11 Apr How to apply for a Standard Visitor visa?
If you are a visa national (i.e. your nationality is listed under Appendix 2 of Appendix V of the Immigration Rules link), you are required to apply for a Standard Visitor visa prior to travelling to the UK.
You can apply for a Standard Visitor visa:
- for leisure, for example on holiday or to see your family and friends or
- for business, or to take part in sports or creative events
- for another reason, for example to receive private medical treatment (It can be granted up to 11 months)
- If you are an academic- who is employed by an overseas institution (visa issued up to 12 months)
You can check if you needed to apply for a Standard visa on the GOV.UK website as below:
https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa
Main requirements for the Standard Visitor visa
One of the most important requirements for the Standard Visitor visa is that the applicant must be a genuine visitor. Under paragraph V 4.2, the ‘genuine intention’ is defined as follows:
(a) the applicant will leave the UK at the end of their visit; and
(b) will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK their main home; and
(c) is genuinely seeking entry for a purpose that is permitted by the visitor routes (these are listed in Appendices 3, 4 and 5); and
(d) will not undertake any prohibited activities set out in V 4.5 – V 4.10; and
(e) must have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to their visit without working or accessing public funds. This includes the cost of the return or onward journey, any costs relating to dependants, and the cost of planned activities.
Please note that the prohibited activities including:
- do paid or unpaid work
- live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent visits
- get public funds
- marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership
Application fees
A Standard Visitor visa costs £95, and is usually granted for up to 6 months. However, you can apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa issued for 2, 5 or 10 years, and you can stay in the UK for a maximum of 180 days in any 12 months period.
The fee for a long-term Standard Visitor visa depends on its length:
1) 2 years – £361
2) 5 years – £655
3) 10 years – £822
Please note that the Standard Visitor cannot switch to any other visa categories.
It is important to note that there is a different ‘visitor’ category if the purpose of your visit is to marry/ enter a civil partnership, transit in the UK and partake in permitted paid activities.
Contact Our Immigration Team
For expert advice regarding any aspect of the Standard Visitor visa application, please contact our immigration team on 0203 384 3075 or contact us here.
