The UK’s Standard Visitor visa is a very popular visa for foreigners wanting to visit the nation for different reasons for a short period. No wonder, it is commonly used by a large number of people every year. You can come to the UK on Standard Visitor Visa for holidaying/travel & tourism, meeting your family in the UK, taking part in any event (sports, artistic etc.), short-term business work like attending conferences/appointment and also for getting some medical treatment in the nation.
Apply online for UK Standard Visitor Visa
You can make an application for UK Standard Visitor Visa online from outside the UK. You shall have to get an appointment at a UKVCAS (UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services) centre. Moreover, you also need to get your biometric details done at the centre (this includes your photograph and fingerprints).
UK Standard Visitor Visa replaces several visit visas
So now, the UK government has made the Standard Visitor Visa as a replacement for the following categories of earlier UK visas—
- General visitor visa;
- Family visitor visa;
- Entertainer visitor visa;
- Business visitor visa(for physicians, academicians);
- Child visitor visa;
- Private medical treatment visitor visa;
- Sports visitor visa;
- Prospective entrepreneur visa;
- ADS (Approved Destination Status) visa.
The UK Standard Visitor Visa gives authority to do the following in the UK
You are allowed to
- Study for a maximum period of 30 days. However, studying must not be the sole reason for your UK visit;
- Turn your civil alliance into a marriage;
- Participate in an activity related to business;
- Get through this nation while being on your journey to another nation.
UK Standard Visitor Visa does not allow you to do the following
You are not allowed to do the following—
- Perform any work, whether unpaid or paid;
- Receive any public funds;
- Solemnizing a marriage or registration of a civil partnership, or sending any notice of a civil partnership/marriage.
- Stay in the UK for longer duration by repeated visits quite often;
Eligibility conditions for a UK Standard Visitor Visa
- You have to prove that you will exit the UK once your visit duration ends;
- You need to provide evidence of supporting yourself as well as your dependents for the whole visa duration;
- You need to prove that you can bear the cost of your return journey and other travel expenses;
- You need to furnish evidence of business or other things you will do in the UK.
What are the documents required with your application?
- A valid travel ID document preferably your current passport;
- Approved translation of documents in a language other than English/Welsh;
In addition, you will also be required to furnish other details like:
- The tentative date of your UK travel;
- Your present residential address and the duration for which you have been staying there;
- Names along with the date of birth of your parents;
- Name, date of birth and passport number of your partner;
- Name, passport, and address of a family member already in the UK;
- Address and phone number of your employer;
- Your destination of your UK stay during the visit;
- Your annual earnings;
- Your travel history as displayed in the passport for the last decade;
- The tentative cost of your UK visit;
- In case of any criminal/civil/immigration offence, you need to give details.
What is the permitted duration of your stay on UK Standard Visitor Visa?
You cannot stay for more than six months in the UK on this visa. However, there are following exceptions to this general rule
- You can stay in the UK for a maximum period of 11 months if you are here for private medical treatment. You will have to pay a fee of £190 for this special facility;
- You and your spouse/civil partner can stay in the UK for a maximum period of 12 months if your purpose of visit to the UK is for research as a sabbatical/academician. This special provision has a special fee of £190.
Meanwhile, you need to keep in mind that you shall have to make an application for a biometric residence permit in the above-mentioned circumstances.
What is the fee for a UK Standard Visitor Visa?
You have to pay the fees of £95 for a UK Standard Visitor Visa.
What should I do if I have to come to the UK frequently for a longer time period?
The best solution for you is to make an application for a UK Long-term Standard Visitor Visa. The duration of this UK visa is for 2 years, 5 years, or 10 years. However, you need to know that such a UK visa will also allow you a stay of not more than six months for every visit to the UK.
What are the fees for Long-term UK Standard Visitor Visa?
Well, the nation has different fees for Long-term UK Standard Visitor Visa depending on the duration of the visa—
- For a long-term UK Standard visitor visa of 2 years, the fee is £361;
- For a long-term UK Standard visitor visa of 5 years, the fee is £655;
- For a long-term UK Standard visitor visa of 10 years, the fee is £822.