Applying for a UK visitor’s visa for a foreign friend to go to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland can be very stressful. I am also certain that it is more difficult for people from some countries than for others. This is because the staff are concerned about the applicant’s ability to support him/herself. This is government policy and you must not hold it against the embassy staff – they are only doing their job! It is well worth remembering this when talking to the embassy staff about a UK visitor’s visa.
You should take note here that a UK visitor’s visa is usable for six months and not only that but the recipient can enter and leave the UK as often as he/she wants within those six months. However, in practice, for the first UK visitor’s visa at least, restrictions may be imposed. For example, if you state that you want to go for six weeks, a note may be pinned into the passport advising customs of the 6 week restriction. You must also ‘promise’ not to try to stay longer than that!
The UK visitor’s visa also precludes you from access to public funds ” social security, unemployment benefit, et cetera. Most people are refused a UK visitor’s visa the first time because they do not have a strong enough, valid reason for going to Britain. If the reason is to visit a lover, then you have a far better chance if you can prove that you have had a continuing relationship for at least six months. At this stage of the proceedings, all your efforts should be directed at validating the reason for your visit or proving your relationship.
We should look more deeply into this latter matter. Most people from poorer countries wanting to visit the UK will need a sponsor. This can be a (prospective) employer or a friend. Be careful of exaggerating how long you have known each other as there are stamps in the friend’s passport to prove entry dates! However, you will need lots more evidence than that. A letter from a friend, boss or employer will help. Bank statements, restaurant menus, phone cards and photos will go a long way too. The onus is on you to prove your relationship.
Then you can proceed by obtaining the ‘Visa Application Form (VAF) from the embassy or its website. The websites are very helpful for advising what you should include with your visa application form, but it will often include the ‘evidence’ mentioned above, the passport, the fee, photos, and sponsor’s letter etc. In fact anything that helps your case even a little bit.
Therefore, it is necessary to realize that the sponsor plays a critical role if you want to make your first application for a UK visitor’s visa a successful one. He/she must be prepared to cover your financial requirements during your stay in the United Kingdom and he/she must prove it with a letter and bank statements.
From this you can see that the sponsor plays the most important of roles in successfully applying for a UK visitor’s visa, for he/she will have to prove that he/she can support you. To do this your sponsor will need a letter from his/her employer and a copy of bank statements to prove sufficient funds and a letter from the mortgage provider or council to show that you will have somewhere to stay. Marital status does not enter into the equation, but sometimes apparently weird reasons are given for refusal of a UK visitor’s visa.
“Mr. / Mrs. Miss Applicant for a UK visitor’s visa has not previously used a passport” – easy, just go over the nearest border.
“the person applying for a UK visitor’s visa does not seem to have strong socio-economic ties to his/her country of origin” or, in other words, they don’t trust you to return to your country. A letter from your boss, doctor, solicitor or village elder; proof of children or living parents; proof of property are all useful.
Do not be tempted to hurry the application for a UK visitor’s visa. Ensure that you have a ‘valid reason’ for wanting to go to the UK and remember it; ensure that you can prove everything that you say. Pretend for the day of the interview for a UK visitor’s visa that you are a lawyer and provide solid, written proof.
Run through applicant’s story until he/she has it well-rehearsed (they will not want to see the sponsor and sometimes, he/she is not even allowed to wait on the embassy compound). The applicant for a UK visitor’s visa will be required to attend an interview the first time and this can be held in English or the applicant’s native tongue. The UK visitor’s visa will normally be available for collection the next day.
Warning: get a longer permit to stay than you need, because the UK visitor’s visa is valid from the day it is issued, but you probably don’t have a flight booked yet. You can be delayed getting there and coming back too. The rest of the 180-day multiple entry UK visitor’s visa may have to be cancelled on your return to help deter you from returning on that visa. If you have to do this, don’t return on a Friday because the embassy is closed on the weekend.
Finally, the best tip of all: do not lie, they will find out; it is their job!
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