Visitor Visa UK - Apply with Support from Specialist Lawyers

UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)

The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is a digital entry permit for non-visa nationals under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. It is for travellers from visa-exempt nationalities (e.g. EU, US, Canada, Japan, UAE) who don’t have a valid UK visa or immigration status.

Unlike a visitor visa, the ETA is not a visa but instead a pre-travel authorisation which is linked to a passport.

The application is fully online via the UK Government website or app, and you will need to provide personal, passport, and travel details. ETA applicants are exempt from biometric enrolment (e.g., fingerprints), so it’s quicker. The fee is £16 per application. Once granted, the ETA is valid for 2 years or until your passport expires, whichever is sooner, and you can visit multiple times.

Approval is confirmed with a “0A – Valid Permission to Travel” status, which is verified by carriers through the Home Office’s iAPI system before you board. This confirms you’ve met the entry requirements in advance.

The ETA doesn’t guarantee entry; Border Force officers will still check you on arrival to ensure you do not intend to overstay or break any conditions during your time in the UK.

For support in applying for an ETA, reach out to our team on +44 (0) 333 305 9375 or contact us online.

Business Visitor Visa allows foreign nationals to visit the UK to perform certain business activities for a short period of 180 days (6 months).

You can use the UK Business Visitor visa to do the following in the UK:

• Attend business meetings, conferences, and seminars
• Negotiate and sign contracts
• Partake in trade fairs for business promotion
• Get work-related training (only if you are employed overseas and that training isn’t given in your home country)
• Give a talk that is not for profit or at a commercial event
• Visit and inspect sites
• Monitor the delivery of products and services from a UK company to your overseas company
• Train or share knowledge on internal projects with UK employees of your overseas company
• Service, repair, install or dismantle equipment, computer software and hardware for a UK organisation your company has a contract with
• Receive requirements from a UK based customer (any work for that customer must be done outside of the UK).

Business visitors must prove that they will leave the UK at the end of their trip and meet the Standard Visitor visa requirements. They can’t work in the UK; they can apply for a work visa if they need to.

If you have some business activities to do in the UK, you can reach out to us for help with your Business Visitor visa application. We will help you prepare and submit a quality application to the Home Office and communicate with the Home Office on your behalf. Call us on +44 (0) 333 305 9375 today.

The UK Medical Visitor visa allows foreign nationals to visit the UK for up to six months to:

• Receive private medical treatment at a hospital or medical facility
• Receive treatment at an NHS hospital that is paid for by the government of your home country under a reciprocal healthcare arrangement
• Donate an organ to a family member or friend or be assessed for suitability as a match

The criteria you must meet depends on what you are coming to do and where. Generally, you must prove you will leave the UK once your treatment is complete or when your visa expires.

If you are coming to the UK to take private medical treatment, you must prove that you:

• Have a medical condition that requires private treatment or consultation in the UK
• Have enough money to pay for the treatment
• Have made arrangements with the private medical facility
• Do not pose a danger to the public health of the UK

If you are receiving treatment at an NHS hospital, you must prove that your government is paying for the treatment with an authorisation form issued by the government of your country.

Organ donors can only visit the UK to donate an organ to a family member with a genetic tie, such as a sibling or parent, or someone they have a close personal relationship with, such as a partner or friend. Also, the person receiving the organ should be legally allowed to be in the UK. You must provide a letter from the lead nurse of the transplant team, a General Medical Council registered specialist or a registered NHS consultant to qualify.

You can stay in the UK for up to six months. If your treatment lasts longer, you can apply for an extension to stay for a further six months.

Study visitors or holders of the Student Visitor visa can stay in the UK for up to six months to:

• Study at an accredited UK institution, which is not an academy or state-funded school
• Do research that’s relevant to the course you are doing in your home country
• Take an elective if you are studying medicine, veterinary medicine and science, nursing or dentistry
• Do an entrance examination, retake an exam or do a PhD oral exam
• Be an unpaid clinical attachment if you are a medical, dental or nursing school graduate
• Do the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) test or the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test
• Take a distance learning course where your time in the UK is to attend induction, do face-to-face intensive learning, have progress checks or sit exams.

If your study or research subject is at a postgraduate level or above, you may need to acquire an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate. Citizens of certain countries don’t need to get an ATAS certificate. You can contact us to assess your need for the certificate.

Applicants studying at an accredited institution must prove that they have been accepted into that institution and that the course doesn’t take more than six months to complete.

If you want to study for more than six months, you should apply for a Student visa or a Short-term student visa.

The documents you provide and eligibility criteria you must meet depend on your exact purpose; those coming to be clinical attachments must meet different requirements from those taking a PLAB test.

If you’re a scientist, researcher or work in an academic institution abroad, you can come to the UK on an Academic Visitor visa UK if you are to:

• Take part in a formal exchange arrangement
• Carry out your research during a sabbatical
• Take part in research, teach temporarily, or undertake clinical practice temporarily if you are a senior doctor or dentist.

