Family Visitor Visa UK from Philippines

A Standard Visitor visa allows foreign nationals to come to the UK for various purposes, such as tourism, business, medical treatment, attending a short study course, or visiting family members or friends living in the country. When you are applying for a short-term visa for visiting family/friends in the UK, it is commonly called a family visitor visa.

Since the Philippines is a visa-required country for the UK, you must apply for a Standard Visitor visa to enter the UK for visiting family. You may stay there for up to six months or as long as your visa is valid, whichever is shorter. If UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) believes you do not meet the eligibility criteria for the entire visa duration you have applied for, they may grant you a visa with a shorter validity.

You may also be eligible to apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa for two, five or 10 years, if you have valid reason(s) to visit the UK regularly. However, you will only be able to stay for up to six months on each visit, and your visa may get canceled if your passport shows that you are living in the UK for long periods through frequent or successive visits.

While in the UK on a Standard Visitor visa, you will be permitted only to do certain activities as specified by the Home Office. You will not be allowed to work for a UK employer or as a self-employed person (unless you are doing a permitted paid engagement or event), access public funds, marry in the UK or register a civil partnership (or give notice to that effect) etc.

Please note that if your family member in the UK is an EEA/Swiss national and has been living in the country since before 31 December 2020, you may be able to apply for a free family permit instead.

Page Contents

• Overview of a UK Family Visitor Visa
• Am I Eligible for a Family Visitor Visa UK?
• UK Family Visitor Visa Document Requirements
• Sponsor Requirements for a Family Visitor Visa UK
• How to Apply for a UK Family Visitor Visa
• UK Family Visitor Visa Processing Time and Fees
• How Total Law Can Help
• Frequently Asked Questions

To be eligible for a UK family visitor visa, the first thing you will need to prove is that you have family members or friends rightfully living in the country, and you are coming to the UK to visit them on a short-term basis, without any intention to make the UK your home.

It is of vital importance to prove that you will leave the UK once your visa validity is over, and you have enough financial resources to pay for your return/onward journey, or have a sponsor to pay for your tickets. In addition, you or your sponsor must be able to cover for your expenses and your accommodation in the UK (same for any dependants traveling with you).

If you wish to take up any of the below activities while in the UK visiting family and friends, you may have to meet additional eligibility requirements:

• Receive medical treatment
• Attend a short study course, do a placement or take an exam
• Teach, take part in research or undertake clinical practice (on a temporary basis) as an academic, senior doctor or dentist
• Take up a permitted paid engagement

Filipino nationals coming to the UK for visiting family/friends will need the following information and supporting documents:

• Your current Filipino passport, valid for the entire period of your stay in the UK and with at least one blank page for your visa
• Name(s), address(es) and passport number(s) of your family members or friends in the UK
• Your travel itinerary including your return/onward journey date
• Proof of accommodation in the UK during your visit, e.g. hotel reservation, a letter from your family/friends confirming you will be staying with them etc.
• Tentative cost of your UK trip and proof of funds (or sponsorship) to meet the same
• Your residential address in the Philippines and for how long you have been living there
• Your parents’ names and dates of birth
• Your spouse/partner’s name, date of birth and passport number (where applicable)
• Your income proof certificate (if you have an income), e.g. payslips, tax returns etc.
• Your employer’s address and telephone number, if you are employed
• Records of any criminal, civil or immigration offenses
• Your immigration history for the last 10 years
• Details of your sponsor(s) for the UK trip, if applicable
• A tuberculosis test certificate (if applicable)
• Travel health insurance
• Written consent from your parent/guardian to travel to the UK if you are under 18 and traveling alone

You must provide certified translations of any documents that are not in English or Welsh.

In case your UK trip is being funded by your family members or friends living in the UK, you will have to provide information and documents like the following:

• Proof that your sponsor is providing for your accommodation in the UK, covering your expenses during the trip, and paying for your return/onward journey
• They have sufficient funds to cover for all of the above, such as their bank statements, salary slips, pension, any other income proofs etc.
• Proof of relationship between you and your family member sponsor
• Documents proving your sponsor’s permission to remain in the UK, e.g. their British passport or visa/residence permit

You will have to apply online for a UK family visitor visa. Start with creating an account on the Home Office website with an email ID. Please have all your supporting documents and other relevant information ready with you so as to answer the questions on the online form completely and accurately.

After completing the form, please submit it along with scanned copies of your supporting documents and pay the visa fees online. Next, you will have to book an appointment with a UK visa application center (VAC) to submit your passport and supporting documents, and provide your biometric details.

VFS Global is the official third-party UK visa services provider in the Philippines, and they have VACs both in Manila and Cebu, so you may choose the one near your location.

It usually takes up to three weeks to get a decision on your family visitor visa application. If your application form is incomplete or has inaccurate information, or if you are required to submit additional supporting documents, or if UKVI is experiencing a high volume of visa applications, your waiting time may go up.

The visa processing fee for a UK family visitor visa is £127. If you are applying for a long-term Standard Visitor visa for two, five or 10 years, your visa fee will be £475, £848 or £1059, respectively.