Administrative Review Success Rates Revealed for 2025
Caseworker error continues to drive 27% of successful AR outcomes — is refusal the end of the road?
A Freedom of Information response from UKVI has revealed the full official success rate for Administrative Review (AR) applications lodged in 2025, with 27 per cent of all reviewed cases resulting in the original decision being withdrawn and remade in the applicant's favour.
Breaking the figures down by route, the highest success rates were found in entry clearance applications for family visitors (41 per cent), spousal settlement (34 per cent) and student entry clearance (32 per cent), all categories where case officers commonly misinterpret documentary evidence of relationships, accommodation or financial maintenance.
The most frequently identified errors were failures to properly consider documents submitted in support of the application (38 per cent of quashed decisions), incorrect application of the Immigration Rules (29 per cent) and factual mistakes such as misreading dates or confusing co-applicants' personal circumstances (19 per cent).
Critically, the data also shows that a further 16 per cent of ARs were 'partially upheld', meaning that the Home Office conceded one or more discrete errors but still considered that the original decision should stand — often a sign that the applicant should escalate the matter further.
If you or a family member have received a refusal letter that includes a right to Administrative Review, it is almost always worth having the decision independently reviewed. The AR window is only 14 days for in-country applications and 28 days for entry clearance refusals, so prompt action is essential.
