a reservation system. Route classifications, identity methods, capacity and fees can change between early research and payment. Recheck the settlement table and the service offered inside the actual application rather than relying on a screenshot, a reported slot-release time or another applicant's route.
If Super Priority appears, the remaining question is practical: does an earlier decision justify £1,000 per person when the case is complete and the plan can still absorb a delay? If it does not appear, repeated rumours do not create eligibility. Continue only with a service the official journey actually offers, and resolve any route or evidence uncertainty before using speed as the deciding factor.
Frequently asked questions
What does “next working day” mean for ILR Super Priority?
For an in-person application, it usually means the end of the working day after the UKVCAS appointment, not 24 hours after payment. A Friday appointment therefore normally points to Monday, assuming Monday is not a bank holiday. If the appointment is at a weekend or on a bank holiday, GOV.UK uses a two-working-day target. The period ends when a decision letter or email is sent, not when every later account or document update is complete.
Is Super Priority available for every ILR route?
No. The current settlement table lists next-working-day UKVCAS processing for SET(M), Long Residence, UK Ancestry, SET(AF), SET(F) and Innovator Founder applications. It does not list that option for work, business or investment settlement through SET(O), or for BN(O) settlement. Availability also depends on how identity is proved and on capacity. Check the live table and the option shown in your application, because a listed route does not reserve a place.
Can a Skilled Worker ILR applicant use Super Priority?
The current official settlement table places work, business or investment settlement through SET(O) in the five-working-day Priority column, not the next-working-day Super Priority column. A Skilled Worker applicant should therefore check the exact settlement form and the service displayed in the live application rather than relying on guidance for a Skilled Worker extension. Route labels can look similar while the faster-service choices differ. Do not submit on the assumption that an unavailable upgrade can be added later.
How much does ILR Super Priority cost for a couple or family?
The extra fee is £1,000 for every applicant. Where the standard £3,226 in-country ILR fee applies, one applicant pays £4,226 in Home Office fees, a couple pays £8,452, and three applicants pay £12,678. Those totals exclude separate commercial appointment, scanning or advice charges. Family members applying together all pay for the faster service and receive decisions together; if one person needs in-person biometrics, the group may take longer.
Can I add Super Priority after submitting a Standard ILR application?
Do not plan on a later upgrade. GOV.UK says an eligible person chooses Super Priority when applying, and the option depends on the route, identity method and available capacity. If the application journey offers only Standard, submitting it does not reserve a next-working-day place. Before payment, verify the exact settlement row, make sure the application is complete and decide whether the £1,000-per-person benefit is useful. Treat the choices shown in the live form as authoritative for that submission.
Will the £1,000 fee be refunded if the ILR decision is late?
Not automatically. The public refund guidance says an applicant who is not cancelling will not usually receive the faster-service fee back, and no refund is due where more information or evidence was needed. The Home Office may consider a refund individually if an official problem outside the applicant's control caused the delay. Refusal does not produce a refund. Keep the payment, identity, upload and communication records so the purchased service and timing can be checked against the applicable guidance.
