In this post, we will walk you through the steps and key documents you need to provide when you apply for visit visa to come or stay in the UK.
Visit visa application for EEA & EU nationals visiting the UK
Since the implantation of BREXIT, it has brought an end to free movement for both British and EEA nationals, this means that EEA and EU nationals are simply unable to enter the UK to permanently reside or work as they were able to do so prior to BREXIT.
EU and EEA nationals still have the ability to enter the UK and conduct short stay holiday for periods up to a maximum of 6 months, they are able to enter the UK with their national ID cards up until 01 October 2021 unless they are EU settlement Scheme Family Permit holders or EU Settlement Scheme holders in which case they are able to use their national ID cards until 31 December 2025.
If EEA and EU nationals now want to migrate to the UK, they will have to either apply for a Points Based Visa such as the Skilled Worker Route, for more information and assistance on working or settling in the UK please contact our Immigration team at Nido Legal.
Visit visa application for Non-EEA & EU nationals visiting the UK
For non-EEA nationals, for example if you are from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Ghana etc, they are required to apply for a visit visa to enter the UK, once granted these visas typically allow individuals to remain in the UK for a maximum duration of a 6-months. There are options for individuals to apply for 2-year visas or longer which permit multiple entries into the UK, however each trip is restricted to the 6-month period.
An individual must ensure that prior to applying for a visit visa they must have an individual in the UK who can act as their sponsor, sponsors will have to take a personal undertaking which states the sponsor will be financially responsible for the applicant if needed throughout their stay in the UK and will ensure that the applicant will return to their home country once their visa expires, they do not need to put any money up as a surety but will need to demonstrate their source of income and be a legitimate sponsor.
Considering the above the sponsor will also need to provide various documentation to demonstrate that they are able to either host and maintain the applicant during the duration of their stay in the UK, in addition to being financially responsible for additional costs which may occurring during their trip such as plane tickets and living costs this is further explained in the list of documents below.
The key thing which people that wish to come to the UK need to show that they have family and financial ties in their home country which will make them return back after their visit.
Some of the key pieces of evidence which you need to provide are as follows:
Your evidence of your source of income
Your Bank Statements which must have regular transactions which make sense when you look at your sources of income, also they should not be in your account suddenly before your visit as the source of this will be questioned and if you do not have a reasonable explanation it could lead to a refusal
Copies of Family Members Passports and if available letters from all of them to explain that you are coming back after your visit to the UK
Evidence of any property that you own in your country
A reason as to why you are coming to the UK and a plan of what you intend on doing during your trip
Individuals are permitted file a visit visa application for the following reasons:
For tourism, for example on a holiday or to visit friends and family;
For business purposes, i.e. attending business meetings;
Partake in a short study course, which must be less then 6 months in accordance with the duration of the issued visa;
Partake in research or an exchange programme as an academic;
For medical purposes, i.e. receiving private medical treatments.
Once individuals are granted their visit visa they must abide by the following conditions:
Cannot partake is paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person;
Cannot live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent visits;
Cannot claim public funds;
Cannot enrol in a course of study that lasts longer than 6 months;
Cannot marry or register a civil partnership or give notice of marriage or civil partnership a Marriage Visitor Visa will be required to do so.
Any breach of the above conditions or overstaying your current visa can lead to early remove from the UK and will have a negative impact on all other further immigration applications to the UK.
Application costs of visit visa to visit UK
The application fees as stated on the Government website for a 6-month visit visa is £95.00, funds may be taken in your local currency therefore please check exchange rates.
Documents needed for UK visit visa application
When filing visit visa application individuals are required to provide various documents in support of their application, individuals should provide the following mandatory documentation (which can be different depending on your individual circumstances):
Mandatory documents for applicant:
Current passport;
All previous passports, if available;
National ID card;
6 months’ salary slips;
6 months’ bank statements;
Letter of employment;
Proof of address;
Proof of any assets i.e title deed;
Proof of family & cultural ties to your home country i.e marriage certificate/family registration documentation;
Correspondence/evidence to demonstrate their genuineness as a visitor in the UK i.e wedding invite;
Proof of travel if plane tickets or holidays have been booked in advance, evidence of this should be provided.
Mandatory documents for sponsor:
Currant passport;
If settled in the UK proof of immigration status in UK, i.e. BRP card or certificate of naturalisation;
6 months’ salary slips;
6 months’ bank statements;
Signed Sponsorship declaration;
Proof of relationship with applicant, i.e birth certificate.
All documentation provided in support of the visit must be translated into English prior to submission, as failure to do say may lead to getting the visit visa being refused.
The list of documentation which should be provided in support of your application will be depended on your circumstances at the time of filing the applicant and will differ on a case-by-case basis.
To seek further advice and assistance in relation to providing the relevant documentation for a visit visa application, please contact our expert immigration lawyers at Apply for UK Visa.
Grounds for refusal of UK visit visa application
On 01 December 2020 the Secretary of State implied slight changes to the Immigration Rules which individuals must satisfy when applying for a visit visa.
New criminality threshold
If an individual is looking to enter the UK for 6 months or less and hold the following convictions their application will be automatically refused:
Applicant has been convicted of a criminal offence in the UK or overseas for which they have been sentenced to a custodial sentence for less than 12 months;
Applicant has been convicted of a criminal offence in the UK or overseas for which they have received a non-custodial sentence, or received an out-of-court disposal that is recorded on their criminal record.
If the individual does fall for refusal under the new Immigration Rules, they will need to allow 12 months since the date of conviction to have passed before they can apply for a visit visa.
Genuine visitor
The new revised Appendix V; Visitor of the Immigration Rules states that individuals must demonstrate that they have a genuine intention to visit the UK, and will need to show the following:
They will leave the UK following the expiry of their visit visa;
They will not live in the UK for prolonged periods throughout successive visits, or make the UK their main home;
The purpose of obtaining entry clearance is permitted in accordance with the visitor route, as stated above;
They do not have plans to partake in the prohibited activates set out in the Immigration Rules, and listed above;
The applicant and sponsor hold the sufficient funds to cover their entire trip to the UK, all funds must be held in a permitted financial institution.
The applicant can demonstrate their genuineness as a visitor through the documents which they will provide in support of the application, a lack of documentation may lead to refusal.
Previous refusals
If an individual has previously been refused a visit visa to the UK they will be required to disclose this within the application, however failure to address past issues the decision maker had stated within your refusal may lead to further refusals.
It is therefore ideal to seek legal advice when filing a fresh visit visa application following a refusal, our specialist immigration lawyers pride themselves in providing our clients with their desired results despite having faced various immigration problems.
For further information and assistance in filing a visit visa application or any other immigration visas, please feel free to contact our lawyers at Apply for UK Visa.
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