VISA COUNSELING:

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UK Visit Visa:

This link explains what you will need to do if you want to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) as a visitor.
     
     

 
   

 

What is a visa?

A visa is a certificate that is put into your passport or travel document at a British Mission overseas. The visa gives you permission to enter the UK.

If you have a UK valid visa, you will normally not refuse to enter the UK unless your circumstances have changed or you gave false information or did not disclose important facts when you applied for your visa.

When you arrive in the UK, an Immigration Officer may ask you questions, so take all relevant documents in your hand luggage.

How do I qualify to travel to the UK as a visitor?

You must be able to show that:

• you want to visit the UK for no more than six months
• you intend to leave the at the end of your visit
• you have enough money to support yourself and live in the UK without working or needing any help from public funds

Do I need a visa to visit the UK?

You will need a visa if you:

• are a visa national
• are stateless (you do not have a nationality)
• hold a non-national travel document (a travel document which does not give you the nationality of the country that issued it) or
• hold a passport issued by an authority that is not recognized in the UK.

How long my visit will be valid for?

With a visit visa you can usually enter and leave the UK any number of times while the visa is still valid. The Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) may occasionally limit a visa so that it is valid for only one entry. You cannot stay for longer than six months on each visit. Visit visas can be valid for six months, one year, two years, five years or ten years. You can apply for a visa valid for any of these periods. The ECO may decide to make your visa valid for a shorter time than you have asked for, for example you are not a regular traveller or have never visited the UK before.

How do I apply for a visa?

You will need to fill in a visa application form (VAF I – non settlement) you can get a form, free of charge from your nearest courier GERRY’s FEDEX office or visa section of the British Mission, or from website www.ukvisas.gov.uk
You can apply for a visit visa in the country of which you are a national or where you legally live or at any other full service visa-issuing office.

You can apply through courier GERRY’s FEDEX and somewhere in person or online.

What do I need to make my application?

You will need the following.

• A visa application form (VAF I – non settlement), which you have filled in correctly.
• Your passport or travel document
• A recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm) colour photograph of yourself.

This should be:
• taken against a light coloured background
• clear and of good quality, and not framed or backed
• printed on normal photographic paper, and
• full face without sunglasses, hat or other head covering unless you wear this for cultural or religious reasons.
and

• The visa fee which is non-refundable and you must normally pay it in the local currency of the country where you are applying
• Any supporting documents.

What supporting documents should I include with my visa application?

You should include all the documents you can show that you qualify for entry to the UK as a visitor. If you do not, your application may be refused.

You should include,

• bank statements, payslips, or some other evidence to show that you can pay for the trip and that you have enough money to support yourself and any dependents without working or getting any help from public funds, and
• evidence that you intend to leave the UK at the end of your visit (for example, a letter from your employer).

If you are visiting family or friends you will need:

• a letter from your sponsor (the person you are visiting) explaining your relationship with them and the purpose of your visit.

If your sponsor will be supporting you during your visit, or paying for the cost of the visit, you will need:

• payslips, bank statements, or some other evidence to show that they have enough money to support you.

Your application will be refused if you attach any forged document.

What will happen when I make my application?

The Entry Clearance Officer will try to make a decision using your application form and the supporting documents you have provided. If it is not possible, they will need to interview you.

Please check your visa when you get it. You should make sure that:

• your personal details are correct
• it correctly states the purpose for which you want to come to the UK, and
• it is valid for the date on which you want to travel. (You can ask for it to be post-dated for up to three months in you do not plan to travel immediately)

If you think there is anything wrong with your visa, contact the visa section immediately.

Can I appeal on my visa refusal?

On refusal, you may appeal against the decision. The Entry Clearance Officer will tell you if you can appeal. You can get more information from www.ukvisas.gov.uk

What are public funds?

Under the Immigration Rules, if you want to travel to the UK as a visitor, you must be able to support yourself and live without claiming certain state benefits.
These are:

• Income Support and Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
• Help with housing and homelessness
• Housing benefit and Council Tax Benefit
• Working Tax Credit
• Social Fund Payment
• Child Benefit
• Disability Allowance

Can I carry out any business during my visit?
As a visitor, you can:

• go to meetings and trade fairs, buy goods, and negotiate and complete contracts with UK businesses
• go to conferences and seminars as a delegate
• find out about, check the details of or examine goods, and
• get training as long as it is class-room based instruction or limited to observation only

In limited circumstances, you can also enter the UK as a visitor if you are:

• delivering goods from abroad
• a representative of foreign company coming to service, repair or install their products
• an advisor, consultant trainer or other kind of specialist who is employed abroad there either directly or under contract by the same company or group of companies
• a guest speaker or expert speaker at a conference or seminar for no more than five days
• a sportsperson or entertainer traveling for trials, auditions, or personal appearances which do not involve performances

You can not:

• take paid or unpaid work
• produce goods or pervade services in the UK
• sell goods or services to the members of the public

If a UK Company has invited you to visit the UK, you should provide a letter from the company explaining what you will be doing and the purpose of the trip. If your company or the UK Company is paying for the trip, this should also be confirmed in the letter.
Whether you are visiting the UK for business or social reasons, you can only stay for maximum of six months. If you often visit the UK, you can apply for a visa that is valid for one, two, five or ten years. You can then visit the UK as often as you like where your visa is still valid, but you can only stay up to six months on each visit.

Can I study in the UK?

As a visitor, you can study during your stay. You can only apply to stay longer than six months if you are accepted on a course of study at degree level or above, or if you entered the UK with a student or prospective student visa.

Can I get married in the UK?

If either you or your future husband or wife is not EEA (European Economic Area) or Swiss nationals, you can visit UK together to get married, as long as you intend to leave the country within six months.

• Everyone coming to the UK to get married (Except EEA and Swiss nationals) must get a ‘visit for marriage’ entry clearance or visa.
• You can get married in any location licensed for the purpose of marriage, but you will need to give official notice of your marriage at a designated register office. You can get more information about marriage and register offices from the General Register Offices for England and Wales, for Scotland and for Northern Ireland. Their websites are www.gro.gov.uk, www.gro-scotland and www.groni.gov.uk

Can I get medical treatment in the UK?

You can apply for a visit visa to travel to the UK for private medical treatment. You must be able to show that you:

• have made suitable arrangements for a necessary consultation or treatment
• have enough money to pay for the treatment
• have enough money to support yourself and live without working or getting any help from public funds while you are in the UK, and
• intend to leave the UK at the end of your treatment

The Visa Section may ask you to provide the following.

• A doctor’s letter having details of your medical condition and the treatment you need.
• Confirmation that you have made suitable arrangements for the consultation or treatment, and how long the treatment will last.
• Evidence that you can afford to pay for the consultation and treatment. You may be asked to provide an undertaking (in other words, a formal agreement) that you will pay for the consultation and treatment.

Can I stay more than six months for medical treatment?

If you need to stay longer than six months to complete your medical treatment, you can apply to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. You are not allowed to enter or stay in the UK to receive treatment on the National Health Services (NHS).

Does the UK have any health-care arrangements with my country?

The UK has health care arrangements with a number of foreign governments so their nationals can be referred to the UK for free hospital treatment under the NHS. You can get this information about these arrangements from www.doh.gov.uk or from nearest British Mission overseas.