UK Standard Visitor Visa Route

Information and guidance around the Standard Visitor Visa route

How to apply for a Standard Visitor Visa - for you or your friends/family

Overview (inc. attending your graduation)

The UK Government have launched the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) which some nationalities apply for before they travel to the UK, instead of a Visitor Visa. The rules around who needs an ETA are changing, so make sure you are checking the relevant section of our ETA webpage for the time you or your family/friends plan to travel.

You or your friends/family can apply for a Standard Visitor visa if you/they want to visit the UK:

for tourism, a holiday or to see your family and friends or attend graduation
for certain business activities, i.e. attending a meeting
to take part in research or an exchange programme as an academic
for medical reasons, for example to receive private medical treatment
for short term study (less than 6 months) for example:

study a short course at an accredited institution (meaning one or more consecutive or concurrent programmes of study that will be completed within the validity period of the visitor permission)
complete a period of research
complete research tuition (for example, to learn about research)
complete one or more elective courses linked to their overseas study, where they are studying medicine, veterinary medicine and science, or dentistry as their principal course of study equivalent to at least degree level study in the UK
complete a study-abroad programme in the UK as part of an overseas course, where your programme is less than 6 months in length
sit an entrance exam
re-sit an examination or retake a module
take an oral examination (viva) for part of a PhD qualification at a UK institution

Attending your graduation with a valid Student Route visa

If you left the UK at the end of your course but you still have time remaining on the Student Route visa you had to study that course, you should be able to use that visa to come back to attend your graduation ceremony instead of applying for a Visitor Visa/ETA. Ensure that the Student visa covers you for the length of your whole visit, and that you are carrying information about the graduation ceremony in your hand luggage. Generic graduation emails from the University should suffice in this case. You must ensure you leave the UK before your visa expires or you "switch" to another visa route.

How long can some stay with a Visitor visa?

You can usually stay in the UK for up to 6 months on a Standard Visit visa.

Can I extend this visa or “switch” to another visa in the UK (e.g. the Graduate Route)?

No. You cannot extend a Visit visa or switch into another category whilst you are in the UK. The Standard Visit route does not give eligibility for the Graduate Route (even if you have previously held a Student Route visa). You can only apply for the Graduate route if your current visa is Student, you successfully completed your course, and you are applying in the UK before it expires.

What you can and can't do

You can:

visit the UK to do certain activities, for example visiting friends and family or attending a conference.

You cannot:

undertake paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person. Work placements/internships are also not allowed
live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent visits
claim public funds (benefits)
enrol on a course of study that lasts longer than 6 months
marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership. You’ll need a Marriage Visitor visa instead

Eligibility

You must always show that:

you’ll leave the UK at the end of your visit
you’ll not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK your main home
you’re able to support yourself and your dependants during your trip (or have funding from someone else to support you)
you’re able to pay for your return or onward journey (or have funding from someone else to pay for the journey)
you have proof of any business or other activities you want to do in the UK, as allowed by the Visitor Rules
you have proof that you meet any further eligibility requirements depending on your reason for being in the UK.

Most countries will need to apply for this visa before you come to the UK but some countries (including EU/EEA) can apply once they arrive at the airport. To find out whether you must apply before you arrive check the Gov.uk website. If you can apply on arrival you still have the option of applying for your visa before leaving home and this removes the worry that you might be refused at the airport and makes your travelling less stressful. You may also need to apply for ETA to permit travel to the UK, even if you don't need a visa.

Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)

Some postgraduate courses (particularly around Engineering, Science and Technology) require you apply for and received a UK government ATAS certificate before study is permitted, even when you are coming with a Standard Visitor visa. The application is free and is made online but it can take 4-8 weeks to receive. Therefore, you must apply in good time in order to receive the ATAS and allow you to be enrolled on your course (you cannot be enrolled without it). You will be notified by the University if you are preparing to study an ATAS course. Further information can be found in the ATAS section below.

Further comprehensive information about the Standard Visitor visa route can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-visa. Immigration rules do change frequently so you should always check you have the most up-to-date information before you make any visa application.

