If you intend to visit the UK on many occasions over a number of years, you may choose to apply for a Long term Standard Visitor Visa UK. While this visa limits each stay to a maximum of six months, it allows for frequent trips without needing to reapply for a visa every time. However, navigating the application process can be challenging without proper knowledge and preparation.
Contact Rees Clayton at 02033939272, as our experienced immigration lawyers are here to support you every step of the way, ensuring your long-term visa UK application is well-prepared and robust.
The long-term visitor visa is authorisation granted by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), the Home Office division in charge of the UK visa system, to enter the country for a certain amount of time. For instance, this could be for leisure and tourism-related activities like going to visit relatives or going on vacation. It could also be to engage in a variety of business-related tasks, such as going to conferences or meetings.
Suppose you are a visa national or a citizen of a country that is not eligible for visa-free travel to the UK. In that case, you need to submit an application for a visitor’s visa in advance to obtain entry clearance before you reach a UK port of entry. Even if you are not a national who requires a long-term visa, it may be advisable to obtain one for a number of visits. This can facilitate the process, but it does not ensure that you will always be allowed entry into the UK.
The UK’s Immigration Rules’ “Appendix V: Visitor” contains the regulations related to visiting visas, including the duration of the visa. You are often not allowed to remain in the UK for more than six months.
However, you might be eligible to apply for a tourist visa with a validity length of two, five, or ten years if you plan to visit the UK frequently, for instance, to meet friends and relatives or on several business trips. This implies that you can go to the UK more than once, but each visit cannot last longer than the maximum amount of time allowed by your visa, which is often six months.
For parents who would want to see their children and grandkids on a frequent basis after their adult children have established themselves in the UK, the UK long-term visitor visa may be the best option. Those who must go to the UK on a frequent basis for conferences or business meetings may find it ideal as well.
Volunteering for a registered charity for a maximum of 30 days is one of the additional activities allowed under the long-term visitor route, as outlined in “Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities” of the Immigration Rules, as long as it is not the primary purpose for your travel to the UK. As long as it is related to the primary purpose of any travel to the UK, it may also involve completing a brief term of leisure study, again for a maximum of 30 days.
The UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) always carefully consider the rationale for requesting a visa for an extended length of time when applying for a long-term visitor visa. Your application’s UKVI caseworker must be confident that you will depart the UK after each journey. Additionally, they must be convinced that you do not plan to use your visa to establish the UK as your primary residence or to remain there for lengthy periods of time through frequent or consecutive trips.
Furthermore, people who want to work for pay in the UK are not eligible for a long-term visiting visa. Instead, you must apply for a visa through one of the many work channels if you intend to work, are looking for work, or are starting your own business.
Crucially, you must have enough money to sustain yourself throughout your stay in the UK because you will not be permitted to work while on a long-term visiting visa. Given that you are unable to lawfully get employment, you will not be eligible to receive public funding.
Appendix V of the Immigration Rules specifies the eligibility requirements for visitor visas UK. Eligibility for any subcategory of visitor visa is contingent upon proving the following:
The UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requires proof of stable finances and strong relationships with the applicant’s home country in order to grant long-term visiting visas, which carry the danger of being utilised for longer lengths of time in the UK. Essentially, UKVI needs to be convinced that you are an actual tourist who has a valid cause to visit the UK on a 2, 5, or 10-year period.
From outside the UK, you can apply for a long-term visiting visa online using the “Apply for a UK visit visa” form on GOV.UK. At an overseas visa application centre, you’ll need to pay the appropriate charge, give identification and nationality documents, and, if necessary, provide biometric data. The purpose of your many visits will determine the supporting documentation you are required to submit.
A long-term visitor visa can be applied for up to three months prior to going to the UK. UKVI is required to provide a decision within three weeks of visiting a visa application centre. Nevertheless, decisions are currently taking up to five weeks.
When applying for a long-term visitor visa to the UK, the kind of documents you’ll need to provide will depend on your travel’s purposes. At all times, you need to demonstrate to UKVI that you are returning home after each journey and that your intentions are genuine. So, a passport or other valid travel ID, together with other documentation to support your trip, is required for a visit to the UK.
Also, as stated in the Immigration Rules’ Appendix Finance, you need to prove that you have the financial means to pay for all reasonable expenses associated with your visits. If you’re relying on any funds, they need to be held in a regulated bank where the UKVI caseworker can conduct satisfactory verification checks. People with a secure source of income or substantial wealth are preferred by UKVI when they review applications for long-term visiting visas.
Furthermore, entry to the UK is not permitted only with a long-term visiting visa. Additional documentation proving your status as a legitimate tourist who is able to sustain themselves independently of government assistance is required upon arrival at any port of entry.
The length of time you apply for a visa determines its cost. It will cost you £100 to apply for a normal single-entry or multiple-entry visa that lasts up to six months.
