Visit Visas

What are the Requirements for a General Visit Visa? – To meet the requirements for a visitor visa you must be able to show that:

• You want to visit the UK for no more than six months
• You intend to leave the UK at the end of your visit, and
• You have enough money to support yourself and live in the UK without working or needing any help from public funds.
• Previous immigration history and evidence of a pattern of family migration, both here and abroad, are also matters to be taken into account, and a visitor should not normally spend more than 6 out of any 12 months in the UK.

Appealing A Refusal Of Entry Clearance

Amongst visitors, only those visiting their family benefit from an appeal against a refusal of entry clearance. Family is defined as the applicant’s:

• Spouse, father, mother, son, daughter, grandfather, grandmother, grandson, granddaughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece or first cousin;
• Father, mother, brother or sister of his spouse;
• Spouse of his son or daughter;
• Step-father, step-mother, step-son, step-daughter, step-brother or step-sister; or
• A person with whom he had lived as a member of an unmarried couple for at least two of the three years before the day on which his application for entry clearance was made.
• Visitors with no right of appeal against refusal of entry clearance may apply for judicial review if they can show unfairness or an error of law by the immigration officer.

How Many Times Can I Enter The UK On A Visitor’s Visa?

With a visit visa you can usually enter and leave the UK any number of times while the visa is still valid. 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 10 years. You can apply for a visa valid for any of these periods. The Entry Clearance Officer may decide to make your visa valid for a shorter time than you have asked for, for example if you are not a regular traveller or have never visited the UK before.