Administrative Review Letter Template UK: How to Structure Your AR Letter

An administrative review (AR) letter is a focused written explanation of the caseworking error you say led to a UK visa refusal. It supports the official online administrative review application; your decision notice tells you whether AR is available and how to apply. The current GOV.UK pages direct applicants to an online form rather than a standard letter template, so the structure below is a practical starting point for a Skilled Worker refusal. The reviewer considers whether the original decision was wrong under the relevant Immigration Rules or published guidance, mainly on the basis of the original application.

Before using the template, check the deadline and filing route in the decision notice. Current GOV.UK guidance lists an £80 fee and a 28-calendar-day limit for an entry-clearance refusal made from outside the UK; for an in-country permission-to-stay refusal, the limit is 14 calendar days, or 7 days if you were detained. You apply online. Check the GOV.UK administrative review page and Appendix Administrative Review immediately before filing because the notice and current Rules control.

What the Letter Must Accomplish

Administrative review is not a fresh application or a general merits appeal. The reviewer asks whether the original decision-maker failed to apply, or incorrectly applied, the relevant Immigration Rules or published guidance, and considers your entitlement on the basis of the original application. New evidence is generally not considered, subject to narrow exceptions in Appendix Administrative Review, including some specified deception cases and failures involving evidential flexibility.

Your letter should therefore do three things clearly:

1. Identify the specific paragraph of the Immigration Rules or published guidance that was misapplied
2. Explain exactly how the caseworker's application of that paragraph was wrong
3. Point to the evidence already in the original submission that proves the error

Personal hardship, fairness arguments, or a request to be granted on a different immigration route do not replace a permitted AR ground. Keep them out unless they directly relate to an admissible issue.

Section-by-Section Letter Structure

1. Header and Reference Details

Open with the factual identifiers so the reviewer can locate your file immediately:

• Your full legal name (as it appears on your application)
• Date of birth
• Nationality
• Home Office, GWF, or other reference number shown in the decision letter
• Application type (e.g., Entry Clearance — Skilled Worker, or Permission to Stay — Skilled Worker)
• Date of the refusal decision
• The statement: "I submit this letter in support of my online application for Administrative Review under Appendix Administrative Review."

2. Summary of the Decision

In two to three sentences, state what was decided. Do not argue yet — simply confirm the facts:

"My application for [visa type] was refused on [date]. The decision letter states that the refusal was based on [quote or closely paraphrase the specific ground from the decision letter]."

Use the exact wording from the decision letter wherever possible. If the refusal cited multiple grounds, list each one separately — you will address them individually in the next section.

3. Identification of the Caseworking Error

This is the core of the letter and where most applicants go wrong. For each refusal ground, follow this pattern:

State the rule or published guidance. Cite the specific paragraph of the Immigration Rules, Appendix, or policy guidance that applies to your application and the decision. For salary disputes on a Skilled Worker visa, this is typically a paragraph of Appendix Skilled Worker read together with the relevant going rate in Appendix Skilled Occupations. For English language issues, cite Appendix English Language.

State what the caseworker decided. Quote or paraphrase the decision letter's finding on this point.

Explain the error. This is where you demonstrate that the caseworker either misread the rule, miscalculated a figure, applied the wrong threshold, or overlooked evidence that was in the submission. Be precise — "the caseworker made an error" is not enough. You need to show the arithmetic, the correct rule reference, or the document page number.

Example for a salary calculation error:

"The decision says that my salary does not meet the going rate for SOC 2020 code [code]. The relevant table states a going rate of £[full-time going rate] for a 37.5-hour week. My Certificate of Sponsorship states [weekly hours] hours, so the going-rate comparison is £[full-time going rate] × [weekly hours] ÷ 37.5 = £[pro-rated going rate]. The evidence at page [page number] of my original application shows guaranteed basic gross pay of £[annual salary]. I ask the reviewer to correct this calculation. I have separately checked the general salary threshold and the permitted salary option that applies to my case."

Example for a transitional protection error:

"The decision applied [the rule or threshold]. I was granted permission as a Skilled Worker under the rules in force before 4 April 2024 (the relevant Certificate of Sponsorship was assigned before that date), and I have held continuous Skilled Worker permission since then. I am applying before 4 April 2030 and believe option [F/G/H/I/J] applies. Under that option, the applicable general threshold and going-rate requirement are [insert the current figures from the relevant Rules]. The permission history and CoS assignment are shown at [reference]."

