Standard Visitor Visa

Applying for a Visitor Visa

How to apply for a Standard Visitor Visa- for you or your friends/family

Overview (inc. attending your graduation)

You or your friends/family can apply for a Standard Visitor visa if you/they want to visit the UK:

for tourism, for example on a holiday or to see your family and friends or attend graduation
for certain business activities, for example attending a meeting
to take part in research or an exchange programme as an academic
for medical reasons, for example to receive private medical treatment
for short term study reasons (less than 6 months) for example:

• study a short course at an accredited institution (meaning one or more consecutive or concurrent programmes of study that will be completed within the validity period of the visitor permission)
• complete a period of research
• complete research tuition (for example, to learn about research)
• complete one or more elective courses linked to their overseas study, where they are studying medicine, veterinary medicine and science, or dentistry as their principal course of study equivalent to at least degree level study in the UK
• complete a study-abroad programme in the UK as part of an overseas course, where your programme is less than 6 months in length
• sit an entrance exam
• re-sit an examination or retake a module
• take an oral (viva) examination for part of a PhD qualification at a UK institution

Attending your graduation
If you have left the UK after the end of your course but you still have enough time remaining on the Student (or Tier 4) visa you had to study that course, you should now be able to use that visa to come back to attend your graduation ceremony. Just make sure that the visa covers you for the length of the whole visit and that you are carrying information about the graduation ceremony in your hand luggage. Generic graduation emails from the University should suffice in this case.

How long can you/they stay?

You can usually stay in the UK for up to 6 months on a Standard Visit visa.

What you can and can't do

You can:

You can visit the UK to do certain activities, for example visiting friends and family or attending a conference.

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

Eligibility

You must always show that:

you’ll leave the UK at the end of your visit
you’ll not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK your main home
you’re able to support yourself and your dependants during your trip (or have funding from someone else to support you)
you’re able to pay for your return or onward journey (or have funding from someone else to pay for the journey)
you have proof of any business or other activities you want to do in the UK, as allowed by the Visitor Rules

You have proof that you meet any further eligibility requirements depending on your reason for being in the UK.

Most countries will need to apply for this visa before you come to the UK but some countries (including EU/EEA) can apply once they arrive at the airport. To find out whether you must apply before you arrive check the Gov.uk website. If you can apply on arrival you still have the option of applying for your visa before leaving home and this removes the worry that you might be refused at the airport and makes your travelling less stressful!

Further comprehensive information about the Standard Visitor visa route can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-visa. Immigration rules do change frequently so you should always check you have the most up to date information before you make any visa application.

Healthcare in the UK for Standard Visitor visa holder

Standard visitor visa holders are not entitled to free health care during their time in the UK and will need to secure private medical insurance and/or a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for the length of their stay.

Not having private medical insurance will not affect your immigration application, however if you become an NHS debtor by using the health service in the UK as a visitor, and not paying for the treatment, this will have an effect on any future visa applications made and could lead to future applications being refused. You should also expect that you may be refused all non emergency medical care without evidence of insurance or payment capability.

There are some companies that offer specific insurance plans for international students and families so it may be worth having a look at those. Two of these are Insure2Study Overseas or Endsleigh Insurance though you can use any provider you wish.

We recommend that all eligible EU/EEA/Swiss students get a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if they can. Having that document may impact on your smoothly accessing UK healthcare, future eligibility under some UK immigration routes (e.g. Citizenship) and aiding eligibility for a refund of any Immigration Health Surcharge fees subsequently paid under the Student Route.

Applying outside of the UK

Unless you are from North Korea, you will need to submit your application online: - https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-visa/apply

Once your application has been submitted online, you will usually need to attend an appointment at a UK Visa Application Centre to submit your original documents and enrol your biometric information (fingerprints and photographs). It will then take approximately 2 to 8 weeks for your visa application to be processed. Current visa processing times for can be found on the Gov.UK website .

You should always carry the documents that you submitted with your visa application in your hand luggage when you travel to the UK. The Border Force Officer may ask to see these documents when you arrive in the UK.

Please see our Suggested Documents section below to help you with your preparations.

Applying on arrival to the UK

We would always recommend that you apply for your visa before coming to the UK. However, if you have checked the Gov.uk website, are sure you can apply on entry and you decide to do so, the process is outlined below.

Applying for a Standard Visitor visa on arrival to the UK:

On arrival to the UK, you will need to present your passport and all the required documents to the UK Border Force Officer at the port of entry (airport). They may also expect to see proof of your finances, so we recommend that you carry a recent original bank statement or other proof of funding in your hand luggage. There are no set regulations around the amount of funds that you need to show but we would recommend that you use Student Route financial requirements as a guide. These are that you have £1023 for each month in the UK and this is to cover accommodation and living costs. If you will have accommodation provided in the UK, make sure you travel with evidence of that.

You should explain clearly to the Border Force Officer that you wish to enter as a Standard Visitor and your reasons e.g. in order to attend your Graduation or for study reasons.

Please see our Suggested Documents section below to help you with your preparations.

Please note that if you are asking for Entry Clearance at Port of Entry we would advise you not to use the E-Gate facility. Follow an admissions queue that enables you to speak to a member of the Border Force. This is because if you use the E-Gate you will not be stamped in as Visitor so will not have evidence of the date of entry to the UK. You may require evidence of this for future immigration applications so avoid the E-Gates and get a stamp!