Crossing borders into the UK with a tourist visitor visa UK may be a little easier if you understand the difference between a visitor visa and a tourist visa. Traditionally, both visas enabled you to enter the UK for the short term. However, both served different purposes and had a set of disparate rules governing each.
You must have heard your UK immigration lawyer cite the likely purpose of a tourist visa. It is a ticket to vacation travel and is designed for holidaymakers. On the other hand, a visitor visa is more versatile, allowing you to attend business meetings and family reunions.
Before understanding the characteristics of a tourist visitor visa UK, we must analyse the essential distinction between the visitor and the tourist visa. Purpose and flexibility seem to be the main aspects of differentiation. While tourist visas are intended for recreation, visitor visas allow you to carry out non-immigrant activities. While no work is allowed with a tourist visa, business-related activities are permitted under specific conditions in a visitor visa.
Both these visas require you to apply in advance and demonstrate that you will be leaving the UK after you visit. The tourist visa has a narrower scope and focuses on leisure activities. A visitor visa allows you to have a broader range of purposes within the limitations of a short-duration stay.
In the UK, both a tourist visa and a visitor visa are now typically clubbed under the “Standard Visitor Visa” category, and the application process is the same.
Understanding the Tourist Visitor Visa UK Guidelines
You can visit the UK as a Standard visitor for tourism purposes, study or even business for up to 6 months. This standard visitor visa or the tourist visitor visa UK can also be extended to get medical treatment on some rare occasions.
What Can you do with a Standard Visitor Visa in the UK?
You can volunteer with a registered charity for up to 30 days with a tourist visitor visa UK as qualify as a standard visitor. You can also attend interviews and attend paid engagements and events in particular professions or also take part in school exchange programmes.
You cannot do paid and unpaid work for a UK company in the standard visa category or even work as a self-employed person unless you are involved in a permitted paid engagement. You also cannot live in the UK for long periods through frequent and successive visits. You cannot marry and register a civil partnership with a standard visitor visa. You need to apply for a separate marriage visitor visa.
Eligibility
To check your eligibility for a tourist visitor visa UK, you need a passport or travel document that enables you to enter the country legally. This passport must be valid for the entire duration of your stay in the country.
You must be able to show that you will leave the UK at the end of the 6 months without fail. You must also be able to support yourself and your dependents during the trip or have the necessary funding from a trusted source to support you during your stay.
One of the most critical eligibility criteria is to be able to pay for your onward and return journey. This is mandatory for all applicants to show to the UK Visas and Immigration authorities.
You must also be able to show that you will not live in the UK for more than 6 months and engage in extended and frequent visits to make the UK your main home.
You may also need to meet extra eligibility requirements if you are coming to the UK to:
- The study, be placed professionally or take an Exam
- Come as an Academic, senior doctor or a dentist
- Arrive for a permitted paid engagement
- Come for medical reasons
Depending on your nationality, you must be able to apply for a Standard Visitor visa when you come to the UK. You need to check if you need a visa before you apply to come to the UK for 6 months. In many cases, particular nationalities are not required to have a visa when travelling to the UK. You need to be sure which category you belong to before deciding on travel.
Even if you do not need a visa, you must still meet the Standard Visitor eligibility requirements and ask at the UK border about your eligibility and the activities you plan to carry out in the UK.
Applying for a Standard Visitor Visa in the UK
You must apply online for a tourist visitor visa UK before you decide on travelling. A Standard Visitor visa costs 115 pounds for up to 6 months. The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you decide on travelling. In case, you want to visit the UK regularly, you can apply for the long-term Standard Visitor visa.
You can also pass the UK to another country on this visa type and if transiting is your sole purpose of setting foot in the UK, you can apply for a visitor in Transit visa for 64 pounds.
Once you have started the application online, you can save the form and complete it for yourself and your family. In case, you are applying for an entire family, each person will have to pay a separate application fee and fill out forms. They need to attend their separate appointments at the visa application centre. On many occasions, you can apply on behalf of your partner and child if they are unable to apply themselves.
As part of the online application, you need to book an appointment at the visa application centre. Ensure you have the time to attend the interview as the visa application centre could be in another city or country.
Remember to consult your UK immigration lawyer for tourist visitor visa UK appointments. You must prove your identity and have your fingerprints and photograph taken. This is the biometric information that is needed from all applicants. You need to provide all the required documents as asked by the UKVI to show that you are a Standard Visitor visa applicant.
The visa application centre may keep your passport and documents for 3 weeks before reaching a decision. You will get an email explaining the decision and what you need to do next from the UKVI.
In case, you want to change something in the application for the tourist visitor visa UK, after you have sent it, you need to contact the UKVI. You can also cancel your application but a complete refund of fee will only be possible if the application has not been processed.
