Processing Times
The Immigration Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network publishes a service standard for every document it issues. The standard is the number of working days within which the Department undertakes to reach a decision on a complete application. It is a commitment, not an estimate: an application that takes longer than the standard is recorded as a failure against it, and the proportion of applications decided within each standard is published every quarter.
The standards below were published on 6 September 2026, the day the Department was established. They are set to be met in ordinary volumes of applications, and they will be reviewed against the Department's actual performance after three months and again after a year. Where an unusual volume of applications is received, the Department will state the current expected time for each document type in the Newsroom.
An expedited service is available for some document types, for an additional fee equal to the ordinary fee. Expedited applications are examined ahead of the ordinary queue. Expedited service is not offered where the Department must refer the application to a member organisation or verify identity in person, because those steps cannot be shortened.
Standards in figures
- 5
- Working days: standard for a visitor visa
- 20
- Working days: standard for a first passport
- 1
- Working day: emergency travel document once identity is confirmed
- 4
- Quarterly performance reports a year, from December 2026
Standards by document type
| Document | Type | Standard | Expedited | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visitor visa | Visa | 5 working days | 2 working days | 40 credits |
| Work visa | Visa | 15 working days | 7 working days | 160 credits |
| Work visa renewal | Visa | 10 working days | 5 working days | 120 credits |
| Member staff visa | Visa | 10 working days | Not available | No fee |
| Member staff visa, elevated clearance | Visa | 20 working days | Not available | No fee |
| Standard passport, first issue | Passport | 20 working days | Not available | 90 credits |
| Standard passport, renewal | Passport | 10 working days | 5 working days | 70 credits |
| Standard passport, replacement of lost or stolen document | Passport | 15 working days | 5 working days | 110 credits |
| Official passport | Passport | 10 working days | 3 working days | No fee |
| Emergency travel document | Travel document | 1 working day | Same day | No fee |
| Certificate of citizenship | Citizenship | 15 working days | Not available | No fee |
| Grant of citizenship | Citizenship | 60 working days | Not available | 200 credits |
| Device registration, on arrival | Registration | Same day | Not applicable | No fee |
| Device registration, change of holder | Registration | 3 working days | Not available | No fee |
| Release of declared items | Inspection | Same day | Not applicable | No fee |
Fees are payable on application and are not refunded if the application is refused. Where an application is returned as incomplete, the fee is held and applied to the resubmitted application. “Same day” means before the close of the working day on which the request is made at a point of entry.
How time is counted
Step 1: Day of receipt
The application, every required answer and the fee are received. If any of these is missing, the application is returned and the clock does not start.
Step 2: The clock starts
Counting begins on the first working day after receipt. Working days are Monday to Friday, excluding the public holidays of the Network.
Step 3: Requests for information pause the clock
If the Department writes to you for further information or documents, the clock pauses on the day the request is sent and resumes on the working day after your reply is received.
Step 4: The decision is issued
The clock stops on the day the decision is sent to you in writing. Delivery of a passport or a printed document is not counted; delivery times are stated separately when the document is issued.
Step 5: Performance is recorded
Each application is recorded against the standard for its document type. The proportion decided within the standard is published in the quarterly report.
What lengthens processing time
- Incomplete applications
- The most common cause of delay. An application that is missing an answer, a document or the fee is returned without examination and must be resubmitted, which starts the clock again from the beginning.
- Referral to a member organisation
- Applications for a member staff visa with elevated clearance are referred to the member organisation named on the form. The Department cannot decide the application until the member has replied, and allows twenty working days for this.
- Verification of identity
- A first passport and a grant of citizenship require identity to be verified in person. The standard assumes the applicant attends the first appointment offered; a later appointment lengthens the time accordingly.
- Devices and systems named on the form
- Where an application names devices or shared systems, each is checked against the register of certified devices and the list of Network systems. A device that cannot be matched to its certification record is queried, which pauses the clock.
- Volume of applications
- The Department examines applications in the order they are received. Standards are set to be met in ordinary volumes; where an unusual volume is received, the Newsroom will state the current expected time for each document type.
Review schedule
| Date | Event | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 6 September 2026 | Standards published | First publication of the standards on this page. |
| December 2026 | First quarterly report | Performance against each standard for September to November 2026. |
| March 2027 | Second quarterly report and review | Standards revised where three months of performance show they are set too loosely or too tightly. |
| June 2027 | Third quarterly report | Performance for March to May 2027. |
| September 2027 | Annual review | Standards, fees and expedited services reviewed together for the Department's second year. |
The application procedure for visas is described under How to apply; passports and travel documents under Passports; and certificates and grants of citizenship under Citizenship. If an application of yours has exceeded its standard, write to contact@immigration.gov.vin quoting the date it was received.