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UK Visit Visas  - Free UK Visa Assessment via email – no obligation

The visitor visa is the UK's most common visa and is typically used by individuals who are coming to the UK for tourism, or visiting family, or visiting on business.

A key requirement of the visitor visa is that applicants must be able to show that they intend visiting the UK for no more than six months and that they will be leaving the UK at the end of their visit. Applicants are also required to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to maintain and accommodate themselves (and any dependents) without access to public funds.

The UK's Standard Visitor visa has replaced a number of previous Visitor Visa categories:

• Family Visitor visa
• General Visitor visa
• Child Visitor visa
• Business Visitor visa, including visas for academics, doctors and dentists
• Sports Visitor visa
• Entertainer Visitor visa
• Prospective Entrepreneur visa
• Private Medical Treatment Visitor visa
• Approved Destination Status (ADS) visa

Visiting the UK on business

You can apply to enter the UK as a business visitor if you are coming to the UK for business purposes if:

• You are attending a conference or a meeting or training event
• You are taking part in a specific sports-related event
• You are an artist, entertainer or musician and coming to the UK to perform
• You are an academic and are doing research or accompanying students on a study abroad programme
• You are a doctor or dentist and are coming to the UK to take a clinical attachment or observer post
• You want to take the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test or sit the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
• You want to get funding to start, take over, join or run a business in the UK e.g. attend interviews or conferences, conduct site visits, arrange deals or sign contracts or deliver international goods and/or passengers from abroad.

Business visitor visa rules

As a business visitor visa holder you are allowed to:

• Take part in any of the business-related activities mentioned in the Visitor Rules
• Study for up to 30 days as long as it's not the main reason for your visit
• Take part in an exchange programme or educational visit (if you're under 18)

However, you are not allowed to:

• Do paid or unpaid work
• Live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent visits
• Marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership
• Access public funds

How long is a visitor via valid for?

A Visitor Visa typically allows the holder to stay in the UK for up to 6 months. In some circumstances a holder may be eligible to stay for up to 11 months if they are coming to the UK for private medical treatment. Furthermore, you, your spouse or civil partner and children might be able to stay for up to 12 months if you are an academic on sabbatical and coming to the UK to conduct research.

Upon the expiry of your visa you must leave the UK. Failure to leave the UK before your visitor visa expires will have a negative effect on your immigration record and is likely to impact any future UK immigration applications you make.

EEA Family Permits

Overview

The EEA Family Permit allows family members, including extended family members, of European Economic Area nationals to join them in the UK, or travel to the UK with them at a later date.

You must be outside the UK to apply for an EEA family permit.

There will be no change to the rights and status of EU nationals living in the UK, nor UK nationals living in the EU, while the UK remains in the EU.

EEA Family Permit Eligibility

The EEA citizen you’re joining must either:

• be in the UK already
• be travelling with you to the UK within 6 months of the date of your application

If they’ve been in the UK for more than 3 months they must either:

• be a ‘qualified person’ (working, looking for work, self-employed, studying or self-sufficient)
• have a permanent right of residence

EEA Family Permit Fees

An EEA family permit is free.

How long one can stay under an EEA family permit?

An EEA family permit is valid for 6 months. You can leave and enter the UK as many times as you need within that time.

If you are planning to invite your family members, including extended family members, of European Economic Area nationals to the UK, contact Allan today for a professional and experienced legal advice on EEA Family Permit application.

UK Ancestry

UK Ancestry Visas allow commonwealth nationals with a grandparent who was born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man to enter the UK for a period of 5 years.

Commonwealth nationals with a grandparent born in the Republic of Ireland before 31 March 1922 are also eligible to apply for an Ancestry Visa.

An Ancestry Visa offers full freedom to work in the UK, including working as a self-employed person or starting your own business.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify you must satisfy the following Ancestry Visa requirements:

• You must be 17 years of age or over.
• You must be a citizen of a commonwealth country.
• You must have a grandparent who was born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man or you must have a grandparent that was born in the Republic of Ireland prior to 31 March 1922.
• You must intend to and be able to work in the UK.
• You must be in a position to support yourself and any dependants without claiming public funds.

Duration

If your application for a UK ancestry visa is successful you will be granted permission to remain in the UK for five years. At the conclusion of this five year period you will then be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) provided that:

• You continue to meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules for UK ancestry, and
• You have spent five years continuously in the UK and can show that you have an employment history throughout that five year period. If you intend to apply for ILR you should not spend more than 180 days per year outside the UK during this five year period.
• If at the end of your five year ancestry visa you do not meet all of the ILR qualifying criteria you may apply for an extension to your ancestry visa.

Additional information

In certain circumstances it may be possible for you to change your visa status to an ancestry visa from within the United Kingdom, however in most cases you must apply for your this visa in your home country or the country where you legally live. You must also apply for entry clearance prior to coming to the UK.

If you have a spouse, unmarried partner or dependants under 18 years of age you can apply for them to join you in the UK on an Ancestry Dependency Visa.

If you or your parent who you are claiming ancestry ties through is adopted you can still apply for entry clearance to the UK under the ancestry category.

The Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) 

is designed for young people from participating countries who would like to experience life in the UK for up to 2 years. Under the youth mobility scheme, your national government acts as your sponsor.

Currently only citizens of the following countries are eligible to participate in the Youth Mobility Scheme:

Australia

Canada

Japan

New Zealand

Eligibility criteria

To qualify for entry to the UK under the Youth Mobility Scheme you must score a total of 50 points across the sponsorship, age and maintenance categories.

Sponsorship - under the youth mobility scheme your national government acts as your sponsor, therefore you will score 30 points if you are a citizen of one of the participating countries outlined above.

Age - you can claim 10 points if you are between the ages of 18 and 31 years of age. Please note that you must be under the age of 31 on the date your application is made.

Maintenance – you can claim 10 points show that you have at least £1600 that you can use to support yourself while in the United Kingdom. This amount must be held in a personal bank account on the date of your application for entry clearance.