A UK Tourist Visit Visa is for people who want to come to the UK temporarily for tourism, holidays, family visits, social visits or other permitted visitor activities. The application is often refused when the purpose of visit, financial evidence, sponsor support or intention to leave is not explained clearly.
Review whether your purpose of visit, funds, travel history and home-country ties are strong enough before you apply.
The UK Tourist Visit Visa sits within the Standard Visitor route. It is suitable for temporary visits such as holidays, visiting family or friends, attending social events, short recreational activities, passing through the UK, or combining tourism with other permitted visitor activities.
Most visitors can stay for up to 6 months. A long-term visit visa can be issued for 2, 5 or 10 years, but each visit must still remain temporary and normally cannot exceed 6 months. A long-term visa does not allow someone to live in the UK through repeated or lengthy stays.
The main question is not only whether the applicant wants to visit. The evidence must show that the visit is genuine, affordable and temporary, and that the applicant will leave the UK at the end of the trip.
A tourist visitor must have a genuine temporary reason to come to the UK and must intend to leave at the end of the visit. The applicant should be able to show how the trip will be funded and where they will stay.
Decision-makers often look at employment, business, study, family, financial and property ties outside the UK. Where a UK sponsor is involved, the sponsor evidence should support the visitor’s case without replacing the visitor’s own credibility.
A previous refusal, weak bank evidence, unclear employment position, unexplained deposits, limited travel history or long proposed stay can make the application more sensitive. A legal evidence strategy can help address those risks before submission.
The evidence should be tailored to the applicant’s purpose of visit, funds, sponsor support, travel history and reasons to return home. A strong application explains the visit clearly rather than relying on a long but unfocused document bundle.
We can review your visitor evidence before the application is prepared and help identify gaps, contradictions and refusal risks.
A tourist visitor may only be able to extend if they were granted less than 6 months and need to extend up to a total of 6 months. The current extension fee is £1,172.
A standard tourism visit cannot normally be extended beyond 6 months. Visitors who need to remain longer should obtain advice before their permission expires because overstaying can damage future applications.
The Tourist Visit Visa does not lead to settlement, ILR or British citizenship. It is designed for temporary visits only.
If the visitor has a longer-term UK objective, such as joining family, studying, working or building a UK business, a different immigration route may be more appropriate.
We help applicants and sponsors prepare a visitor visa case that explains the purpose of travel, funding, accommodation, home-country ties and refusal risks in a clear and credible way.
We can assess purpose of visit, permitted activities, financial evidence, sponsor support, home ties, travel history and refusal risks before the application is submitted.
The current fee for a short-term Standard Visitor visa of up to 6 months is £135. Long-term visitor visas cost more depending on whether the applicant requests 2, 5 or 10 years.
Most visitors can stay for up to 6 months, but the proposed stay must still be credible, affordable and temporary.
No. A 10-year visitor visa allows repeated visits during the visa validity period, but each visit must normally be temporary and cannot exceed the permitted stay.
No. A tourist visitor cannot work for a UK company or be self-employed in the UK unless a specific permitted visitor activity applies.
Yes, a UK-based family member may support the visit, but the applicant must still show their own genuine visitor intention and circumstances.
Common issues include unclear purpose of visit, weak financial evidence, unexplained deposits, limited ties to the home country, inconsistent documents or previous immigration concerns.
Travel and accommodation plans should be credible, but certain types of booking evidence may not be the most important evidence. The focus is on the overall genuineness and affordability of the visit.
A tourist visitor may only be able to extend in limited circumstances, usually where permission was granted for less than 6 months and the total stay will not exceed 6 months.
No. The visitor route is temporary and does not lead to ILR or settlement.
We can review eligibility, evidence, sponsor documents, travel purpose, finances, home ties and refusal risk before the application is prepared.
For meetings, conferences, negotiations, trade fairs and permitted short business activities.
For invited experts coming for a paid engagement linked to their profession.
For private medical treatment, reciprocal healthcare treatment and organ donation visits.
For researchers, academics, scientists and senior doctors or dentists visiting for permitted academic activities.
For visitors who need to marry, register a civil partnership or give notice in the UK.
For tourism, family visits, holidays, events and short personal visits to the UK.
Speak to Immigration Visa Expert Immigration Visa Experts for advice on visitor eligibility, documents, sponsor evidence, permitted activities, previous refusals and application strategy.
