UK Visit Visa

Visa nationals are individuals who, due to their nationality, need a Visit Visa in order to enter the UK as a visitor. Visitors who require a visit visa must apply before they travel to the UK.

A list of nationalities that require a Visit Visa prior to visiting the UK as a visitor has been published by the Home Office. Some visa nationals may be able to enter the UK as a Visitor upon arrival under this list. Our expert team will be able to check and confirm whether you require a visa for your visit to the UK.

Non-visa nationals can normally apply for entry as Visitors upon arrival in the UK. Nonetheless, visitors without visas must meet the requirements for entry as Visitors, so upon arrival they should be prepared to explain, for example, the purpose of their trip and how they intend to be accommodated and maintained in the UK, as well as their travel plans for returning home.

Non-visa nationals, including those from the EU or EEA, can enter the UK as a Visitor and do not need to apply for a Visit Visa.

Unsure about whether you require a visa? Speak to our expert team now to confirm if you are required to apply for a visit visa before being granted entry into the UK.

A Tourism, Leisure or Family Visit Visa is available provided that UK Visas & Immigration has been satisfied that you are genuinely seeking entry to the UK for a purpose that is permitted by the visitor routes and will not engage in prohibited activities.

The following activities are permissible for holders of a Tourism, Leisure, or Family Visit Visa:

• Visit friends and relatives in the United Kingdom;
• Take a holiday in the United Kingdom;
• Participation in educational exchanges with state-funded schools, academies, or independent schools;
• Take a course of study (other than an English language course) for a maximum of 30 days.

Tourism, Leisure and Family Visitors may also undertake other activities that are permitted under the Standard Visitor Visa because it is a sub-category of the Standard Visitor Visa.

As part of your application for a Tourist, Leisure or Family Visit Visa you will be required to satisfy the Home Office that you are genuinely seeking to enter the United Kingdom for a permitted purpose. In addition, you must assure the Home Office that you will leave the United Kingdom at the end of your visit and will not reside in the United Kingdom for prolonged periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK your place of residence.

In assessing your application, the Home Office will consider the following factors:

• Previously visited countries and the length of time you spent abroad;
• Personal financial situation, family, social, and economic background;
• Economic and personal links to the country of residence.

Home Office officials may doubt your authenticity as a visitor if you do not have many close ties to your country of residence and have several close relatives living in the United Kingdom, if you have previously attempted to deceive the Home Office in an immigration application, and if there are discrepancies in your statement and your sponsor’s statement.

Often, we see that as a result of applicants making applications themselves, UKVI have highlighted discrepancies and treated them as a deliberate attempt to deceive the Home Office. We regularly hear horror stories from clients who innocently made applications without legal guidance as they were intending to save the legal fees but have not understood the immigration rules properly and are now battling to prove that the information they gave was in good faith albeit contained administrative errors.

If you are unclear about whether your intentions meet the requirements or are concerned about the impact of how a previous application may affect your proposed visit, get help from our experts now to get clear, bespoke guidance.

There is no English proficiency requirement for applicants for tourism, leisure, and family visit visas. However, having a limited command of English can cause many problems whilst preparing and making an application and applying the correct rules and considerations.

Our team are bilingual and can provide you with advice and guidance in languages other than English upon request.

There are no specific requirements as to your financial situation under this visa type, but you will be expected to have enough funds to cover all reasonable costs associated with your visit (e.g., travel, maintenance, and accommodation), without the need to work or access public funds.

A permitted financial institution must hold your funds.

A third party may cover your travel, maintenance, and accommodation costs if the third party has a genuine professional or personal relationship with you, if they do not break immigration laws, and if they are able to support you throughout your visit.

Our expert team can check your plans and guide you through the requirements to ensure that your circumstances can satisfy UK Visa Rules.

You can apply for a Visit Visa that is valid for either a 6 month, 2 year, 5 year, or 10 year period if you wish to visit the UK on a Tourism, Leisure, or Family Visit.

While the validity period of your Visit Visa is valid, you can enter and leave the UK more than once, unless your Visit Visa has been endorsed for single or dual entry, you can visit the UK no more than once every six months.

Visitors to the UK as part of tourism, leisure, or family are not allowed to work or receive payments from UK sources for activities undertaken in the country.

Those using visit visas are considered temporary visitors and are therefore restricted from taking up employment, establishing or running their own businesses, working for an organisation or business within the UK, undertaking a work placement within the UK, or selling goods or services within the UK.

Those on Tourism, Leisure, and Family Visits are permitted to conduct activities related to their employment overseas while in the UK, such as responding to emails or taking phone calls.  However, your main purpose for visiting the UK should be to engage in a permitted activity, rather than to work remotely from the country.

As well as seeking employment, visit visa holders are allowed to attend job interviews in the UK. Even if you are successful in obtaining employment, you will be required to leave the UK and apply for appropriate entry clearance before starting work.

There are alternative visa types which will allow you to work in the UK on a short-term basis so if you have any concerns about whether this is the right visa type for you, you can raise your concerns with our team 247/365 for immediate answers.

As with most things in life, think accountant, doctor, electrician, it is possible to do it yourself if your suitably qualified and competent. You can complete your own visa application if you feel you have the required understanding of the Home Office rules, requirements and specified evidence thresholds. However, it is not ordinarily recommended if you are not totally comfortable with understanding and satisfying UKVI immigration rules.

It is worth noting that this type of visa is the most refused visa type out of all categories.

Almost every visa has an associated processing government application fee.

It is important to note that this is an administrative fee that you will be charged for the application to be processed irrespective of the outcome.

In the event that you have made an inadequate application or are refused, the processing fee would have already been utilised and therefore, it will not be refunded.

Aside from the application fees, a refusal is likely to have far reaching implications both practical and financial.

The Home Office application fee for a Tourism, Leisure or Family Visit Visa for a short stay of up to 6 months is currently £100.

If you do not have a strong history of previous compliant visits to the UK, it is unlikely you will be granted a visa for longer than 6 months initially.

If you wish to apply for a Tourism, Leisure or Family Visit Visa that is valid for either 2 years, 5 years or 10 years then the Home Office application fee will be £376, £670 or £837 respectively.

Please note, the above fees are administrative only and do not cover our professional fees for legal representation.

We provide a full representation service for one transparent, affordable fee to handle your entire case.

We have covered the subject of common refusal reasons in our blog and you can read that article here.