A UK visa is the official document that gives universal citizens the right to move in, remain briefly or live permanently in UK terrain. A visa is typically either a stamp in applicant’s passport or a document given by a UK embassy or international safe haven in country the applicant originates from.

Assuming a visa is issued to you, it implies that you are qualified to enter the UK and that you meet the prerequisites of the specific visa that you have been given. There are various justifications for why individuals need to apply for a UK visa, for example,

  • To work or to start business
  • To work and study
  • For short vacation and tourism
  • To join family members who are already in the UK
  • To transit through the UK to another country
  • To live permanently
  • As a refugee or as someone who needs humanitarian protection
  • As a stateless person
  • As someone who needs permission to stay

 

Who Needs a UK Visa?

Residents of the European Economic Region, Switzerland and Federation nations are not expected to apply for a UK visa before entering the UK. For a total rundown of nations whose residents need a visa for UK visit this page.

How to Apply for a UK Visa?

The UK visa application process relies a ton upon the kind of visa that you are applying for. Particularly assuming your kind of visa fits into one of the Points-Based System classification. However, a maximum of the necessities is no different for every classification, it is how they are assessed in the system that varies. There are likewise extra prerequisites that fluctuate from one classification to another.

When is the Right time to Apply for a UK Visa?

The earliest application for a UK visa is three months (3) before the date of your envisioned trip. Still, bear in mind that the processing of visa application may take up to three weeks. Applying in advance is an added advantage, to elongate the visa processing time for the embassy.

 

What are the Required Documents for UK Visa?

There are standard requirements for UK visa application which every applicant must fulfill. These requirements differ in regards to the kind of visa and the nationality of the applicant.

What is the Points-Based System (PBS)?

The Point-Based System (PBS) of the United Kingdom Visa is the means of regulating immigration to the United Kingdom from external countries, as a substitution of the old system which was much more complex and hard to be covered.

The PBS system examines visa candidates based on the points they can gather by meeting visa requirements. Each visa requirement has its points, and there is a stipulated number of points the candidate should gather in order to receive the visa.

UK Visa Types

There are diverse motives why people want to apply for a UK visa. That is why the United Kingdom has an organized visa system based on the purpose of visitor under multiple visa types.

Here are the kinds UK visa:

  • Work Visas.
  • Business Visas.
  • Study Visas.
  • Visitor Visas.
  • Family Visas.
  • Settlement Visas.
  • Transit Visas.

Work and Business Visas

Besides its stringent rules, not allowing to get a job many of the visa holders, the UK also offers Working Visas especially for high-skilled professionals from other countries who desire to work and live in the UK for little or elongated time frame.

Categories of work and business visas

  • Highly qualified foreigners:
    • Global Talent Visa
  • Skilled foreign workers with a job offer in a shortage area
    • Tier 2 (General) Visa
    • Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Visa
    • Tier 2 (Sportsperson) Visa
    • Tier 2 (Minister of Religion) Visa
  • Youth mobility and temporary foreign workers
    • Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Visa
    • Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) Visa
  • Other:
    • Croatian National Registration Certificate
    • Domestic Workers in a Private Household Visa
    • Exempt Vignette Visa
    • Turkish Worker Visa

The UK Business Visa types are the following:

  • Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa
  • Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa
  • Tier 1 Investor Visa
  • Turkish Businessperson Visa

Student Visas

These types of visas are issued to international students who intend to study and probably work as a quota of contribution in the UK.

Categories of student visas

  • Tier 4 (Child) Student Visa
  • Tier 4 (General) Student Visa
  • Short Term Study Visa

Tourist and Visiting visas

The UK is a prevalent tourism destination, for short or even long time visitation. The UK Visitor Visas are issued for short stays, tourism visits, vacation and similar purposes. UK governmental agency seldom do issue a tourism visa for a longer period than six months. The foreign nationals are banned from getting a job inside UK with this kind of visa, just as with many other types.

Short business trips are handled in similar fashion.

Categories tourist and visiting visas

  • Marriage Visitor Visa
  • Parent of a Tier 4 (Child) Student Visa
  • Permitted Paid Engagement Visa
  • Short-term Study Visa
  • UK Visitor Visa
  • Visa for a Chinese Tour Group

Family Visas

The UK Family Visa is allotted to visit family members in the UK. This Visa type is for people who have relations working and based in the UK and want to join them for more than six months, as their dependent relative. The dependents can be husband or wife (spouse), partner, fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner, children, parents, other family members.

