Visitor Visa

Overview

You can visit the UK as a Standard Visitor for tourism, business, study (courses from minimum 6 months up to as your course lasts (both short-term & long-term) and other permitted activities. You can usually stay in the UK for up to 6 months at your first visit and then can get 2 year, 5 year and 10 years visitor visa also, if required. You might be able to apply to stay for longer in certain circumstances, for example to get medical treatment. The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel. If you visit the UK regularly, you can choose to apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa instead.

You can visit the UK as a Standard Visitor:

What you can do (permitted activities)

  • For tourism, for example on a holiday or vacation
  • To see your family or friends
  • To volunteer for up to 30 days with a registered charity
  • To pass through the UK to another country (‘in transit’)
  • For certain business activities, for example attending a meeting or interview
  • To take part in a school exchange program
  • To do a recreational course of up to 30 days, for example a dance course
  • To study, do a placement or take an exam
  • As an academic, senior doctor or dentist
  • For medical reasons

What you cannot do

  • Do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person
  • Claim public funds (benefits)
  • Live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent or successive visits
  • Marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership – you’ll need to apply for a Marriage Visitor visa

Eligibility requirements

You must be able to show that:

  • You must have a passport or travel document to enter the It should be valid for the whole of your stay.
  • You’ll leave the UK at the end of your visit
  • You’re able to support yourself and your dependants during your trip (or have funding from someone else to support you)
  • You’re able to pay for your return or onward journey (or have funding from someone else to pay for the journey)
  • You’ll not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK your main home

You may need to meet extra eligibility requirements if you’re visiting the UK:-

Business Visit Visa

You can visit the UK for up to 6 months to do the following business activities:-

  • Attend interviews, meetings, conferences and seminars
  • Negotiate and sign deals and contracts
  • Attend trade fairs to promote your business (you cannot sell things)
  • Get work-related training if you’re employed overseas and the training is not available in your home country
  • Give a one-off or short series of talks as long as they’re not for profit or a commercial event (you must not be paid)
  • Carry out site visits and inspections
  • Oversee the delivery of goods and services provided by a UK company to your overseas company or organization
  • Deliver training or share knowledge on internal projects with UK employees of the company you work for overseas
  • Install, dismantle, repair, service or advise on equipment, computer software and hardware, if your overseas company has a contract with a UK company or organization

STUDY VISA

Study in the UK (Long-term Study Visa)

  • You can apply for a Tier 4 (General) student visa to study in the UK if you’re 16 or over and have been offered a place on a course
  • A current passport or other valid travel documentation
  • A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from your course provider
  • Proof you have enough money to support yourself and pay for your course – this will vary depending on your circumstances
  • A valid ATAS certificate if your course and nationality require it
  • Your tuberculosis test results
  • Written consent for your application from your financial sponsor if you’ve received sponsorship for your course fees and living costs in the last 12 months
  • How long you can stay depends on the length of your course and what study you’ve already completed in the UK
  • If you’re 18 or over and your course is at degree level, you can usually stay in the UK for up to 5 If it’s below degree level, you can usually stay in the UK for up to 2 years
  • You can apply for the visa is 6 months before you start your course
  • You’ll usually get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks
  • You’ll need to show you have enough money to support yourself unless you’ve been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months on the date of your How much money you need depends on where you will be studying. For an idea you’ll need either £1,334 per month (for up to 9 months) for courses in London
  • Students on full time degree-level courses holding a Student visa are permitted to work in the UK. The requirements and rules are as follows: Up to 20 hours per week during University term time. UKVI has defined a “week” as “a seven day period starting on a Monday and ending on a Sunday
  • Can I study in UK at the age of 40? Yes, there is no upper age limit to take Master’s Degree at most The prerequisites are usually a Bachelor’s Degree, proof of English proficiency, and money to pay for your tuition and living costs
  • Is interview required for UK student visa? As part of your Student Visa application, you may be asked to attend an interview with a UKVI caseworker. Interviews are conducted via video link to the UK and usually take place at your local Visa Application UKVI will use your interview to check that you are a genuine student

As per New immigration rules of 2022 regarding the UK student visa

  • It will enable the students to work and live in the UK for 3 years after completing a
  • They can stay and work for 2 years after completion of the Master’s degree
  • The government can extend the PSW limit for the Master’s degree holders from 2 years to 4 years

STUDY VISA

Study English in the UK (Short-term Study Visa)

You can apply and visit UK for a Short-term study visa to study English language. This visa is for English language courses lasting longer than 6 months and up to 11 months. You can apply for the Tier 4 (Child) student visa if you’re aged between 4 and 16 and want to study in the UK and if you are between 4-15 years old you must be coming to the UK to be educated at an independent fee-paying school.

