Immigration Corner | Applying for a Standard Visitor visa

Dear Mr Bassie,

Please explain what is meant by visiting the United Kingdom (UK) as a Standard Visitor. I am a little unclear as to whether my visit would fall into this category.

RB

Dear RB,

Persons can visit the United Kingdom as a Standard Visitor for tourism, business, study courses, and other permitted activities.

Persons can usually stay there for up to six months. They might be able to apply to stay for longer in certain circumstances, for example, to get medical treatment.

Prior to applying, persons will need to check if what they plan to do in the UK is allowed as a Standard Visitor. They should then see whether they meet the eligibility requirements; if they need to apply for a visa to visit the UK; and if they need one, then they should apply for a Standard Visitor visa online.

With respect to ‘permitted activities,’ persons can visit the United Kingdom as a Standard Visitor for the following reasons:

• For tourism, for example, on a holiday or vacation

• To see family or friends

• To volunteer for up to 30 days with a registered charity

• To pass through the UK to another country (‘in transit’)

• For certain business activities, for example, attending a meeting or interview

• To take part in a school exchange programme

• To do a recreational course of up to 30 days, for example, a dance course

• To study, do a placement, or take an exam

• As an academic, senior doctor, or dentist

• For medical reasons

It should be noted that persons cannot

• Do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person

• Claim public funds (benefits)

• Live in the United Kingdom for long periods of time through frequent or successive visits

• Marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership – those persons will need to apply for a Marriage Visitor visa

In order to be eligible for this visa, persons must have a passport or travel document to enter the United Kingdom, and that document should be valid for the length of the stay.

Persons must be able to show that

• They will leave the UK at the end of the visit

• They are able to support themself and their dependents during the trip (or have funding provided by someone else to support them)

• They are able to pay for their return or onward journey (or have funding from someone else to pay for the journey)

• They will not live in the United Kingdom for extended periods through frequent or successive visits or make the United Kingdom their main home

It should be noted that some persons may need to meet extra eligibility requirements if they are visiting the UK to study, do a placement or take an exam; as an academic, senior doctor or dentist; or for medical reasons.

Depending on the nationality, persons will either have to apply for a Standard Visitor visa before travelling to the United Kingdom or they will be able to visit there for up to six months without needing a visa. Persons should check if they need a visa before applying.

Please note that if persons do not need a visa, they must still meet the Standard Visitor eligibility requirements to visit the UK. They may be asked questions at the UK border about their eligibility and the activities they plan to do.

If they have previously been refused entry to the UK or have a criminal record, it may be advisable that they apply for a Standard Visitor visa even if they do not need one.

To apply for a Standard Visitor visa persons must apply for a Standard Visitor visa online before travelling to the UK. A Standard Visitor visa costs £100 for up to six months and the earliest that persons can apply for this is three months before they travel.

Please be aware that if persons visit the UK regularly, they can choose to apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa instead.

Just for completeness, please note that persons can pass through the UK to another country on a Standard Visitor visa if transiting is their only reason for going to the UK. However, instead, applicants can apply for a Visitor in Transit visa, and the cost for this is £64.

I hope this helps.

All the best.

John S. Bassie is a barrister/attorney-at-law who practises law in Jamaica. He is a justice of the peace, a Supreme Court-appointed mediator, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a chartered arbitrator, the global president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (UK). Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com