Visitor Visas UK

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 0333 305 9375 today.

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 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 0333 305 9375 or contact us online.

Do you want to get married in the UK? 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 0333 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.

The 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.

Check if you need a visa before applying. Some countries, including the US, do not need a visitor visa. If you don’t need one, you must still meet the eligibility requirements to visit the UK. A UK border officer may ask you questions about your eligibility and planned activities.

If you have a criminal record or were previously refused entry into the UK, you should consider applying for a Standard Visitor visa even if you don’t need one.

You can apply for any UK Visitor visas online before coming to the UK. Once you have applied online and paid the visa fees, you will need to book an appointment at your local visa application centre to prove your identity and provide other supporting documents.

After that, you should expect a visa decision from UK Visas and Immigration on your application within three weeks. Some applicants may be able to get their visitor visa within five working days (priority service) or the next working day (super-priority service).

Priority and super-priority services are only available in a few countries; check with your visa application centre.

Each UK Visitor visa has a different cost.

The Standard Visitor visa costs £95 for up to six months. 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 (£361), 5 years (£655), or 10 years (£822), 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 12 months. That costs £190. Then, stay in the UK for up to six months and extend your stay for another six months for £993.

The Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV) costs £35, while the Visitor in Transit visa costs £64.

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.