How To Apply For A Uk Visitor Visa And Eligibility Requirements

Table Of Content

1. How To Apply For A UK Visitor Visa?
2. Documents And Information As Part Of The Application
3. Pay The Fees
4. Decision
5. Eligibility Requirements
6. Eligibility Requirements If You Are Applying To Study
7. Eligibility Requirements If You Are Visiting The Uk For A Paid Event Or Engagement
8. Eligibility Requirements If You Are Visiting The Uk For Medical Reasons

If you are a ‘visa national’ unless exempted, you need to apply for a UK visitor visa before you travel to the UK for purposes such as travel, study, business and other permitted paid engagements. UK visitor visa is valid for 6 months only except in certain circumstances for example to get medical treatment. More than 100 countries are on the list of ‘visa nationals’ as of date.

How To Apply For A UK Visitor Visa?

First, you should check if you need a UK visitor visa and if you do you must apply online before you travel to the UK.

As part of the online application, you need to book an appointment at a visa application center. If your family members are also looking to visit the UK with you each member needs to apply separately and attend an appointment at a visa application center. However, if they are unable to apply on their own you can apply on their behalf as well.

At your appointment, you will have to:

• Prove your identity with your passport or other valid travel document
• Have your biometric information (fingerprints and photograph) taken
• Submit the necessary documents proving your eligibility for a Standard Visitor visa

When the question comes to how to apply for a UK visitor visa the answer is online. However, it is not necessary to fill out the application in one go. You can save the partially filled application and save the application form to fill it later.

Documents And Information As Part Of The Application

The most essential document to have is a passport with a blank page in it for a UK visitor visa. Your passport must be valid for the entire length of your stay in the UK.

Here is the list of information you need to provide as part of your application. The list includes but is not limited to the following:

• The dates of your travel to and from the UK
• Place of your stay during your visit
• Estimated cost of your trip
• Your current home address and how long you’ve lived there
• Your parents’ names and dates of birth (if known)
• Your annual income if you earn
• Details of any criminal, civil, or immigration offenses you may have committed

You can apply for a visitor visa up to 3 months before you travel to the UK.

Pay The Fees

As part of the online application, you need to pay a visa fee which is £115. Each family member applying with you also needs to pay this fee.

Decision

Usually, you should get a decision on your application within 3 weeks. However, this may vary depending on your circumstances.

Eligibility Requirements

The most essential part of how to apply for a UK visitor visa is that you meet the eligibility requirements. There are some general requirements related to a standard visitor visa and there are some specific requirements related to the purpose of your visit.

First, let us see the general or common eligibility requirements:

• You must prove your intention to leave the country at the end of your visit which cannot exceed 6 months.
• You must be able to support yourself and your dependents (if any) financially while in the UK or you must show that a third party will fund to support you
• You or a third party must fund your onward journey, and
• You will not live in the UK for extended periods by making successive visits using a Visitor Visa or making the UK your main home.

Depending on your circumstances, you might also have to meet other eligibility conditions.

Eligibility Requirements If You Are Applying To Study

If you’re visiting to study at an accredited institution

• You must prove that you’ve been accepted onto a course provided by an accredited higher education UK institution and
• The course lasts up to not more than 6 months

If your purpose is to do a research

• You must be at least 16 and
• The course you are enrolled in overseas must be equivalent to a UK degree
• You must have permission from a UK higher education institute to do the research
• The research must not last for more than 6 months

If your purpose is to do an elective

• You must be at least 16 years old.
• You must be already enrolled in a course in medicine, veterinary medicine and science, nursing, midwifery, or dentistry overseas and the course must be equivalent to a UK degree.
• You must be doing an elective at a UK higher education institution as part of your course.
• The elective course must not last for more than 6 months.

Eligibility Requirements If You Are Visiting The Uk For A Paid Event Or Engagement

If you are visiting the UK for a permitted paid engagement or event you must meet the following requirements:

• You are 18 years old or above
• You have received a written invitation from a UK-based organization or client for an event or engagement
• The inviting organization must be directly related to your field of expertise or profession. For example if you are a professional sportsperson you must have an invitation from a sports organization , agent or agency or a broadcaster

• The event or engagement must be pre-arranged and related to your profession in your home country
• You can show your expertise in your profession

Eligibility Requirements If You Are Visiting The Uk For Medical Reasons

If you are visiting the UK for medical reasons you must meet the following requirements:

• If you have a medical condition and you think the UK has the possible treatment for it
• You must give a letter from your doctor or consultant giving the details of the treatment or consultation, the cost for treatment or consultation, and the place of treatment or consultation.
• Have made pre-arrangements for private medical treatment in the UK
• You must be able to bear the full cost yourself or through funding to pay for your treatment.
• If you are visiting the UK for treatment at an NHS hospital your country’s government must pay for it under reciprocal healthcare arrangements.
• You must leave the UK once your treatment is completed, or when your visa expires.
• If you have been found to have a communicable disease you must prove that you are not a danger to public health

Similarly, there are specific eligibility requirements related to your purpose of visit to the UK such as travel, marriage, meeting family or friends, etc.

We have tried our best to answer the question of how to apply for a UK visitor visa and the eligibility requirements for it in this blog. We will continue to bring such informative and useful blogs to our readers.