Uk Visit Visa

[NanLaew]

My wife submitted her second UK visit visa application online yesterday. We already did the first 10-day visit earlier in the year to catch the snow and this one is for a summer holiday. Does anyone have the latest experience on what length of visa she can expect on this second (and subsequent) applications? Or will the standard 6-month, multi-entry be the only option again. We didn't see any longer options in the drop-down menu listing when starting the application.

Thanks,

NL

[CharlieB]

Unless you specifically apply for a longer length visa, which would cost more money, you will get a normal 6 month visit visa.

[NanLaew]

When we did the online application, there didn't appear to be an option for a longer duration visit visa other than 6 months. When the wife did the last visa application last year, there was a fair gap between the online application and the actual appointment and the Regent House people said that there were new questions that were not available online so she had to resubmit a full application that day. I recall that there was a question of how long you wanted the visa to last on the written application (the default being 6 months max for first-time applicants) but if I have missed the option to select a longer duration on the online application, can someone point it out for me for next time?. Maybe she can ask when she submits the application and pay whatever is required for a longer one.

[7by7]

Remember that whatever the term of the visa, from the standard 6 months up to the maximum 10 years, she will only be allowed to stay in the UK for a maximum of 6 months per visit and a maximum of 6 months out of any 12.

It seems that the UK government, no matter which department, just cannot get it's IT systems right; which is why I've always filled in a paper form and just turned up whenever any of the wife's family have applied for visit visas. You could try asking at the VAC when she goes; the fees for the different terms are on this page.

Read VAT1.4 Visa validity - What period for a multiple entry visit visa? before considering a longer term. You wont get a refund if they issue a shorter term than asked for!

[NanLaew]

Many thanks for those 2 links!

The hand-written application that the wife ended up resubmitting last year did have the option to request longer than 6-months but as you say, their website doesn't facilitate this so will ask upon application.

That 2-year validity would only be a real saving if we are doing more than 2 visits per year which is what is currently planned. It's not really the money, more the hassle of having to resubmit basically the same data a couple of times a year when living in darkest Isaan! Maybe just go with another 6-month multi for this summer and then use evidence of two uncontested UK entries in conjunction with other foreign travel and my parents growing dotage as the argument for a 2-year multi some time next year... when the rules will all be different anyway!

[ThaiVisaExpress]

5 working days is the current processing time for visit visa applications.

[ThaiVisaExpress]

Remember that whatever the term of the visa, from the standard 6 months up to the maximum 10 years, she will only be allowed to stay in the UK for a maximum of 6 months per visit and a maximum of 6 months out of any 12.

It seems that the UK government, no matter which department, just cannot get it's IT systems right; which is why I've always filled in a paper form and just turned up whenever any of the wife's family have applied for visit visas. You could try asking at the VAC when she goes; the fees for the different terms are on this page.

Read VAT1.4 Visa validity - What period for a multiple entry visit visa? before considering a longer term. You wont get a refund if they issue a shorter term than asked for!

It is on the online form on the drop down choices of which visa you require, or it was last week as I was applying for a 2 year valid visit visa for a client.

[NanLaew]

^^ That's quite snappy, thanks for the info.

^ Bugger! These tired old eyes missed that.

Edited June 21, 2010 by NanLaew