An extended visitor visa’s processing fee is proportional to the length of time the visa is expected to be valid. First, let’s have a look at the price in detail which started on April 10, 2024:
With the priority service, which costs an extra £250, you may receive a decision from UKVI within 5 working days; with the super priority service, you could have one by the end of the following business day. You should enquire about the availability of these services with the visa centre where you are submitting your application.
Additionally, the Home Office has very stringent policies regarding the refund of Priority Service purchases and visa fees. In the case that the authorities choose to reject your application or award a visa for a shorter duration than what you had asked, you will not be eligible to receive a refund of any of these charges.
You may be given a shorter visa than what you requested if UKVI determines that you do not fulfil all of the eligibility conditions for the specified length. The application cost is non-refundable even if your visa is reduced in length. Also, you cannot receive your money back if they reject your application. Remember that purchasing a priority service does not ensure that your long-term visitor visa application will be approved or that your visa will be valid for the entire period you requested.
Your application may be rejected for a number of reasons. If you do not fulfil all of the criteria for your planned purpose as a long-term visitor, it could be because you fail to satisfy UKVI. Additionally, UKVI needs assurance that you are an authentic tourist and will be departing the UK at the end of your visit. For instance, if you are unable to demonstrate that you have solid financial standing and close ties to your homeland, it could be assumed that you plan to work in the UK. Application denials are also possible if your past travel records show that you want to permanently settle in the UK.
The Immigration Rules’ “Part 9: grounds for refusal” could also apply to your case. The decision of the UKVI caseworker reviewing your application may be based on mandatory grounds in some instances or on their own discretion in others. Your visa application “must” be denied, for instance, if you have a criminal record that includes a 12-month or longer jail sentence, whether that sentence was handed down in the UK or elsewhere. On the other hand, your application may be denied if your previous convictions resulted in sentences of less than twelve months in prison or non-custodial punishments.
The United Kingdom Visa and Immigration (UKVI) will not grant you entry to the UK if they reject your request for a long-term visiting visa. In such a case, before submitting a new application, you should see an immigration attorney for advice. It could be difficult to submit a successful application after a rejection; but, it is achievable with thorough justification and appropriate proof to address the rejection’s stated reasons.
It is important to note that even if you are granted a long-term visitor visa, you cannot use it to remain in the UK for longer durations. For example, you cannot spend six months here, leave, and then return right away, as this would violate the law. Your good intentions may be misunderstood if you repeatedly exceed the 6-month limit on your length of stay. Under these conditions, entry can be denied. In addition, your tourist visa could be revoked entirely, which would make obtaining a new one extremely challenging.
Tourists planning to visit the UK should be aware that immigration officials may interview them at the border regardless of whether their visitor visa is valid or not. This is done to ensure that the tourists are legit and will follow all of the regulations about their visas. Officials have the right to refuse entry if they have reasonable suspicions that you will overstay your visa or engage in activities that are forbidden by the visiting regulations. If you need expert guidance on UK visas and immigration, we are here to help.
The process of applying for a long-term visitor visa is not without its risks, and applicants should be cognisant of them.
The possibility of denial is present, as it is with the six-month Standard Visitor visa. A right of appeal is only available in cases when the visit involves human rights considerations, therefore applicants almost never have one in the case of a rejection. On the other hand, applicants might have recourse through judicial review proceedings. If your application for a visit visa has been rejected, you may want to consult with one of our barristers for guidance on how to reapply.
It is also possible for UKVI to give a shorter visa than requested if they are not convinced that the applicant is eligible for the full period of the visa. We will not be able to reimburse you for the difference in application fees in this case.
Applicants who are not yet 18 years old should be aware that the validity period of their long-term Standard Visitor visas will be limited to 6 months following their 18th birthday.
If a caseworker suspects that an application is trying to permanently settle in the UK through many, consecutive visits, they have the authority to cancel the applicant’s long-term Standard Visitor visa. Use of a Standard Visitor visa to permanently settle in the UK may result in visa denials for subsequent attempts to enter the country. When travelling on a long-term Standard Visitor visa, nations should thoroughly evaluate this possibility.
A UK long-term visitor visa allows international visitors to travel to the UK multiple times over several years without the need to reapply for a visa for each trip. While it enables frequent visits, each stay is limited to a maximum of six months. The visa is ideal for tourism, visiting family, studying, or business-related activities.
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
Applicants must give:
The visa fees vary based on the duration:
Optional priority processing incurs additional charges (£500 or £1000).
The visa can be issued for 2, 5, or 10 years. During this period, you can make multiple visits, but each visit cannot exceed six months.
Standard processing takes around three weeks from the date of the biometric appointment. Priority services can expedite the decision within 5 working days or the next working day.
In case of rejection:
To maximise your chances of approval:
Holders can use the visa for the following:
However, employment or using the UK as a main residence is not permitted
At Rees Clayton, our experienced immigration lawyers offer:
