Do you plan to visit a family member in the UK? If so, you must prepare your documents for the UK visitor visa. Sometimes, it is known as a UK Standard Visitor Visa or a tourist visa. If you want to meet your family, you can also apply for a family visa UK. However, living in the UK is six months on the visit visa. You can explore opportunities and have leisure time during those six months. The subcategories of visitor visas include tourist visa, business visit visa, study visa, or marriage visitor visa. The intention to visit visa will define what type of visit visa you should apply for.
Process to Apply for Standard Visitor Visa UK?
A standard visitor visa UK is for short-term travel; therefore, your intention should be clear in the application form. Visa applicants have to fill out the application online and submit evidence and documents to prove their intention to apply for visitor visa UK. If you have a family visitor visa in UK, you can undertake other activities that are subcategories of the standard visitor route.
UK Visitor Visa Requirements
If you want to make your application successful then apply for UK visitor visa, you must clearly intend to arrive in the UK and ensure timely departure from the UK. Moreover, you will need sufficient finances to support yourself in the UK. Besides meeting the visitor visa requirements, you have to meet the eligibility requirements. There are documents required for UK visitor visa for a successful application:
- Itinerary plan with entry and exit dates
- UK address where you will stay
- Estimated cost of your visit
- Your home address
- Your current address
- Names and dates of your parents’ birth
- Your annual income
- Any criminal, civil, or immigration offenses
- Travel history for the past ten years
- Contact details of your employer
- Passport number, date of birth, and name of your legal partner (if any)
- Details of family members in the UK
- Tuberculosis (TB) test certificate ensuring negative test results
You will need supporting documents for each type of visa. For example, suppose you are applying for a family visitor visa. In that case, UK family visitor visa documents required must ensure that your family member has invited you to stay with them for some time. If you were invited to a business meeting in the UK, you need to attach a UK visitor visa invitation letter with your visa application.
Steps to apply for a visitor visa UK
If you want to apply UK visitor visa, you have to proceed in the following way:
- Check if you need a visitor visa, as some nationalities will only need electric travel authorization (ETA)
- Apply online (each application is submitted separately for every family member)
- Pay the application fee
- Be present on the appointment day to provide necessary documents and fingerprints to the Home Office.
The standard visitor visa UK fees is £115. It varies from time to time. However, these are mandatory charges applicants must submit with their UK visa. It is important to make sure that you will come back from the UK as soon as your visitor visa is about to expire.
Should I Apply for a Family Visitor Visa UK?
To meet your family in the UK, you must apply for a family visitor visa UK. However, the family visitor visa UK requirements are relatively easy to meet. The most important thing for a visa application is sufficient funds. If you can prove that you have enough money to support your stay in the UK, you have a higher chance of a successful visa application. A sponsor letter for UK visitor visa is required if a UK family member sponsor you.
Marriage Visitor Visa UK
A marriage visitor visa in the UK is for individuals who want to visit the UK to get married there. If you are married or in a civil partnership, you can also apply for a spouse visa UK to meet your spouse. If a group travels, each individual’s visa application has to be separate.
Marriage Visitor Visa UK Requirements
- If you wish to qualify for a Marriage or Civil Partnership Visit Visa, you will have to ensure UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) the following:
- You must be 18 years of age.
- You will notify us of your intention to get married within six months of your arrival in the UK.
- You have an authentic relationship and not a fake one
- Your visa has permitted you to seek opportunities that are unrestricted on that visa
- You should not perform any illegal activity, putting your visa at risk
- Sufficient funds available to cover your travel plan without working or accessing public funds
- You do not intend to extend your visit unless there is an emergency you have encountered in the UK
- Your application is not refused for any offense in the UK
If you are unsure about your visa application, it would be a good idea to hire an immigration lawyer for expert advice. The requirements you must satisfy may vary depending on your circumstances. An immigration lawyer can advise you better.
UK Visitor Visa Processing Time
It is advised to submit a UK visitor visa application at least three months before your travel plan. The UK visitor visa processing time could take long, but you can still apply up to three months before you arrive in the UK, as the Home Office will not accept it. Usually, the UK standard visitor visa processing time is three weeks. You can check your visa status on the visa portal. The processing time from faraway countries can take longer, so they can apply earlier than usual. Legal Assist ensures that you are granted successful visa. Therefore, solicitors connected with Legal Assist are always updated with visitor visa requirements in the UK.
What if I want to travel to the earliest?
If you have an emergency to visit the UK, you can apply visitor visa UK on priority. There are two types of priority services that you can choose from:
| Priority Service | within five working days | £500 |
| Super Priority Service | within single working day | £1000 |
Though priority services are expensive, they confirm your UK visitor visa decision as soon as possible. You can hire an immigration solicitor to help you compile visa documents and evidence for a quick decision.
Extension on Standard Visitor Visa
The long term visitor visa UK can be extended, depending on the intention to stay for longer. Suppose you have medical reasons and are studying in the UK or are a graduate who has to retake the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB). In that case, you can apply for an extension. The long term standard visitor visa UK costs £1,000.
Can you work on a visitor visa UK?
As a tourist in the UK, you cannot legally work, and you cannot even do unpaid work. You may face severe legal consequences if caught doing any illegal activity on your visitor visa.
How Can We Help You?
Legal Assist provides a wide range of UK visas for you. Whether you want to visit the UK for leisure or business or want to meet a family member, we will connect you with capable immigration lawyers. They can help you find different avenues to enter the UK. Moreover, suppose your family member wants to sponsor your trip to the UK. In that case, they will guide you through UK visitor visa sponsor documents, ensuring you have a well-written invitation letter for UK visitor visa.
FAQs
How much bank balance to show for a visitor visa UK?
There is no exact amount to show your funds when you apply for visitor visa UK. However, you will need to show a bank balance to prove that with that amount in your bank, you can support your stay in the UK. In the case of a sponsored visit visa, your family member in the UK has to satisfy the requirement by the UK Home Office that they have adequate funds to invite and sponsor you in the UK.
How do you apply for visitor visa for the UK?
You can either apply online or hire an immigration solicitor. At Legal Assist, we can connect you with experienced immigration solicitors to guarantee a successful UK visitor visa.
How long does UK visitor visa take?
It depends on your nationality and country of origin. Some countries may not need to apply three months before their travel plans, whereas a few may have to apply earlier than three months before their itinerary planning.
