UK Visitor visa: Apply from Ireland

If you want to study in a short term for a course that doesn’t take more than six months. It can be a recreational course. You are also allowed to come to the UK on a Visitor visa to take some exams.

If you are attending for the sake of research, you’ll also need to prove further information:

• You’re at least 16 years old
• You’re enrolled on a course overseas that is the equivalent of a UK degree
• You’ve been accepted by a UK higher education institution to take part in research that’s relevant to the course you’re studying overseas

If you are visiting for academic purposes, you’ll also need to prove the following:

• You are highly qualified in your field of expertise – with a PhD or higher
• Currently working in that field of expertise at an academic institution overseas
• Not filling a permanent teaching post in the UK
• If you’re an academic, but not a senior doctor or dentist, you must also prove you’re visiting to do research or a formal exchange
• If you’re a senior doctor or dentist, you must prove you’re visiting the UK to do research, clinical practice, a formal exchange or to teach.

If you are visiting for a medical reason, you’ll also need to prove the following:

• Have a medical condition that needs private consultation or treatment specifically in the UK
• Have made arrangements for consultations or treatment
• Have enough money/funding to pay for your treatment
• Will leave the UK once your treatment is completed, or when your visa expires
• Are not a danger to public health

While in the UK on a visit visa, the holder is permitted to do the following:

• Enjoy a vacation and tourism, and travel freely through Great Britain on a holiday or vacation
• Visit and enjoy time with your family members or friends
• Volunteer for up to 30 days with a registered charity
• To pass through the UK to another country (often called ‘in transit’)
• Complete or do certain business activities, for example, attending a meeting or interview
• Take part in a school exchange programme
• To take part in a recreational course of up to 30 days, for example, a dance course
• To study, to do a placement or take an exam
• As an academic, senior doctor or dentist
• For medical reasons

While holding a UK visit visa, holders are not permitted to:

• Obtain paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person unless you have a paid engagement visa
• Claim public funds/benefits or apply for social welfare
• Live in the UK pas the maximum period through frequent or successive visits
• Marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership with anyone including British citizens (if you wish to do this, you’d need to apply for a Marriage visa)

To apply for visitor visas, you will go through the application process before you travel to the UK a minimum of 3 months before travel.

The process starts with completing the online application form. Then, you are to gather your supporting documents.

You will be required to provide the following

• Evidence of how long you will be staying and where
• Estimates of how much the trip will cost
• Your current home address and length of time that you’ve resided there
• Your parents’ names and dates of birth (if known)
• Your yearly income (if you have an income)
• Information of any criminal, civil or immigration offences (if applicable)

Depending on your circumstances, you might also need to provide:

• Details of your travel history for the past 10 years
• Your employer’s address and telephone number
• Your partner’s name, date of birth, and passport number
• The name and address of anyone helping to pay for your trip
• The name, address, and passport number of any family members you have in the UK
• A certificate proving that you’ve had tuberculosis (TB) test if you’re visiting for more than 6 months

If you are studying, you will need to confirm with your overseas course provider that the research or research tuition is part of, or relevant to, the course you’re doing overseas.

If you are visiting to study, you’ll need to provide a letter from the employer outlining the dates of your sabbatical or exchange, your employer outlining the research to be undertaken, and the UK host organization confirming the arrangements for your research, exchange, or clinical practice.

If you are visiting due to a medical reason, you’ll need a letter from the doctor or consultant, confirming your condition that needs consultation or treatment and the estimated cost and the duration of any treatment, and where the consultation and treatment will take place.

After submitting your documents and application, you are to schedule an interview with the immigration authorities.

During the visa interview, the immigration officer will ask questions about the purpose of the visa, and your circumstances.

You will also need to provide your biometric information, a photograph, and a digital scan of your fingerprints.

It is possible to extend the permitted six months stay with a visitor visa in the instance that:

• You’re a patient receiving medical treatment
• You’re an academic and meet the eligibility requirements
• You’re a graduate retaking the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board test or finishing a clinical

You will need to provide proof as to why you need to extend the stay. To extend, have to apply while in the UK and before your current visa/ permission expires.

The application fee for a Standard Visitor Visa is £95. You may need to pay an additional fee for a biometric appointment.

If you are applying for a visitor visa extension to stay longer in the UK, you will have to pay the fee of £993.

The UK visitor visa application takes 3 weeks to be processed and accepted or rejected.