Like the study visa, you need to get an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate if you plan to research certain subjects at a postgraduate level or above.

Academic visitors can visit for six months or more. Regardless of which, they are to apply for the UK Standard Visitor visa valid for 12 months. After staying in the UK for up to six months, they can apply to stay longer (up to 12 months in total).

To extend your stay, you must prove that you:

• Have a PhD or higher or are highly qualified in your field
• Are not filling a permanent position
• Are currently working in that field at an academic institution abroad

Academics must meet the UK Standard Visitor visa requirements and provide documents to prove their purpose in the UK, such as a supporting letter from their employer.

An advantage of this visa is that your partner and children can stay with you for up to 12 months using a Standard Visitor visa. Like you, they will stay for up to six months and then apply to extend their stay while in the UK.

For more information on the UK Visitor visas or assistance with successfully applying for one, contact us. Call us on +44 (0) 333 305 9375 or contact us online.

The Marriage Visitor visa is for those who want to have a destination wedding or register a civil partnership in the UK. This visa also works for those who want to give notice of the intending wedding or civil partnership.

Marriage Visitor visa holders must get married or enter a civil partnership within six months of arriving in the UK. Also, they cannot stay or settle in the UK after the wedding or civil partnership.

If you are already in a civil partnership and want to convert that into marriage, you don’t need a Marriage visitor visa but a UK Standard Visitor visa.

If your partner is a UK citizen, you can apply for a fiance visa. You don’t need a Marriage visa if you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme or have applied for the scheme but haven’t gotten a decision. Irish citizens also don’t need a Marriage Visitor visa.

You can apply online three months before you travel. Call us on +44 (0) 333 305 9375 or contact us online for assistance.

The UK Transit visa allows holders to travel through the UK to another country. If you have an EU Settlement Scheme family permit, a Home Office travel document, Standard Visitor visa or Marriage Visitor visa, you don’t need a Transit visa to transit the UK.

Applicants must prove that they will be in transit to another country and have sufficient funds to cover the journey.

To get a Transit visa, you must prove that you can enter the destination country with documents such as a passport, residence permit, or visa.

There are two types of Transit visas: Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV) and Visitor in Transit visa.

The DATV is for those changing flights in the UK without going through border control. If you would be going through border control but leaving the UK within 48 hours, the Visitor in Transit visa is appropriate. If you plan to stay in the UK for more than 48 hours, apply for a Standard Visitor visa instead.

Some visitors can pass through UK entry control via automated systems. Holders of biometric passports from the UK, EU, EEA, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the USA can use ePassport gates on arrival. These gates check your identity and passport validity without seeing a Border Force officer, to help reduce the time travellers spend queuing for immigration control.

For frequent eligible visitors, the Registered Traveller Scheme allows successful applicants, who must be from a qualifying nationality and meet specific travel history requirements, to pay to use the UK/EU ePassport gates and get expedited immigration clearance.

A strong advantage of using these services is that no physical visa vignette or entry stamp is placed in your passport, speeding up the process. However, to prove the date and conditions of your permission to enter, you should keep your boarding pass, as this, combined with your passport and digital status, is your official proof of entry status within the UK.

The steps to apply for a UK Visitor visa are as follows:

1. Confirm your eligibility – check to see if you require a Visitor visa to visit the UK, and if you are eligible to apply for one based on your nationality or immigration history.
2. Fill in application – you must fill in the correct application for the visa on the gov.uk website. Ensure that you have given information that is completely truthful and accurate.
3. Pay the fee and upload your supporting documents – the fee must be paid in full when applying. Ensure that you have uploaded all necessary supporting documents to support your application.
4. Attend appointment – you may have to attend an appointment at a local visa application centre in order to give your biometrics.
5. Wait for your decision – the Home Office will then review your application and send you a decision within 3 weeks. Ensure you keep an eye on your email inbox in case you are contacted for further information.

The specific documents you will need for a Visitor visa depend on the reasons for visiting the UK and other circumstances.

However, the documents you will require for your application may include (but not be limited to) the following:

• A valid passport or any other travel document
• Details of your itinerary in the UK, such as the dates of travel, where you will be staying and how much your trip will cost
• Proof of accommodation
• Proof of funds
• Your parents’ names and dates of birth
• Proof of income
• Details 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
• Invitation letter from your sponsor, employer or academic institution

There may be additional documents you may need to show to prove your eligibility for one of the specific categories of Visitor visa.

UK Visitor visas normally take up to 3 weeks to process once you’ve submitted your application and supplied all of your supporting documents.

Processing times may be longer at busier times of the year, if you have a complex immigration case or history that needs to be reviewed, or if the Home Office need to contact you in order to obtain further information or documents.

Extensions to a UK Visitor Visa are rare and only granted for very specific reasons, such as ongoing private medical treatment, academic research, or completing a Permitted Paid Engagement. If you wish to extend your visa, you must apply online before your current permission expires, with strong supporting evidence from a UK-based medical consultant or host institution. An extension will incur a fee equivalent to a new application, and the decision could take several weeks.

