Regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority · Ref No. F201700062
Visiting the UK
Visitor applications are refused more often than people expect, usually because of doubts about the purpose of the visit or the applicant's circumstances at home.
A short, clear, well-evidenced application is far more effective than a large bundle of documents.
Standard visitors can come to the UK for tourism, to see family and friends, for many business activities, for certain medical treatment, and for some short study.
Visitors cannot work for a UK employer, undertake paid or unpaid work for a UK organisation, run a business, or live in the UK through frequent and successive visits.
Permitted activities include attending meetings, conferences and interviews, negotiating and signing contracts, undertaking site visits, and, in defined circumstances, carrying out intra-corporate activity or delivering training.
The boundary between a permitted business visit and prohibited work is a frequent problem for companies bringing overseas colleagues to the UK, and it is better resolved before travel than at the border.
The decision maker considers your circumstances at home, your travel history, your finances and your reasons for the visit. Ties to your home country — employment, study, family, property — and clear funding of the trip are what make an application credible.
Where there has been a previous refusal, that refusal must be addressed directly in the next application.
What is actually needed depends on your circumstances. We confirm the list with you before anything is prepared.
We start with your history, your relationships, your work and your time in the UK. The right route follows from the facts.
We explain which route fits, what it requires and what the realistic alternatives are if it does not.
We work out what the Home Office will expect, what you already have and what needs to be obtained.
We prepare the application, explain anything that needs explaining and advise on what happens after submission.
This page is general information about UK immigration and is not advice on your individual circumstances. Requirements, guidance and procedures change. Please obtain advice before relying on anything published here.
We will tell you how UKU can assist, and what the realistic options are.
