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on July 9, 2023
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Not everyone who is interested in applying for a visa to the UK does so with the aim of living and/or working in the country for years on end.
The UK is a highly rewarding place to visit for a wide range of purposes, such as tourism, business, or catching up with family and friends. If this describes your situation, you might therefore be interested in knowing about the different types of UK visitor visa available.
The great news for those who would like to make a short-term visit to the UK, is that the task of deciding on the right visitor visa to apply for might have become a lot simpler in recent years. This is because various types of UK visit visa have effectively now been merged into a single Standard Visitor visa.
So, for any given person who wishes to visit the UK for up to six months, in order to carry out certain activities such as attending a business conference or enjoying a vacation, there is a strong chance that the Standard Visitor visa is the one they will need.
However, even today, the Standard Visitor visa is not the only type of UK visitor visa that exists. There is also the Marriage Visitor visa, for example, which is aimed at foreign nationals who are interested in visiting the UK for the purposes of getting married or entering into a civil partnership.
Another type of UK visitor visa is the Visitor in Transit visa, which is for people whose only reason for coming to the UK is because they will be passing through the country on the way to another country.
It is also possible that, depending on your nationality, you won’t need a visa at all in order to travel to and spend time in the UK for up to six months. So, it is important to be well-informed on all the options – and your own personal situation, status, and needs – when you are trying to decide on the type of UK visitor visa to apply for.
As of 2023, there are three types of visit visa that you will likely be choosing from for your short-term stay in the UK: the Standard Visitor visa, the Marriage Visitor visa, or the Visitor in Transit visa.
There used to be many different visa routes aimed at those who wished to make short-term visits to the UK, depending on the purpose of their visit. These visa categories included the likes of the Family Visitor visa, the General Visitor visa, the Child Visitor visa, the Business Visitor visa, and so on.
In recent times, however, these different visa categories have effectively been replaced by one visa, known as the Standard Visitor visa. This visa allows for stays in the UK for up to six months for any of a range of permitted activities, including:
Naturally, much as there are certain things that Standard Visitor visa holders are able to do in the UK, there are also certain things that holders of this visa will not be permitted to do.
A holder of this visa will not, for instance, be permitted to undertake paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person. Nor will they be entitled to claim public funds (benefits) in the UK, or to live in the UK for extended periods of time through frequent or successive visits.
So, when you are considering your options for a UK visit visa, it will be crucial to consider whether a mere Standard Visitor visa will be adequate for your needs, or whether you will be better served by applying for another visa type. If you are in doubt, our own experts in UK immigration law at Cranbrook Legal can advise and assist.
If you simply wish to visit the UK in order to enjoy a holiday, vacation, or city break here, your first step will be to determine whether you actually require a visa for your visit.
Please note that even if your nationality means you will not require a Standard Visitor visa, you will still need to fulfil the eligibility requirements for the Standard Visitor visa, in order to enter and spend time in the UK. So, officials at the UK border might ask you about your eligibility and what you intend to do during your time in the country.
In the event that you do require a Standard Visitor visa for your UK vacation, you must apply online for this prior to travelling to the UK. As part of this process, it will be necessary for you to attend an appointment at a visa application centre. You will also only be able to apply up to three months before you travel.
The Standard Visitor visa typically entitles the holder to stay in the UK for as long as six months. However, depending on your reasons for visiting the UK, it might be possible for you to apply for a visa that lasts longer than this, such as if you will be coming in order to access medical treatment.
Another possibility might be that you intend to visit the UK regularly – in which case, you may be interested in applying for what is known as a long-term Standard Visitor visa, which can remain valid for two years, five years, or 10 years.
Naturally, these different types of UK Standard Visitor visas come with different Home Office application fees attached. Those fees are, at the time of this article being written:
| Fee | Maximum length of stay | |
| Standard Visitor visa | £100 | Six months |
| Standard Visitor visa for medical reasons | £200 | 11 months |
| Standard Visitor visa for academics | £200 | 12 months |
| Two-year long-term Standard Visitor visa | £376 | Six months per visit |
| Five-year long-term Standard Visitor visa | £670 | Six months per visit |
| 10-year long-term Standard Visitor visa | £837 | Six months per visit |
It is important to note that if you wish to engage the services of an immigration law firm – such as Cranbrook Legal – to help strengthen your chances of a successful application for a Standard Visitor visa, you will need to account for any fees that such a firm may charge in relation to this.
Fortunately, our central London-based specialists in UK immigration law can project-manage your application for a Standard Visitor visa on a pre-agreed fixed-fee basis. This will enable you to budget for your visa application and subsequent visit to the UK, without the need to worry about being hit with any additional ‘hidden’ fees.
To learn more about this service and to arrange your free consultation with us, please fill in and submit our online contact form, or give us a call on 0208 215 0053.
This is not necessarily a straightforward question to answer, as your chances of being approved for a UK visitor visa will depend on your ability to satisfy the eligibility requirements.
However, it should be noted that the Home Office sets stringent standards that must be met by those applying for a UK visa, and that there are thousands of unsuccessful applications every year. So, you should never underestimate the importance of doing everything possible to fulfil the Home Office’s strict criteria, which may necessitate working closely with specialists in UK immigration law.
You will only be able to enter the UK if you have a passport or travel document with you, and this document will need to be valid for the entirety of your stay in the UK.
Furthermore, as an applicant for the UK Standard Visitor visa, you will need to be able to show that:
The above is not an exhaustive rundown of the criteria you may be required to satisfy as someone applying for a Standard Visitor visa for the UK. This underlines the importance of doing your research, and making sure you are suitably prepared, so that you can submit a visa application that stands a high chance of being approved by the Home Office at the first attempt.
Presuming – as we have already covered in this article – you do require a UK visit visa in order to spend time in the UK, the currently available UK visitor visas can be summarised as follows:
So, while for the “typical” visit to the UK – such as a vacation or business trip – the Standard Visitor visa is likely to be the one you will need, there are also certain other visa routes that may turn out to represent a better match to your requirements.
Call the Cranbrook Legal team on 0208 215 0053 today, or send us an email, and we will be pleased to advise and guide you with regard to which UK visa you might require for your time in the country. We can also provide a complete project-managed service to help ensure you apply for – and are granted – your desired UK visa.
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