Family Visa to the UK

Family Visitor visa

This is a type of Visitor Visa to the UK

1. Overview

Reasons for applying for Family Visitor visa are:

• Visiting a family member in the UK
• You are from outside the Economic European Area and Switzerland
• Meeting other eligibility requirements

If you qualify for British Citizenship or if you have a dual nationality, you cannot apply for this type of Visa. Instead you apply for British Citizenship

Duration for Visa processing

Decision on whether you will be issued a visa or not is gotten within 3 weeks.

Application for Visa is done 3 months before date of travel to the UK

Length of stay

With Family Visitor Visa you can stay in the UK for 6 months.

Up to 6 months extension can be applied for if the visa is for less than 6 months.

Visit Visa for Long-term stay

If you can prove that you have to visit the UK repeatedly over a long period of time you can apply for a long-term visit visa.

Length of stay can be for 6 months on each visit and the visa can last for up to 10 years.

Fees

Application fee costs £83.

Long-term visit visa fees are:

• 1 year - £300
• 2 years - £300
• 5 years - £544
• 10 years - £737

Fee may change any time. Contact the UK Visa website for updated fees.

Do’s and Dont’s

You can study for 30 days or less, if it’s not the main reason for your visit.

You can’t:

• Engage in any form of work or engage in any business
• study for more than 30 days
• marry or register a civil partnership, or provide notice of marriage or a civil partnership
• come to the UK specifically for private medical treatment
• change to another visa
• bring family members with you on your application, each applicant must apply separately
• get funds publicly

You cannot change from another type of visa to this type of visa.

2. Requirements

The following makes you eligible to apply for this type of Visa:

• You are 18 or over
• Visiting the UK for less than 6 months
• Leave the UK after your visit
• Have money to sponsor yourself without working or getting funds from people, or relatives and friends can support and house you
• Paying for return or onward journey
• Not being in transit to a country outside the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands

To apply for a long-term visit visa

There must be evidence of:

• Frequent and ongoing need to come to the UK
• Reason to come to the UK might not change while the visa is valid
• Planning to leave the UK after each visit

If your travel history shows you have been living here constantly for long periods, your Visa might be revoked and you may be banned from visiting the UK

Family in the UK

There must be evidence that will be visiting one of the following family members in the UK:

• spouse or civil partner
• children
• parents or siblings
• grandparents or grandchildren
• your spouse’s or civil partner’s siblings or parents
• your child’s spouse or civil partner
• step parents, step children or step siblings
• a person you’ve been living with in a long-term relationship, as if you were married or in a civil partnership, for at least 2 years before the day you apply

Your family member must be one of the following:

• a British citizen
• settled in the UK
• granted asylum in the UK
• under humanitarian protection in the UK

Required Documents

The required documents are:

• Travel Documents
• 1 passport sized colored photograph
• Bank statements or pay slips for the last 6 months
• Details of where you will be staying and travel plans – payment of accommodation or travel should not be made until you get your visa.

Your passport should have blank pages on which to put the visa

Family documents

You must provide proof of the family member you’re visiting in the UK, which should include:

• Letter of invitation
• Their bank statements or pay slips
• Evidence of their immigration circumstances in the UK which should show that they’re permanently settled or have asylum humanitarian status in the UK, eg a valid visa or immigration stamp in their passport

Every document must be provided in original both and photocopy.

For documents not written in English or Welsh, Certified translations must be provided

Depending on your case, you might be asked to to provide additional documents.

long-term visit visa application

You must provide evidence showing that you can have the capacity to support yourself financially for the duration of your stay.

If this is not done, you may be given a visa for a shorter period than requested. Application fee will not be refunded if your application is refused or if you get a shorter visa.