Immigration Corner | What a UK Standard visitor visa can be used for

Dear Mr. Bassie,

What can a British Standard visitor’s visa be used for and please advise what the eligibility requirements are for one.

GT

Dear GT,

Persons can visit the United Kingdom (UK) as a Standard Visitor for tourism, business, study courses up to six months and other permitted activities. They can usually stay in the UK for up to six months and might be able to apply to stay for longer in certain circumstances, for example, to get medical treatment.

Depending on their nationality, persons may not need a visa to visit the UK and should first check if they need a visa before applying. They should check if what they plan to do in the UK is allowed as a Standard Visitor; whether they meet the eligibility requirements; whether they need to apply for a visa to visit the UK; they should apply for a Standard Visitor visa online – if they do need one.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Persons must have a passport or travel document to enter the UK. It should be valid for the whole of their stay.

Applicants must be able to show that:

• They will leave the UK at the end of the visit

• They are able to support themselves and dependents during their trip (or have funding from someone else to support them)

• They are able to pay for their return or onward journey (or have funding from someone else to pay for the journey)

• They will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK their main home

Persons may need to meet extra eligibility requirements if they are visiting the UK:

• To study, do a placement or take an exam

• As an academic, senior doctor or dentist

•For a permitted paid engagement

• For medical reasons

The rules on what they will need to enter the UK may be different depending on where they are travelling from.

ACTIVITIES THAT ARE PERMITTED ON A BRITISH STANDARD VISA

Persons can visit the UK as a Standard Visitor and be permitted to do the following:

• Tourism, for example, on a holiday or vacation

• To see family or friends

• To volunteer for up to 30 days with a registered charity

• To pass through the UK to another country (‘in transit’)

• Certain business activities, for example attending a meeting or interview

• Certain paid engagements or events (a ‘permitted paid engagement’) as an expert in their profession, for example, to give lectures or perform

• To take part in a school exchange programme

• To do a recreational course of up to 30 days, for example, a dance course

• To study, do a placement or take an exam

• As an academic, senior doctor or dentist

• For medical reasons

ACTIVITIES THAT ARE NOT PERMITTED ON A BRITISH STANDARD VISA

• Paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person, unless they are doing a permitted paid engagement or event

• Claim public funds (benefits)

• Live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent or successive visits

• Marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership – they will need to apply for a Marriage Visitor visa

I hope this helps.

John S. Bassie is a barrister/attorney-at-law who practises law in Jamaica. He is a justice of the peace, a Supreme Court-appointed mediator, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a chartered arbitrator, the past global president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (UK). Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com