Categories of family visas

  • UK Spouse visa
  • UK Parent visa
  • UK Child visa

Transit Visas

The UK Transit Visa is for foreigners who are not from the EEA (EU nations, including Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or Switzerland, and are using the UK as a travel country to pass from another country to their destination. This visa offers the chance to apply for a long-term travel visa assuming the candidate has sufficient proof that he wants to travel consistently through UK to show up at his destination, however has no interest to reside there for long. Such long term travel visas can be given from 1 to 10 years duration.

Categories of transit visas

  • Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV) – for persons who have to change trips in the UK without leaving the airport
  • Guest in Transit Visa – for foreign persons who have to leave the airport and embark on their journey through another means, most likely making a part of their traveling through land. This visa can be effective for 4 days’ duration.

 

Refugee Visa

Ephemeral Refugee Visa is for individuals who are absconding to UK and are at the borders because of death and life situation, whereby the country is no longer a safe place for them especially as their lives are been threatened. The application for this visa is produced from within the UK.

The visa is ephemeral, till the visa owner's life is no longer in jeopardy and guaranteed safety upon return back to their country. Visa for Stateless Persons is for outsiders living in the UK and are not citizens of any other country in the world. This visa is given for 2 to 6 years with a chance of expansion.

UK Residence Permits

Indefinite Leave to Remain

The UK Settlement permit otherwise referred to as Indefinite Leave to Remain, is for persons who have stayed in the UK for a long period of time with an ephemeral visa, and currently desire to obtain a permanent one. The visa directly affects persons who have lived outside the UK for less than 2 years and wish to return, or lost their passport.

Foreigners currently living in the UK with a refugee or philanthropic status and have the intention to reside there permanently or for family reunion. Majority of these visas are given with a clause that applicant must have stayed in the United Kingdom for at least 5 years.

EEA Residence Permits

EEA Residence Permits:

  • EEA Residence Card
  • UK Registration Certificate – EEA (QP)
  • UK Permanent Residence Card – EEA (PR)
  • EEA family permit related to the derivative right of residence
  • EEA family permit related to the Surinder Singh
  • EEA family permit related to retained rights of residence
  • Certificate of entitlement for right to abode in the UK

Other Residence Permits

UK Residence permits serve to gain ephemeral residence in the UK.

Categories

  • Returning Resident Visa
  • Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)
  • Residence Permit for Commonwealth Citizens
  • Resident visa as a Refugee or for philanthropic Protection

 

Electronic Visa Waiver

The Electronic Visa Waiver is established for citizens of Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates who want to come to the UK for half a year for business purpose, sightseeing, study or to get medical attention.

Originators from these countries must apply for other kind of visas assuming they are on the look out to come to the UK for diverse intents or elongated time frame. 

How to apply for Electronic Visa Waiver?

The online application must be done here.

The earliest application for this visa is three months and the latest two days in ahead of stipulated date for travelling. With this visa there is no option to include dependents, everyone’s application must be distinct.

Visa application is must basic, and the information below must be provided.

  • Passport information;
  • Applicant resident location in the UK;
  • Travel schedule with intented dates of entry and leave

Note: The candidate must pay £15 to apply for this visa.

There is opportunity to change information in this visa when need be, i.e. change as regards to airport, train station, bus station or similar, change as regards to the time of arriving at the UK and similar.

Upon the application, the visa will be gotten in one day in a form of a link, in the email address of the candidate for download. As such, it must be printed to be presented at the UK borders when entering.

What a UK Visa holder must know?

Regardless of the fact that a foreigner might be issued a visa, they might be subject to Immigration Control (scrutiny) whenever they are crossing the UK border. There can likewise be situations when visa might be declined at the borders.

Any intention of outstaying, or violating visa conditions, while being in the UK or out, is regarded as an offensive act.

Visas offer the needed answers on:

  • Who to declare to move into the UK and why,
  • Who to grant ephemeral living or permanently in the UK and why,
  • Who meets the standards and who to prevent from moving into the UK,
  • Who needs to exit the UK, when the visa expires or for other reasons

 

Visas sometimes can forbid the holder doing several activities such as:

  • Getting a career of other professional activity in the UK,
  • Spending public funds;
  • Residing in the UK without enlisting with the police (without getting police enrollment certificate);
  • Study in the UK;
  • Authorizing owner to answer to the precise Medical Officer of Environmental Health

 

Such restrictions can be made known to the holder in the following ways: 

  • Attached in the passport/travel document;
  • In a written notification;
  • In the visa;
  • In the visa application form;

 

Is Having a Booked Flight Required to Apply for a UK Visa?

Booking a flight for a UK visa application is not mandatory. The application is accepted by the UK governmental agencies without having one. You ought to in any case present a movement agenda, in which you incorporate the planned passage and leave dates.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Visa for the UK?

