You can apply for a visa if you want to visit the UK for holiday to see your family and friends, for business, or to take part in sports or creative events and for another reason for example, to receive private medical treatment

The Standard Visitor visa has replaced the:

• Family Visitor visa
• General Visitor visa
• Child Visitor visa
• Business Visitor visa, including visas for academics, doctors and dentists
• Sports Visitor visa
• Entertainer Visitor visa
• Prospective Entrepreneur visa
• Private Medical Treatment Visitor visa
• Approved Destination Status (ADS) visa

Documents required:

Although there are standard documents that any applicant requires, individual posts might also ask for slightly different things.  The standard documents required for a Visit (standard) visa application are:

• Complete the correct online application form (where the online application process is not available, the applicant must follow the instructions provided by the local visa post or application centre on how to make an application)
• Pay the correct application fee
• Provide your biometrics if required
• Provide a valid travel document
• A recent passport-sized colour photograph.
• Evidence that you have access to sufficient funds to cover the costs of accommodation and living expenses for your visit. For example: bank statements or payslips from the last three months, or evidence of support from a sponsor or family member.

• Evidence that you will leave the UK at the end of the visit (for example a letter from their employer and details of their return travel arrangements).
• A letter from the person you are visiting explaining your relationship with them and the purpose of your visit.
• A copy of the passport data page (the page containing their photograph) of the person you are visiting and if applicable, evidence of their immigration status in the United Kingdom.

What you can and can’t do

You can:

• take part in any of the business-related activities mentioned in the Visitor Rules
• study for up to 30 days, as long as it’s not the main reason for your visit
• take part in an exchange programme or educational visit (if you’re under 18)

You can’t:

• do paid or unpaid work
• live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent visits
• marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership
• get public funds

How long it will take to apply?

You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to the UK. You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.

How long you can stay?

You can usually stay in the UK for up to 6 months. Extension for more than 6 months will normally be refused.

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Don Magsino MBA is a student of Oxford Brookes University at Post-Graduate Degree in Law in Oxford, England, UK. He is a graduate of Ateneo De Manila University Graduate School of Business. He is a qualified and a practicing Immigration Lawyer in the UK. His mobile phone is 07446888377 / Direct Line: 0207 316 3027 Email is don@stanfordlawassociates.co.uk. His London office is located at Regus, 239 Kensington High Street, London W8 6SN. He is accredited by the Law Society in England and Wales and regulated by the OISC Level 3 (highest level in immigration professions). He has represented clients in the First-tier Tribunal, Immigration Detention Courts and Deportation and Bail Hearings and to the Upper Tribunal and won many difficult cases in immigration law in the United Kingdom.