An important change has recently been introduced regarding the processing procedures of the Standard Visitor Visa for the United Kingdom: from now on, in fact, the passport will no longer be kept by the visa center until the visa is issued but will be returned to the applicant on the same day of the appointment. Instead, the visa center may decide, in order to evaluate the file, to withhold some of the other documents that are submitted by the applicant; in any case, the applicant will be informed of which documents will be needed when applying for the visa.
Once the Home Office has evaluated the application and made a decision on the issuance of the visa, the applicant will receive an email containing instructions for the next steps.