Timescale for UK visa application

[Delight]

When I apply for G/F visa to visit UK for 1 month holiday -can I specify the dates that I need well before the holiday or is there a limit on forward planning?

[ubonjoe]

Moved to visas for other countries forum.

[theoldgit]

Your girlfriend can ask for the visa to be post dated for up to 90 days, she needs to make it very clear in her application, otherwise visa are valid from the date of issue.

Not being pernickety, but you don't apply for a visa, your girlfriend does, it's her that has to meet the requirements, and supply all the evidence.

[Delight]

Your girlfriend can ask for the visa to be post dated for up to 90 days, she needs to make it very clear in her application, otherwise visa are valid from the date of issue.

Not being pernickety, but you don't apply for a visa, your girlfriend does, it's her that has to meet the requirements, and supply all the evidence.

Thanks for your reply

You are of course correct about who is doing the application i.e.the girlfriend -she gets the benefit -I simply get the work .

[Mobi]

Excuse me if I piggy back on your thread as this raises a point that I was going to ask about.

A few years ago when I used to apply for UK visas for wife or GF, the 6 months started from the date when the person entered the UK. Upon arrival, her passport was stamped with 6 months stay by UK immigration. This was regardless of how long ago the visa had been issued by the Bangkok embassy.

Last year, I obtained a visit visa for my girlfriend in April and we went to UK in July. I expected UK immigration to stamp her in for six months but they just stamped her visa with date of arrival with no mention of how long she could stay.

It didn't matter because we were only there for 3 weeks but since returning, I have been told that the visa was valid for her to stay in UK for 6 months from date of visa issue, not from date of arrival.

Is this correct?

[theoldgit]

Immigration Officers don't routinely stamp you in for a set time now, though they can do, as you say they just stamp the visa on the date you arrive.

The visa holder has to leave the UK on or before the expiry date of the visa.

[7by7]

UK visit visas did previously start from the date of first arrival in the UK; but that changed some time ago.

Now they are valid from the date of issue or the requested start date; whichever is the later.

[matsky13]

I had this experience last year even though i made it very clear we wanted the visas to start on a certain date I even stapled a peace of paper with this info on inside the passport ,with some of it sticking out of the top with the info including the date we requested it to start from written on again on both sides so it was impossible to not see it . it came back with the date of issue AND NOT the required date . I complained to British Embassy and they agreed to reissue it , I had to go back to Bangkok with it but I thought it was good of them to change it .

Good luck anyway