Visiting the UK to visit family

If you intend to visit family in the UK, you would be required to establish your family relationship e.g. marriage certificate, birth certificate/s, letter of invitation etc.

Visiting the UK for business

Business visitors are permitted to undertake the following activities in the UK:

• attend meetings, conferences, seminars, interviews; and
• give a one-off or short series of talks and speeches provided these are not organised as commercial events and will not make a profit for the organiser; and
• negotiate and sign deals and contracts; and
• attend trade fairs, for promotional work only, provided the visitor is not directly selling; and
• carry out site visits and inspections; and
• gather information for their employment overseas; and
• be briefed on the requirements of a UK based customer, provided any work for the customer is done outside of the UK.
• An employee of an overseas based company may:

(a) advise and consult; and

(b) trouble-shoot; and

(c) provide training; and

(d) share skills and knowledge;

on a specific internal project with UK employees of the same corporate group, provided no work is carried out directly with clients.

Visiting the UK for private medical treatment

Due to the UK’s reputation in medical treatment and enhanced medical facilities, many foreign nationals wish to enter the UK to receive private medical treatment.

In order to enter the UK to receive medical treatment, you would be required to apply for a standard visitor visa. If the visa is granted, you will be able to stay in the UK for a period of 6 months (but no more than 11 months if entering the UK for private medical treatment).

As a visitor to the UK for private medical treatment, you would need to prove the following:

• You are genuinely seeking to enter the UK as a visitor to receive private medical treatment
• You have made the relevant arrangements for medical consultations or treatment in the UK
• You will leave the UK at the end of your treatment or before your visit visa expiry date
• You will have sufficient funds to cover all your expenses in the UK e.g. return flight tickets, accommodation expenses, the cost of the private medical treatment and your normal day-to-day expenses.

Visiting the UK as an academic

Academics can apply to come to the UK for up to 12-months. They may:

• take part in formal exchange arrangements with UK counterparts (including doctors); and
• carry out research for their own purposes if they are on sabbatical leave from their home institution; and
• if they are an eminent senior doctor or dentist, take part in research, teaching or clinical practice provided this does not amount to filling a permanent teaching post.

The academic must be highly qualified within their own field of expertise; and

• currently be working in that field at an academic institution or institution of higher education overseas; and
• provide a valid medical certificate, if they reside in or have resided in a listed country in the last 6 months, confirming that they have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that this tuberculosis is not present in them.

Prohibited activities for visitors

A visitor must not intend to work in the UK, which includes:

• taking employment in the UK; and
• doing work for an organisation or business in the UK; and
• establishing or running a business as a self-employed person; and
• doing a work placement or internship; and
• direct selling to the public; and
• providing goods and services

unless expressly allowed under the Immigration Rules.

• study in the UK, except as permitted by the Immigration Rules
• access medical treatment, other than private medical treatment or to donate an organ
• get married or form a civil partnership, or give notice of intention to marry or form a civil partnership, unless they are applying for entry clearance as a Marriage/Civil Partnership Visitor or are a relevant national as defined in section 62 of the Immigration Act 2014.

Visitors must not receive payment from a UK source for any activities undertaken in the UK, except in very limited circumstances

Visitor visas can only be extended in very limited circumstances, and are not usually granted for more than 6 months in total.