UK Visitor Visa from Australia

The UK has a variety of different types of Visitor visa for Australians, depending on your reason for visiting. These include the following:

• Standard Visitor visa – for visiting the UK on short-term visits for tourism or to visit family and friends.
• Business Visitor visa – for business travellers coming to the UK to attend interviews, meetings, conferences or seminars, or to attend training or carry out site inspections or visits.
• Student Visitor visa – for students wishing to study short-term (less than 6 months) courses in the UK, or to take certain exams or course electives.
• Academic Visitor visa – for scientists, researchers or academics to take part in formal exchange arrangements with UK counterparts or carry out research.
• Permitted Paid Engagement visa – for those who have been invited to take part in a permitted paid engagement relevant to their expertise, qualifications and main job, such as performing, giving lectures or joining judging panels.
• Medical Visitor visa – for those coming to the UK to undergo medical treatment.

Note that each Visitor visa type will typically have their own specific set of guidelines and eligibility you must follow to be eligible.

Coming to the UK for a short stay, Australian nationals must possess evidence that:

• They will leave the country after their intended length of stay, which must be six months or less
• They will not make UK their home and live there for extended periods through frequent or successive visits
• They have sufficient financial means to support themselves and their dependents (if any) during their stay in the UK as well as for their onward or return journey from the country, or have a valid sponsor covering those expenses

In case you are visiting the UK for business, study, medical or paid engagement purposes, or as an academic or senior healthcare professional, you must be able to provide certain additional documentary evidence.

Although as an Australian national you are exempt from applying for a visa while visiting the UK for up to six months, please carry the below-mentioned supporting documents, required otherwise for a Standard Visitor visa application, with you.

UK immigration authorities may ask for these documents at your port of entry, and may even refuse you permission to enter the UK if you are unable to show these documents. If your documents are not in English or Welsh, please carry certified translation copies along with the originals.

These documents include (but not limited to):

• A valid passport or any other travel document
• A copy of your itinerary in the UK
• Proof of accommodation
• Proof of funds (or sponsor details)
• Your current residence address proof (including how long you have been living in that address)
• Your parents’ names and dates of birth
• Proof of income
• Record(s) of any criminal, civil or immigration offences
• Your travel history for the last 10 years
• Your employer’s details
• Your spouse/civil partner’s name, date of birth and passport number
• Details of your family members (if any) in the UK

If you are coming to the UK for study/exam or research purposes, then:

• Course acceptance letter from an accredited UK educational institution
• Details of the test/exam you want to sit in the UK
• Confirmation letter from your overseas course provider that your intended research is part of (or relevant to) the overseas course you are enrolled to
• Confirmation letter from your UK higher education provider that you will not be treating patients or being paid in the country if you are coming to do an elective in medicine, veterinary medicine and science, nursing, midwifery or dentistry fields

• If you are coming to the UK for a short-term business visit, then documentary evidence of the activities you are going to perform in the country during your stay, such as invitation letter for participating in a conference, letter from your business supplier whom you are going to visit, tickets to trade fairs etc.

If you are visiting as an academic, then:

• A letter from your employer mentioning the dates of your sabbatical or exchange
• Details of the research you are going to undertake in the UK
• Confirmation from your UK host organisation regarding the arrangements for your research, exchange or clinical practice

If you are coming to the UK for a permitted paid engagement or event, then:

• Invitation letter from a UK-based organisation or client for a pre-arranged event or other permitted engagement
• Documents proving that you are an expert in your profession

If you are coming for medical reasons, then:

• Letter from your doctor confirming the medical condition for which you must have treatment or consultation in the UK, the estimated cost and duration of such treatment, and the facility where the treatment/consultation will take place
• Proof of funds covering your medical costs in the UK, ideally a health insurance

Yes, you can extend your short stay in the UK only if:

• You came to the UK for receiving medical treatment which is going to take more than six months
• You are visiting the UK as an academic and still meet the eligibility requirements after six months, and have a valid reason to extend your stay
• You are a graduate retaking the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test or doing a clinical attachment

All foreign nationals, including Australian passport holders, looking to extend their short stay in the UK will have to submit an application to the Home Office and pay a fee of £1,100. They must apply from within the UK and before the validity of their current permission to remain expires.

To apply for a UK Visitor visa, you must apply online via the gov.uk website.

As part of the application process, you will give your personal information as well as the information on anyone travelling with you. You may also have to provide additional documentary proof for your visit, especially if you are travelling for a specific reason to the UK.

You may also have to attend a biometrics appointment at your local visa application centre in order to have your photograph and fingerprints taken.

You will normally receive the decision on your Visitor visa application in a few weeks after applying.

The fees associated with the UK Visitor visa are as follows:

• Standard 6-month Visitor visa: £127
• Standard 2-year Visitor visa: £475
• Standard 5-year Visitor visa: £848
• Standard 10-year Visitor visa: £1059
• Visiting academic – more than 6 months but no more than 12 months £220
• Private medical treatment visa – more than 6 months but not more than 11 months £220