It might require something like three weeks for a UK visa to be handled. The ongoing UK Visa handling time varies from one application to the next in view of a few elements. These are:

  • The kind of visa you are applying for,
  • the country from where you are applying,
  • your precise condition,
  • the quantity of applications the UK office/visa handling focus is getting at that point, and so on.

 

Can I get my visa faster?

Contingent upon the kind of visa application, you may be qualified to utilize the ‘priority service’ or even the ‘super-priority service’ when filing your application.

The ‘priority service’ give you room to make a choice on your application within five working days for an extra charge of £500. Though, the ‘super priority service’  will cost £800 visa fee excluded, and in addition, gives room for decision making be the end of the following working day.

What is the Immigration Health Surcharge?

The Immigration Health Surcharge is a measure of cash you need to pay when you apply for a visa to the UK. When you are in the UK with a visa, you are qualified for use administrations of the NHS equivalent to other UK residents. Kindly note that you will in any case have to pay for administrations as solutions, dental treatment, eye tests and helped origination.

The wellbeing overcharge costs £300 each year for an understudy or Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) visa, and £400 each year for any remaining visa and migration applications.

What Are the Reasons for UK Visa Denial?

Most prevalent reasons why UK visas are declined are as follows:

  • Missing credentials. This is the most well-known justification for why applications are dismissed. One missing record and the government office will be finished with your application. You will not indeed, even get another opportunity to submit what went missing. You will start the application afresh.
  • Inaccurate and confounding information in your credentials.
  • Lacking monetary means to sponsor your visit in the UK.
  • Below the English language standard prerequisite.
  • Unorganized arrangement of credentials.

What Can I Do in Case of Visa Denial?

In Case of your application for a UK visa been declined, you can simply stop, quit, or:

  • Reapply for the visa. On the off chance that you reapply, ensure that you do not commit the past error, or you advance your circumstance to meet the prerequisites.
  • Appeal on Human Rights ground. You ought to have a solid premise to pursue a declined visa choice.
  • Challenge the decision by means of legal audit.  You can do this assuming you have a solid reason to accept that your application has been declined unlawfully or irrationally or there has been procedural unfairness during the handling of your application file.

 

 

Will I get a refund?

No, it is impossible to be reimbursed for already made payment. The amount paid for a UK visa is expected to cover the costs that emerge from handling of your application, therefore reimbursement is not possible if your visa is denied or you choose to stop your application while it is being handled.

Furthermore, reapplication for a UK visa after decline on first attempt, will attract a second payment for current application.

Can I Get a UK Visa If I Have a Criminal Record?

Assuming applicant has had involvement in illegal activity previously, the UK government owned agency will still accept and handle your visa application. Still, the way your application will be handled differs by home office differs from that of applicants with no illegal records in their previous lives.

The length of your sentence and the time that has elapsed from that point forward are vital in such cases. Your application will be naturally declined assuming that you have been detained for:

• 4 years or more.

• Between one to 4 years, except if 10 years have passed since the completion of the sentence.

• Under a year, except if 5 years have passed since the completion of the sentence.

Your application will likewise be declined on the spot if during the time of a year prior to the application is chosen, you have been indicted for or acknowledged a wrong doing for which you got a non-custodial sentence or out of court removal that is recorded on your lawbreaker record.

Do I Need to Register with the Police?

Assuming the visa sticker on your identification contains the words 'Police enrollment' or 'Register with police in 7 days of passage' then you should enlist with the police once you are in the UK with a legitimate visa.

You are mandated to get enlisted by police after seven days upon arrival in the UK. Note that on the off chance that you don't enroll with the police, your visa legitimacy will be shortened and you might have to leave the UK.

Can I Travel Abroad While I Am in the UK with a Valid Visa?

UK visa owners are permitted to travel abroad while in the UK. Nonetheless, there might be additional prerequisites they must meet contingent upon their identity and aim of travelling.

Travelling to Europe

To pay other European countries visitation, you may have to apply for a Schengen visa from the UK which permits you to travel for tourism or business reasons for a period of time that does not exceed 90 days.

You can apply for a visa from the UK regardless of whether you are not a British national. Albeit the techniques to apply it are practically no different for all candidates you should dive more deeply into the points of interest assuming you are applying from the UK.

If possession of Schengen visa from the UK is a necessity, it is advisable to acquire a Schengen visa health insurance plan that covers the whole duration of your stay in Europe.

Travelling to USA

For transmission to the USA, application for a US visa in the UK might be a prerequisite, depending on your nationality. If you originate from one of the countries listed in the Visa Waiver Program, application for a visa is not a requirement, still you will have to apply for ESTA alternative.