Business visa to the UK

In the past, in order to come to the United Kingdom for business purposes you had to apply for a special business visitor visa. In 2019, the UK government decided to simplify the rules and join several categories of visit visas into one, Standard Visitor visa.

Who can apply for a visitor visa to UK?

You can apply for a Standard Visitor visa if you plan to come to the UK for holidays, business, sports-related and artistic events, or for private medical treatment. Other categories included under that visa are family visitor, general visitor, child visitor, prospective entrepreneur visa and visa for tour groups from China (Approved Destination Status (ADS) visa). However, the purpose of your trip will dictate what documents you will need to provide. In this article we will talk about visiting the UK for business.

What is a business trip?

What purposes can be considered business? For example, conference, fundraising or starting your own business in the UK. You are not allowed to do any job, either paid or unpaid, on a Standard Visitor visa. Say you have been invited by a UK company as an expert and will receive remuneration for your work; then you will need a different visa, Permitted Paid Engagement visa.

Requirements for a standard visitor visa

To come to the UK as a business visitor you must demonstrate that you will live the country at the end of your visit and during your stay you will be able to maintain yourself and any dependants and cover all expenses. You must also provide proof of your business activities in the UK, for example a letter from employer or inviting party, ticket to a conference, etc. If you are unable to submit all the documents, your visa will be granted for a shorter period of time or refused altogether. In this case visa fee is not refundable.

Application criteria and timeframe

You can apply for a standard visitor visa 3 months before travel date; for example, if you travel on 10 January, you can apply after 11 October. It normally takes 3 weeks to process the application, but you should check the rules in the country you are applying from. A Standard Visitor is granted for 6 months. Exceptions include private medical treatment when you can be given a visa for up to 11 months and research done by an academic on sabbatical.

Long-term visitor visa

If you need to come to the UK for business more often, you can apply for a 2-, 5- or 10-year visa. Each time you enter the country, you can stay for up to 6 months provided you comply with the terms and conditions of the visa and do not use this to live in the country permanently.

It is not difficult to apply for a standard visitor visa, but mistakes with preparing documents and providing information can lead to refusal. Immigration advisers at Imperial & Legal will help you prepare all necessary paperwork and write a cover letter to the Home Office in accordance with UK immigration requirements.