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Skip to content The Long-Term Standard Visitor Visa UK is a type of visa that allows individuals to visit the UK for an extended period, typically for tourism, visiting family, or business purposes. This visa is available for 2, 5, or 10 years, and it permits multiple entries into the UK during the visa’s validity.
If you’re seeking guidance on a long term visitor visa UK, you can get assistance from our professional immigration solicitors. We’re always ready to help you. Contact us at 02033844389.
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The long term visitor visa UK lets you stay in the UK for a set amount of time. It is issued by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), which is part of the Home Office and is in charge of the UK’s visa system. For instance, this could be for travel and fun, such as visiting to see family and friends or taking regular vacations. Besides that, it could be for a variety of business activities, like going to meetings or workshops.
As a visa national, meaning you are from a country that doesn’t let people visit the UK without a visa, you will need to get a visiting visa ahead of time to get entry before you arrive at a UK port of entry. A long term standard visitor visa UK is often the best way to go for multiple trips, even if you are not a visa-required citizen. Even though this won’t promise you get into the UK every time—you still have to show border officials that you are a real visitor and explain why you are there—it can make the process go more smoothly.
In “Appendix V: Visitor” of the UK’s Immigration Rules, you can find the rules for tourist visas, such as how long this visa is valid. Most of the time, you won’t be able to stay in the UK for longer than 6 months.
If you want to visit the UK more than once, like to see family and friends or for work, you may be able to apply for a visitor visa that is valid for 2, 5, or 10 years. You will be able to visit the UK more than once, but each stay must not be longer than the maximum length of stay allowed by your visa, which is usually 6 months.
Therefore, the UK long-term visitor visa can be perfect for parents whose adult children have moved to the UK and want to visit their children and grandchildren often. It can also work well for people who have to go to the UK often for business meetings or workshops.
Under the long-term tourist route, you can also do things like volunteer work for a registered charity for up to 30 days, as long as it’s not the main reason you’re in the UK (see “Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities” of the Immigration Rules). Taking a brief leisure course is also acceptable, as long as it is not the primary purpose of your vacation to the UK and lasts no more than 30 days.
When someone applies for a long term standard visitor visa UK, UKVI will always carefully consider why they need the visa for a long time. There must be proof that you will leave the UK at the end of each trip for the UKVI supervisor who is handling your application. They also need to be sure that you don’t want to use your visa to live in the UK for a long amount of time by visiting often or again and again, or to make the UK your main home.
On the other hand, the long-term tourist visa is not meant for people who want to work for money in the UK. You will need to apply for a visa through one of the work routes if you want to work, look for work, or start your own business.
It’s important to remember that since you can’t work in the UK with a long-term tourist visa, you need to have enough money to cover your expenses during your stay. This is because you won’t be able to get public funds, even though you can’t properly work.
According to Appendix V of the Immigration Rules, people who want to visit the country must meet certain conditions. To get any type of visiting visa, you must show that:
If you want a long-term visitor visa, which could be used to live in the UK for long amounts of time, you will need to show UKVI that you have strong ties to your home country and money that is stable. UKVI basically needs to be sure that you are a real guest who has a good reason to keep coming back to the UK for 2, 5, or 10 years.
Foreign nationals wishing to apply for a UK visit visa must do so through the “Apply for a UK visit visa” form on the GOV.UK website. You must pay the necessary fee, provide proof of who you are and where you are from, and submit your biometric information at an overseas visa application centre if asked to do so. You may also need to show different supporting documents, based on the reason for your multiple visits.
You can apply for a long-term visitor visa up to three months before your trip, and UKVI should let you know within three weeks of your visit to a visa application centre. However, choices are taking up to 5 weeks to be made right now.
If you want to get a long-term visitor visa, the types of documents you will need will depend on why you want to visit the UK. In all cases, though, you will have to show UKVI that your goals are real and that you plan to come back home after each trip. This means you will need to show a passport or another legal form of ID while travelling, along with other proof of the reason for your trip to the UK.
Also, you need to prove that you have enough money to pay for all reasonable costs related to your visits. Any money you rely on must be held in a regulated financial institution so that the UKVI caseworker can do satisfactory verification checks as allowed by Appendix Finance of the Immigration Rules. The UKVI wants people with a stable income or enough money to apply for a long-term guest visa.
It’s important to note that getting a long term standard visitor visa doesn’t guarantee you can enter the UK. When you arrive at a port-of-entry, you must also have enough proof to show border officials that you are a real visitor and that you can pay for your stay without working or using public funds.
The cost of your visa will vary depending on how long you apply for. The fee to apply for a normal visa that lets you enter the country once or more than once and lasts up to six months is £100.
While UKVI will take some time to make a decision, you can pay extra for “premium processing” to speed up the process.
For an extra £250, you can use the priority service to get a decision from UKVI within 5 working days. Moreover, for an extra £956, you can use the super priority service to get a decision by the end of the next working day. If these services are offered at the visa centre where you are applying, you should find out ahead of time.
If UKVI thinks you won’t be able to meet all the standards for the length of visa you’re applying for, you may be given a shorter visa instead. If you are given a shorter visa, you will not get some of your filing fees back.
In the same way, you won’t get your money back if your application is turned down. It’s important to note that paying for one of the priority services doesn’t ensure that your application for a long term visitor visa UK will be approved or that you will be given a long-term visa for the time you want it.
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For many reasons, your application might be denied. If you don’t show UKVI that you meet all the requirements to be a long-term visitor for your intended reason, this could happen. UKVI also needs to be sure that you are a real visitor and that you plan to leave the UK at the end of each trip. People might think you don’t want to work in the UK if you can’t show that your finances are stable and that you have strong ties to your home country. In the same way, your application will be turned down if it is clear from your past travels that you want to live in the UK.
You could also be refused under the Immigration Rules’ “Part 9: grounds for refusal.” Your application’s denial may be based on obligatory grounds in some instances or may be determined at the caseworker’s discretion in others. Example: your visa application “must” be denied if you have a criminal record with a 12-month or longer term, whether it was in the UK or abroad. Alternatively, your application may be denied if your conviction resulted in a non-custodial sentence or a prison term of less than twelve months.
If UKVI turns down your application for a long-term visitor visa, you won’t be able to enter the UK. In this case, you should get professional legal help from an immigration lawyer before filing a new application. A successful application after a refusal can be hard to make, but it is possible with a thorough explanation and the right proof to back up the reasons given for the refusal.
Importantly, you cannot use a long-term visiting visa to reside in the UK for six months, and then leave and return right away; doing so would violate the restriction against residing in the UK for longer durations. If you have multiple long stays that each go over the 6-month limit, people may start to think that your goals are not real. In this case, you might not be allowed to enter. There is also a chance that your visitor’s visa will be revoked, which would make it very hard for you to get a new one.
Travellers to the UK should be aware that immigration officers may still interview them at the UK border, even if their visitor visa is legitimate, to ensure that they are real visitors and will follow the requirements of their visa. Officials have the right to refuse entry if they have reasonable suspicions that you will overstay your visa or engage in activities that are forbidden by the visiting regulations. If you need expert guidance on UK visas and immigration, we are here to help. Call us at 02033844389.