How to apply for a Standard Visitor visa

Dear Mr Bassie,

Under what circumstances can an application be made for the Standard Visitor visa, and what visas has it replaced?

Any information would be appreciated.

U.L.

Dear U.L.,

Persons can apply for a Standard Visitor visa if they want to visit the United Kingdom for leisure, for business, or to take part in sports or creative events or for another reason such as to receive private medical treatment.

Persons’ applications will not be accepted, and they will not get a refund if they have the right of abode in the UK, for example, they are a British citizen. Those persons will need to apply for a certificate of entitlement instead.

Please note that the Standard Visitor visa has replaced the:

■ Family Visitor visa

■ General Visitor visa

■ Child Visitor visa

■ Business Visitor visa, including visas for academics, doctors, and dentists

■ Sports Visitor visa

■ Entertainer Visitor visa

■ Prospective Entrepreneur visa

■ Private Medical Treatment Visitor visa

■ Approved Destination Status (ADS) visa

Persons can apply for a Standard Visitor visa if they want to visit the United Kingdom for businessrelated activities such as:

■ They are going to the United Kingdom for a conference, meeting, or training;

■ They want to take part in a specific sports-related event;

■ They are artistes, entertainers, or musicians going to the United Kingdom to perform;

■ They are academics carrying out research or accompanying students on study-abroad programmes;

■ They are doctors or dentists and are going to the United Kingdom to take up a clinical attachment or observer post;

■ Persons who want to take the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test or sit the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE);

■ Persons who want to get funding to start, take over, join, or run a business in the United Kingdom. Prospective persons should check the Visitor Rules to find the full list of business-related activities that they can do with a Standard Visitor visa.

If they are being paid by a United Kingdom company to visit as an expert in their profession, they should apply for a Permitted Paid Engagement visa.

The successful persons can take part in any of the business-related activities mentioned in the Visitor Rules online, and they can study for up to 30 days as long as it is not the main reason for their visit. They can also take part in exchange programmes or educational visits if they are under 18 years of age, and they can convert a civil partnership into a marriage. Those persons can also pass through the United Kingdom while in transit on the way to another country.

Please be aware that those persons are not permitted to do paid or unpaid work; live in the United Kingdom for long periods through frequent visits. They are not allowed to get public funds, marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership.

To be sure, persons are advised to read the guidance online for more information about what persons can and cannot do with a Standard Visitor visa.

Persons can apply up to three months before a date of travel and should get a decision on the visa within three weeks if applying from outside the United Kingdom.

If successful, persons can usually stay in the United Kingdom for up to six months. Persons might be able to stay for longer if:

■ They are going to there for private medical treatment - up to 11 months (£190 fee).

■ They are an academic on sabbatical and going there for research – the applicant, his/her spouse or civil partner may be able to stay for up to 12 months (£190 fee).

Please note that persons who would like to stay there as an academic or to receive private medical treatment for longer than six months must apply for a biometric residence permit.

Persons might be able to get a Standard Visitor visa for up to 30 days if they are a Chinese citizen visiting under the Approved Destination Status (ADS) Agreement.

Just for completeness, persons who may need to visit the United Kingdom regularly over a longer period can apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa that lasts two, five, or 10 years. Those persons can stay for a maximum of six months on each visit. Please be aware that for persons under 18 years old when they apply, their longterm Standard Visitor visa will only be valid for up to six months after turning 18 years old.

A Standard Visitor visa costs £95, and the fee for a long-term Standard Visitor visa, depending on its length, if two years – £361; five years – £655; or 10 years – £822. John S. Bassie is a barrister/ attorney-at-law who practises law in Jamaica. He is a justice of the peace, a Supreme Courtappointed mediator, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a chartered arbitrator, and a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (UK). Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com

‘Persons can apply up to three months before a date of travel and should get a decision on the visa within three weeks if applying from outside the United Kingdom.’