Work permits have been taking in the region of 2-3 weeks to process in recent weeks, mainly due to a backlog of applications and the trial of a new system of allocating applications to caseworkers which has been less efficient than the government’s previous process.

Unfortunately the situation appears to be deteriorating and we have been informed that the Border & Immigration Agency (BIA) now has a backlog of over 7,000 applications.

Consequently, it is likely that the processing timescale for work permits will increase further. In order to manage business expectations, we therefore suggest that HR staff quote a minimum 3-4 weeks when speaking to line managers about work permit timescales.

NB. This ‘3-4 weeks timescale’ relates to the first stage in any work permit process and does not include the subsequent time for further leave to remain or entry clearance applications. Typical timescales for these latter processes are:

 ‘In-country’ further leave to remain (fast-track) – a few working days

 'In-country’ further leave to remain (postal) – approximately 4 weeks

 ‘Overseas’ Entry clearance – anything from a few working days to several weeks depending on the country in which the application is being made

Timing is particularly critical on work permit extensions where an employee’s leave to remain will be expiring in the near future – PLG UK can deal with extension applications up to 3 months before an employee’s leave to remain expires so the earlier we are instructed the better.