Cancel Your Visa Application

You can ask to cancel (withdraw) an application for a visa, visa extension or citizenship. You will get a refund of the immigration health surcharge if you cancel before a decision has been made about your application. You may get a refund of the application fee. This depends on what stage your application is at when you cancel.

When you will not get a refund

You will not get a refund of the application fee if:

• Your visa application is unsuccessful
• You are granted leave, for example you get a visa or indefinite leave to remain
• You have a visa and do not use it to travel to the UK
• You leave UK before your visa expires (you will also not get a refund of the immigration health surcharge)

Before you cancel

If you cancel your application:

• You cannot stop the cancellation once it has been received by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)
• You may lose your permission to stay here if you are in the UK

How to cancel your application

How to cancel and the deadline for getting a refund depends on:

• The type of visa you have applied for
• How you were told to prove your identity when you started your online application

You would have been told either to:

• Attend an appointment to provide your biometrics (fingerprints and photo) and identify document in person
• Use the 'UK immigration: ID Check' smartphone app to upload your photo and scan your identity document

After you cancel your application

If you are eligible for a refund, it will be automatically paid into the bank account you used to pay your fees when you applied. It can take up to 28 days to get your refund.

If your bank account has changed

UKVI will contact you to ask you for your new bank or account details if they cannot refund the account you used to pay your fees, Do not share your new bank or account details before UKVI asks for them.

You can contact UKVI (external link) to check that the request is genuine. It may take longer to get a refund if your bank account has changed.