VISITING THE UK

VISITING THE UK

Visiting the UK as a foreign national requires careful preparation to ensure compliance with UK immigration rules and border policies. Whether you are travelling for tourism, business or to see family and friends, it is important to determine the appropriate steps to be taken in advance of entry.  

WHAT DO I NEED TO PLAN?

• Visa nationals will need to apply for a formal visit visa prior to travelling to the UK. Limited exceptions apply for those transiting through the UK to certain specific destinations.
• Non-visa nationals, including citizens of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the European Union, who are entering the UK for general leisure or business purposes are not required to apply for a visit visa, but will need to ensure that they have obtained an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).
• Visitors entering for marriage, permitted paid engagements or as an accompanying domestic worker will need to apply for an advance visa for one of these specific purposes, irrespective of their nationality.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

1. The genuine visitor test is the basis of many visit visa refusals. If applying for a visit visa in advance of travel, you will need to prepare extensive supporting documentation to evidence not only the purpose of your proposed trip to the UK, but also your full personal and economic circumstances in your country of usual residence.
2. Historic convictions can lead to default ETA rejections. Where this happens, you will need to consider making a formal visit visa application so that you can fully present your circumstances and any mitigating factors.
3. Compliance with duration of stay and visitor conditions once in the UK is crucial. Prior non-compliance, such as stays of beyond 6 months per trip, can give rise to future refusals.
4. Carefully completing application forms and accurately presenting your circumstances is essential. Even an unintentional omission can result in an allegation of deception and a re-entry ban to the UK.
5. Extensions or switching into an alternative immigration category whilst in the UK is generally not possible. If you intend to return to the UK for residence purposes, you will typically need to leave the UK and apply from overseas.

RECENT SUCCESSES

We have recently been successful in:

• Challenging the refusal of a visit visa which was refused under the ‘genuine visitor’ test. We issued a ‘letter before claim’ in preparation of making an application for judicial review. This was sufficient for the Home Office to withdraw the refusal and grant the application.
• Securing overseas domestic worker visas on a short deadline for multiple household members of a high-net-worth family, enabling them to spend the summer in London.

HOW GHERSON CAN HELP

Gherson’s experienced immigration team provides specialist advice on all aspects of UK visit visas. We can help determine your eligibility, gather and review supporting documents and guide you through each step of the application process.

Contact us today for more details on how we can assist your visit to the UK.