  • You can stay in the UK for the length of your course plus an extra 30 days as long as your stay is no longer than 11 months
  • It costs £200 for a Short-term study visa (embassy fee)
  • You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your online It usually costs £470

You cannot :-

  • Study on any other course or change your course while in the UK
  • Study at a state-funded school
  • Work or carry out any business (this includes paid or unpaid work, work experience or work placements)
  • Extend this visa
  • Bring family members (‘dependants’) with you on this visa
  • Apply for most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension

If you are re-visiting to study at an accredited institutions

You must prove that:-

  • You’ve been accepted onto a course provided by an accredited UK institution
  • The course is no more than 6 months long (unless it’s a distance learning course) The accredited UK institution cannot be an academy or state-funded school.

Transit Visa

You might need a Visitor in Transit visa if you’re:-

  • Changing flights in the UK on your way to another country
  • Going through UK border control, for example to check in your luggage for a connecting flight
  • Leaving the UK within 48 hours
  • Not working or studying while in the UK

You may not have to apply for a visa. What you need to do depends on your nationality and whether you need to enter the UK.

UK Start up Visa

The UK Start up visa is for entrepreneurs who are looking to establish a new business for the first time. To apply for a start up visa you will require an endorsement letter from one of the home office approved endorsing bodies. A Start up visa is valid for 2 years and the category does not lead directly to settlement in the UK. However, you can switch to an innovator visa to apply for settlement.

You do not need to be the sole founder of your business and maybe a member of a Start-up team. This means that you may share the same business idea and plan as another Start-up team member. However, each applicant must receive their own individual endorsement from an approved endorsing body.

As a start-up visa applicant, you do not need any funds to invest in your business. However, the requirement to have a ‘viable’ and ‘scalable’ business idea means that, in practice, you may need to have funds available to invest. Some endorsing bodies require a certain level of funding as a condition of endorsement.

Start up visa requirements

In order to qualify for a Start-up visa, you will need to satisfy UK Visas and Immigration that:

  • You can bring your family to UK along with you (if your dependants meet the requirements)
  • You are at least 18 years old
  • You have not previously established a business in the UK (unless you previously held leave as a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur)
  • You have been endorsed by an approved UK endorsing body that has assessed your business idea for innovation, viability and scalability and is satisfied that you will spend the majority of your working time in the UK on developing your business venture
  • Your endorsement letter was issued not more than 3 months before the date of your Start-up visa application
  • You genuinely intend to undertake and are capable of undertaking any work or business activity in the UK stated in your application
  • You are competent in the English language to at least CEFR Level B2 (equivalent to IELTS 5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking)
  • If you are outside the UK or have been in the UK for less than 12 months then you have at least

£1270 to support yourself, plus £285 for a dependent partner, £315 for a first child and £200 for each additional child

The exact requirements that you will need to satisfy may vary depending on the circumstances of your case.

Start up visa endorsement

In order to get endorsed, you will need to identify the problem specifically within the UK market and find its solution.

  • You must explain how your product or service not only solves the problem but how it solves the problem better than your competitors
  • The UK government is looking to attract applicants who will not only bring innovation but also contribute to economic growth of UK

Switch to Start up visa

Generally, an application to enter this category will need to be made from outside the UK. However, if you have a valid leave to remain in any of the following categories, then you apply from inside the UK:

  • Student visa
  • Skilled worker visa formally know as Tier 2 General
  • Innovator Visa
  • A visitor who has been undertaking permitted activities as a prospective entrepreneur

After you have been granted this visa you must intend to spend the majority of time working in the UK developing your own business, but will not be restricted from undertaking other work outside of the business.

Help for a Start up visa

We offer our assistance to the UK start up visa applicants for business plan assessment, writing, endorsement and visa application. We have experienced business immigration solicitors, who provide prompt and cost-effective advice to any individual applying for a start up Visa from overseas or within the UK. We will assist you with all aspects of business immigration law, including applying for an initial application to extension or settlement. If you wish to discuss for this program, please contact us with your particulars.