Immigration Corner | How to obtain a standard visitor visa

Dear Mr Bassie,

I would like to visit the United Kingdom (UK). Please advise how I should proceed with applying for this type of visa.

VS,

Dear VS,

Persons who need to visit the UK as a standard visitor should apply for a Standard Visitor visa.

Those persons will need this. They must apply online before travel to the UK and attend an appointment at a visa application centre. The earliest that they can apply is three months before they travel.

The applicants must meet the eligibility requirements and only do permitted activities. Depending on their nationalities, they may not need a visa to visit the UK. Applicants shouldcheck if they need a visa before making the application.

VISA FEES

Persons can apply for a Standard Visitor visa or, if they visit the UK regularly, they can choose to apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa instead. The fee for the Standard Visitor visa is £100 for six months.

Please note that the Long-Term Visitor visa fees will depend on whether it is a two-year, five-year or 1o-year long-term standard visa. Currently, the fees are £376, £670 and £837, with six-month visitation limits per visit.

APPLY ONLINE

Persons who have started their application can save the form online and complete it later. Persons can sign back into their application if they have saved it. They should check their email and follow the link to return to the application.

If they are applying with family members, each person must have their own application and pay the fee. They will also need to attend their own appointment at a visa application centre. Please note that persons can apply on behalf of their partner and child, if they cannot apply for themselves.

Please note that persons’ applications will not be accepted, and they will not get a refund if they have the right of abode in the UK (for example, they are a British citizen). Those persons will instead need to apply for a certificate of entitlement.

HOW LONG IT TAKES TO GET A DECISION

After persons have applied online, proved their identity and provided the required documents, they will usually get a decision on their visa within three weeks. Persons can check to see if they can get their visa decision faster – this will depend on what country they are making the application from.

It is currently taking four weeks on average to get a decision on Standard Visitor visas. Persons can find out visa decision waiting times online. Those persons will get an email or a letter containing the decision on the application and it will explain what needs to be done next.

Please be aware that persons who may need to change something in the application after they have sent it, should contact UK Visas and Immigration. They can ask to cancel the application. Please note that they will only get their fee refunded if the application has not been processed yet.

Good luck.

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