Visitors

You can come to the UK as a Standard Visitor:

• for tourism, for example on a holiday or to see your family and friends
• for certain business activities, for example attending a meeting
• to do a short course of study
• to take part in research or an exchange programme as an academic
• for medical reasons, for example to receive private medical treatment

You must 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

What you can and cannot do

You can:

• spend time with friends and family
• take a holiday
• do a recreational course of up to 30 days, for example a dance course
• volunteer for up to 30 days with a registered charity
• take part in a school exchange programme
• attend meetings, conferences, trade fairs or negotiating contracts.

If you’re visiting to study
You can visit the UK to study for up to 6 months at an accredited institution, this includes English language courses.

You can also do:

• a short piece of research that’s relevant to your course overseas
• an ‘elective’ - an optional additional placement, if you’re studying medicine, veterinary medicine and science, or dentistry

If you want to study longer you’ll need to apply for a:

• Student visa (if your course is run by a licensed sponsor)
• Short-term study visa (for English Language courses up to 11 months

If you’re from an academic institution overseas, you can:

• take part in formal exchange arrangements with UK counterparts
• carry out your own research during a sabbatical

If you’re a senior doctor or dentist you can also:

• take part in research
• teach (as long as it is not a permanent teaching post)
• undertake clinical practice (as long as it’s not a permanent position)

If you’re visiting for medical reasons:

• You can visit the UK if you want to have private medical treatment at a hospital or other medical facility.
• You can also visit to donate an organ to a family member or close friend. This includes being assessed for suitability as a donor match.

You cannot:

• do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person
• live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent visits
• claim public funds (benefits)
• do a course of study that lasts longer than 6 months
• marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership.

How long you can stay:

• You can usually stay in the UK for up to 6 months.
• You might be able to stay for up to 11 months if you’re coming to the UK for private medical treatment.
• You, your spouse or civil partner and children might be able to stay for up to 12 months if you’re an academic on sabbatical and coming to the UK for research.

You can apply for a Permitted Paid Engagement visa if you:

You must apply for a Marriage Visitor visa if:

You can apply for a Short-term study visa if:

You can only apply for a Parent of a Child Student visa if your child has or is applying for a Child Student visa.
Or
if they currently have a Tier 4 (Child) visa.

Your child must be aged between 4 and 11 when you apply, and be attending an independent school in the UK.

You must also:

• be the only parent accompanying your child in the UK
• have enough money to support yourself and your child in the UK
• maintain your main home outside the UK
• plan to leave the UK when your visa expires

What you can and cannot do

You can:

• extend your visa to stay in the UK until the date your child’s student visa expires or they turn 12, whichever happens first.

You cannot:

• do paid work
• study
• start a business
• make the UK your main home
• apply for benefits (public funds), or the State Pension
• bring other family members with you
• switch to a different type of visa

How long you can stay

You can stay in the UK until your child’s visa expires or they turn 12, whichever happens first.

You can extend your visa while in the UK as long as you meet the eligibility requirements.

You can come to the UK for up to 30 days as part of a tour group through the approved destination status agreement (ADS) if you’re a Chinese citizen.

To qualify you must enter the country as part of your tour group (minimum 5 people) and stay with the group for the whole of your visit.

Your tour must be organised by an ADS licensed Chinese tour operator.

Once you have completed your ADS visitor application form online. Your agent will then arrange an appointment for the whole tour group at a visa approval centre in China. This will usually happen at least 3 weeks before departure.

Before the appointment date you need to give your agent:

• your current travel document or passport
• your previous passports or travel documents
• evidence of your current employment or studies

You must have a blank page in your passport on which to put the visa.

The appointment includes taking your fingerprints and photo (biometric information).

You should pay the visa fee directly to your travel agent, who will pay for the whole group.

You must leave the UK when your ADS visa expires. You cannot extend this visa.