If you come from outside of the European Union and are planning to enter the UK then you will have to obtain a visa before you can enter.

A visa is a document that gives the holder permission to enter the UK on a temporary basis for a specific length of time; these are known in the UK as either visit visas or student visas. The exception is if you are coming over to live with a family member who already has permission to live in the UK, in which case you will have to apply for a settlement visa.

If however you are planning to come here to work then you need a work permit. The British government now operates a points system when considering applications for work permits; please refer to our work-permits section here.

Visit Visas

These are valid for either 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years or 10 years, but you can only stay in the UK for a maximum period of 6 months during each visit. You can travel in and out of the country as many times as you like while the Visa is still valid but you cannot exceed the 6 month limit during any one stay. Furthermore you must not take on any paid or unpaid work while you are in the UK.

Student Visas

These allow you to stay all year round during the length of your course. You must be on a course that is recognized by the British Government, so one run by a recognized college or university, and it must require more than 15 hours per week study time or your visa application will be refused.

As a student you will be allowed to work up to a maximum of 20 hours per week in paid employment. Both visit and student visas are only issued to people who can prove that they have enough money to support themselves while they are in the UK and that they intend to leave once the visa expires.

Settlement visas

These visas are for people wishing to take up permanent residence as the child, partner or spouse of a person already living here. You are required to make your application before leaving the UK and you must prove that this is a family member on whom you are financially dependent and that you have no-one else to support you in your country of origin.

This is usually applied to children wanting to come to the UK to live with one of their parents or a parent and child wishing to be reunited with a partner, in which case the visa is issued under family reunion clearance. This normally applies to people in the UK who have refugee status or are allowed to remain on humanitarian grounds.

Applying for a visa

You can do this either by post, on-line or in person at a visa application centre (VACS). These are found in large towns or cities around the world and are usually private businesses, so although you go there to hand over all of your information and complete the application process, the final decision is taken elsewhere, meaning that they have no control over the final outcome.

You will need to provide:

1)    A coloured passport photograph (45mm x 35mm) that is taken against a clear background and printed on normal photographic paper. It cannot not be framed and you should not wear any hats, sunglasses or head-coverings unless they for religious purposes.
2)    Supporting documents – relevant to your application (for example, these may be bank statements or proof that you intend to return home)
3)    Visa fee
4)    Biometric data – this will be taken from you before you leave for the UK and will include a digital photograph of your face and a scan of your fingerprints.
 
Visa applications can differ greatly because of your personal circumstances and also because of the nature of the relationship between the UK and your individual country of origin. You can discover more about applying for visas by visiting our “Find a…” section or by contacting the UK Border Agency, the organisation responsible for processing visa applications.

USEFUL WORDS

enter / leave a country
immigration rules
non-national = someone who does not live in a country
entry clearance = the right to enter a country at a border
immigration officer = a person who checks passports and documents of people entering a country
issuing authority = the authority which gives visas
qualify for a visa = to meet the conditions needed to receive a visa
apply for a visa
supporting documents = paperwork needed in addition to your passport in order to apply for a visa
biometric information = scans of your 10 fingers plus a full-face digital photograph
pay a fee
issue a visa
refuse a visa / an application
appeal against a decision

GRAMMAR SPOT

Referring to a person of unknown sex

To talk about a single person whose sex is unknown there are 3 options:

When the non-national applies for a visa, he will be asked to supply supporting documents
When the non-national applies for a visa, he or she will be asked to supply supporting documents
When the non-national applies for a visa, they will be asked to supply supporting documents

The use of he is widely seen as sexist and is less common than it used to be.  He or she can be clumsy and is often avoided, especially in speech.  They is used with a singular meaning – some people see this as incorrect, but it is very common, especially in informal English.

TIP:
When talking about a person and you don’t know if it’s a man or a woman:

Say: they’ll need a visa
But write: He or she will need a visa