You cannot switch from a Visitor visa to another immigration category, such as a work or study visa, from within the UK, so you must leave the country to apply for a new visa from overseas. Overstaying your visa or breaching the conditions, even by one day, will have severe consequences. It will invalidate your status, potentially result in a 10-year re-entry ban, and severely impact any future UK visa applications.

The UK Visitor Visa is exempt from the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), a fee that applies to longer-term visas to access the National Health Service (NHS). This exemption can mean visitors may not have free access to NHS treatment during their stay. Visitors are therefore advised to consider purchasing private travel insurance in case they need medical treatment while in the UK. An insurance policy should have a minimum of £2 million medical cover to deal with emergencies, including hospitalisation, specialist treatment, and, crucially, medical repatriation.

The risks of under-insuring are severe. Without sufficient cover, visitors will be liable for all medical expenses incurred, which can escalate quickly for serious conditions and can be tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds. This includes costs for repatriation on medical grounds, which is logistically complex and very expensive.

Some countries, especially those within the EU, have a scheme with the UK government to cover emergency healthcare, but this only covers basic treatment in many cases. To understand what medical services are available to visitors and the charges, visitors should check the official NHS guidance for overseas visitors on the GOV.UK website or reach out to us on +44 (0) 333 305 9375.

The Standard Visitor visa for UK costs £127 for up to six months visit. Most of the other visitor visas cost the same for six months validity. If you visit the UK regularly, you can apply for a Standard Visitor visa that is valid for 2 years, 5 years or 10 years though you can only stay in the UK for six months at a time.

If you are coming to the UK for medical treatment, you can apply for a Standard Visitor visa that lasts for 11 months and costs £220. Then, stay in the UK for up to six months and extend your stay for another six months for £1,100.

The Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV) costs £39, while the Visitor in Transit visa costs £70.

UK Visitor Visa fees and length of stay in the UK:

• Standard Visitor visa – £127 (6 months)
• Standard Medical Visitor visa  – £220 (11 months)
• Standard Academics Visitor visa – £220 (12 months)
• 2 year long-term Standard Visitor visa – £475 (6 months per visit)
• 5 year long-term Standard Visitor visa – £848 (6 months per visit)
• 10 year long-term Standard Visitor visa – £1059 (6 months per visit)

A UK Visitor Visa application can be refused. If you have received a refusal notice from the Home Office, you can start a new Visitor visa application, submit a request for an appeal (on human rights grounds) or apply for a judicial review.

Every case is different. It is recommended that you work with an immigration lawyer to be certain of the best route for your case and are given personalised advice and support.

If you have a visa refusal and are considering your options, you can reach out to us as well. We will investigate the refusal and assess your options to know if reapplication, appeal, or a review would be best.

For visa support from expert immigration lawyers and advisers, contact us at Total Law today. Call us on 0333 305 9375 or contact us online via live chat.

Suitability & Part 9 Refusal Grounds

All visitor visa applications are assessed against the refusal grounds in Part 9: General Grounds for Refusal of the UK Immigration Rules. A refusal will be made for serious criminality, persistent offending or if the Home Office finds evidence of deception (e.g. false documentation or false representations in a current or previous application) which can also result in a 10 year re-entry ban.

Your immigration history is also checked; any previous breach of UK immigration laws (e.g., overstaying a visa or working outside of your conditions) will heavily impact your current application.

The Home Office will thoroughly check any third-party sponsor, which is a key part of the application process. Officials will look at the sponsor’s relationship to the applicant, their own immigration status in the UK, which must be lawful and without breaches of residence conditions, and their financial standing to ensure the offered support is credible and sustainable.

This is to confirm that the sponsorship is genuine and the applicant won’t become a burden on public funds. So it is essential to address any potential grounds for refusal in a cover letter. This must be a transparent and honest explanation of any complex circumstances, e.g., a previous visa refusal, a historical minor conviction or the specific immigration status of a sponso,r and align all supporting evidence with the relevant requirements of the Immigration Rules.
This will show the applicant’s credibility and genuine intention as a temporary visitor and pre-empt suitability concerns.

Common Mistakes & Tips to Avoid UK Visitor Visa Refusal

To increase your chances of a successful UK Visitor Visa application, you need to know and avoid the top 5 mistakes that lead to refusal.

The top 5 mistakes are:

• presenting insufficient financial evidence,
• unclear or vague travel itinerary,
• not submitting the required documents,
• weak ties to the home country
• missing or delaying a biometrics enrollment appointment

To build a strong case, you need to provide original bank statements for at least 6 months to prove financial sufficiency and a day-by-day itinerary specifying meetings, accommodations, and travel plans. Crucially, you need to provide strong home country ties: property deeds, a letter from your employer granting leave, and proof of family dependants to show your intention to return.

Also, using professionally drafted invitation or sponsor letter templates ensures all legal declarations and evidentiary points are clearly presented so you pre-empt an Entry Clearance Officer’s concerns and show the visit is genuine and temporary.