4. Reference to Supporting Evidence Already Submitted

After identifying each error, direct the reviewer to the specific evidence in your original application that supports your position. Use page numbers, document titles, or form section references — whatever helps the reviewer locate the material without searching.

For an ordinary Skilled Worker AR, rely on the evidence in your original application. New evidence is only considered under narrow Appendix Administrative Review exceptions, so do not assume that an updated certificate or employer letter can repair the original application. If you reference a document, confirm it was part of your original submission by stating so explicitly: "This document was submitted with my original application on [date] as part of [section/upload reference]." If you believe an evidential-flexibility exception applies, follow the current official form and guidance.

5. Closing and Requested Outcome

End the letter with a clear statement of what you are asking for:

"For the reasons set out above, I respectfully ask UKVI to find that the decision contained the material error identified at [section], withdraw the refusal, and reconsider my original application under [cite the relevant rule or guidance]. If the corrected assessment shows that I meet all requirements, please grant permission."

Sign with your full name and the date.

Copy-and-Adapt Letter Template

Use this as supporting text alongside the official online AR form, not as a substitute for it:

Subject: Administrative Review — [visa route] — [reference number]

Dear UKVI,

I submit this letter in support of my online application for Administrative Review under Appendix Administrative Review. My application for [visa type] was refused on [date]. The decision notice gives the following refusal reason(s): [quote or closely paraphrase each reason].

I identify the following caseworking error(s): [for each error, state the relevant rule or published guidance, explain what the decision-maker got wrong, and identify the evidence already submitted].

For these reasons, I respectfully ask UKVI to withdraw the refusal and reconsider my original application under the correct rule or guidance. If the corrected assessment shows that I meet all requirements, please grant permission.

Yours faithfully, [Full name] [Date]

Common Mistakes That Weaken AR Letters

Arguing the merits rather than identifying errors. "I deserve this visa because I have worked in the UK for five years" does not, by itself, identify a caseworking error. The reviewer is not conducting a general hardship assessment.

Submitting new evidence as if AR were an appeal. A common trap is obtaining a new SELT certificate or updated employer letter after refusal and attaching it to the AR. For a standard Skilled Worker AR, that new evidence will generally not be considered. If the original evidence was sufficient and the caseworker missed it, say so and point to where it was in the file. If the original evidence was genuinely insufficient, consider whether reapplication or regulated advice is appropriate; do not assume AR can cure it.

Vague rule references. "The Immigration Rules were not applied correctly" is usually too vague. Specify the paragraph number. The reviewer needs to open that paragraph and compare it against what the caseworker wrote.

Failing to address every material ground. Set out each refusal ground separately, say what you accept or challenge, and explain whether correcting the claimed error would affect the outcome. The reviewer must be able to match each point to the decision notice.

Relying on a generic deadline. Follow the decision notice and current official Rules: the usual limit is 28 calendar days for an entry-clearance refusal and 14 days for an in-country permission-to-stay refusal, or 7 days if detained. A late application may be accepted only if the decision-maker is satisfied that it would be unjust not to waive the limit and that the application was made as soon as reasonably practicable.

After You Submit

A different reviewer examines the case. GOV.UK currently says that an administrative review can take 12 months or more. If your in-country application was made in time and your previous permission was already extended by Section 3C, official guidance says that permission can continue while the review is pending until it is decided or withdrawn. Do not infer new rights from this; check the conditions in your notice and the current guidance.

The possible outcomes are more specific than simply "allowed" or "refused":

1. The review succeeds: the refusal is withdrawn and the original application is reconsidered; the corrected outcome may be a grant.
2. The review does not succeed: the refusal remains in force, with all or some of the original reasons retained.
3. The review finds errors but the refusal still stands because other or additional reasons support it. A new refusal reason may create a right to a second review, as stated in the new decision notice.

For an ordinary Skilled Worker refusal where the decision notice gives an AR route, do not assume that a tribunal appeal is available. If the refusal remains, a fresh application may be an option after addressing the underlying issue; any other remedy is fact-specific and should be checked against the decision notice and regulated advice.

Before submitting, re-check the GOV.UK administrative review application page and the current Appendix Administrative Review.

Getting It Right the First Time

The strongest AR letters are written by people who understood the rules before they applied — because they can pinpoint exactly where the caseworker departed from them. The UK Skilled Worker Visa Guide covers the full salary calculation methodology, SOC code requirements, transitional protections, and document standards, so you can identify a caseworking error with confidence or avoid reaching the AR stage entirely.

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