Healthcare in the UK for Standard Visitor visa holder

Standard Visitor visa holders are not entitled to free health care during their time in the UK and will need to secure private medical insurance for the length of their stay.

Choosing to refuse private medical insurance will not affect your immigration application, however, if you become a National Health Service (NHS) debtor by using health services in the UK as a visitor, and not paying for the treatment, this will have an effect on any future visa applications you make (ie future applications being refused). You should also expect that you may be refused all non-emergency medical care without evidence of health insurance or payment capability.

We would always recommend Standard Visitor visa holders take out appropriate medical insurance polices covering their entire stay in the UK before they travel. Although you can use any provider you wish, there are some insurance companies that offer specific insurance plans for international students such as Insure2Study Overseas or Endsleigh Insurance.

We recommend that all eligible EU/EEA/Swiss students get a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if they can. Having this document may impact on your ability to smoothly accessing UK healthcare and affect future eligibility under some UK immigration routes (e.g. Citizenship) and facilitating a refund for any Immigration Health Surcharge fees subsequently paid under the Student Route (if applicable).

Applying from outside the UK (prior to travel)

Unless you are from North Korea, you will need to submit your Standard Visitor visa application online: https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-visa/apply

Once your application has been submitted online, you will usually need to attend an appointment at a UK Visa Application Centre to submit your original documents and enrol your biometric information (fingerprints and photographs). It will then take approximately 2 to 8 weeks for your visa application to be processed and the decision made. Current visa processing times can be viewed at the Gov.UK website.

You must only travel to the UK when your visa has been issued. We suggest you only book travel once the Standard Visitor visa has been granted as there is no guarantee that the visa will:

be processed within the normal timeframe, or;
that it will be granted at all

When you travel to the UK, you should always carry the documents that you submitted with your visa application in your hand luggage to the UK. The Border Force Officer may ask to see these documents when you arrive in the UK.

Please see our 'Suggested Documents' section below to help you with your preparations.

Applying on arrival in the UK

A limited number of nationalities can apply for a Standard Visit visa at the UK border on arrival in the UK.

Even if you are a nationality that can apply on arrival in the UK, at the border, we would always recommend that you apply for your visa before coming to the UK. However, if you have checked the Gov.uk website, and you are certain you can apply on entry and you decide to do so, the process is outlined below:

On arrival in the UK, you will need to present your passport and all the required documents to the UK Border Force Officer at the port of entry (airport). They may also expect to see proof of your finances, so we recommend that you carry a recent original bank statement or other proof of funding in your hand luggage. There are no set regulations around the amount of funds that you need to show to cover accommodation and living costs in the UK, but we would recommend that you use Student Route financial requirements as a guide. If you have accommodation provided in the UK, make sure you travel with evidence of that.

You should explain clearly to the Border Force Officer that you wish to enter as a Standard Visitor and your reasons i.e. in order to attend your graduation ceremony or for study.

Please see our 'Suggested Documents' section below to help you with your preparations.

Even if you are able to apply for a visa on arrival, you still need to apply for an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) before you travel to the UK under new rules. You can check your eligibility for ETA here.

Some nationalities will be directed to use an e-Gate facility on arrival at a UK port of entry. You can find more information about e-Gates and which passport holders are eligible to use them on the UKVI e-Gates website.

Using the e-Gates means you will not receive an entry stamp inside your passport but you will automatically be given Standard Visitor immigration status for 6 months.

You will need to keep evidence of when you arrived in the UK so that you can show this to staff when you come to enrol on your course. You should also make a note of when your 6 month permission is due to expire as you will need to leave the UK before this date to avoid inadvertently overstaying your immigration permission.

ATAS

The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) applies to all international students and researchers (apart from exempt nationalities) with a time-limited UK visa, and who are intending to study or research at postgraduate level in certain sensitive subjects.

If you are a student coming to the UK as a visitor for a course or period of research of 6 months or less, you will need to obtain an ATAS clearance certificate before starting the course and/or research in the UK, but clearance isn't needed for the standard visit visa application itself.

ATAS applications can take several weeks to be processed, so please plan ahead. You won't be able to start your course or research until your ATAS certificate is successfully granted.

For full details on how to apply for ATAS please visit our ATAS webpages.