Visitor Visa
You can come to the UK as a Standard Visitor for the following purposes:
• Tourism
• Certain business activity
• Short course of study
• Research or exchange programme as an academic
• Medical reasons
Depending on your nationality and what you plan to do in the UK, you may not need to apply for a visa.
Genuine visitor requirement
You must show that you:
• will leave the UK at the end of your visit
• will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK their main home
• is genuinely seeking entry or stay for a purpose that is permitted under the visitor route
• will not undertake any of the prohibited activities
• must have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to their visit without working or accessing public funds, including the cost of the return or onward journey, any costs relating to their dependants, and the cost of planned activities, such as private medical treatment
What you can do with visitor visa
Tourism: you are not required to provide an itinerary, but you should have some plans for your stay and provide information about this on the application form. You also should be able to answer questions on what they plan to do in the UK.
Educational exchange visits: you are in full time education in their home country and that any teachers or other adults accompanying the group are employed overseas. Exchanges and educational visits may be with a state funded school or academy or an independent school and should be mainly about broadening horizons and deepening intercultural understanding. These visits do not have a specified time limit, but the nature of the visit need not amount to a course of study if it is for longer than 30 days.
Recreational study: Recreational study can be undertaken for up to 30 days. A recreational course is a course undertaken purely for leisure purposes that does not lead to a formal qualification, for example, a leisure course in pottery or horse riding. Any bona fide institution in the UK, that is not a state funded school or academy, can offer recreational courses. Courses that lead to formal qualifications are not considered recreational. Qualifications for this purpose do not include attendance certificates. Courses that do lead to a formal qualification, should be undertaken at an accredited institution.
Volunteering: volunteering is allowed provided it is for a registered charity and will be for no longer than 30 days in total. Visitors may not undertake voluntary work.
Difference between voluntary workers and volunteers
Voluntary workers:
• often have a contract with their employer (this means the employer must provide the work and the voluntary worker must attend at particular times and carry out specific tasks)
• are also usually remunerated in kind
Volunteers:
• do not have a contract of employment
• must not take the place of an employee
• must not receive payment in kind but reimbursement for reasonable travel and
• subsistence expenses is allowed
• support a charity or voluntary or public sector organisation, but must not be
• undertaking work ancillary to the organisation’s charitable purpose including, for example, routine back office administrative roles, retail or other sales roles, fund-raising roles and roles involved in the maintenance of the organisation’s offices and other assets
What you cannot do with visitor visa
You cannot:
• do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person
• live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent visits
• claim public funds (benefits)
• do a course of study that lasts longer than 6 months
• marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership. You’ll need a Marriage Visitor visa instead
Financial requirements
You need to have access to sufficient resources to maintain and accommodate themselves adequately for the whole of their planned visit to the UK or for the period of any application for permission to stay. There is no set level of funds required for an applicant to show this.
Maintenance and accommodation support can be provided by a third party, including family members, friends and other people with whom you have a genuine personal or professional relationship. If the third party is in the UK, they must not be in breach of immigration law at the time of the decision on the visitor’s application, or their entry to the UK.
Q & A for a Visitor Visa
What is evidence showing that the UK is my main place of residence?
If you have registered with a general practitioner or you send your children to UK schools.
How long can I stay?
You can usually stay in the UK for up to 6 months.
You might be able to stay for longer if:
• you’re coming to the UK for private medical treatment - up to 11 months (£190 fee)
• you’re an academic and meet the eligibility requirements - you, your spouse or partner and your children may be able to stay for up to 12 months (£190 fee)
If you need to visit regularly over a longer period, you can apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa that lasts 2, 5 or 10 years. You can stay for a maximum of 6 months on each visit.
If you’re under 18 years old when you apply, your long-term Standard Visitor visa will only be valid for up to 6 months after you turn 18. You cannot get a refund on the fee.
How much does the application cost?
A Standard Visitor visa costs £95.
The fee for a long-term Standard Visitor visa depends on its length:
• 2 years - £361
• 5 years - £655
• 10 years - £822