Hi,

I will be heading back to the u.k for 4 months over the summer.

My girlfriend has travelled back with me for the last 3 years for approx 4 months each time.

We have had no problems getting a visit visa the last three times but could it be a problem if she applies year after year. Is there a limit on how many times she can get a visa ? As i said we only go back for 4 months due to my work.

Thanks for any advice

Rich

No limitations

The rule is that a general visitor must not spend more than 6 months in the UK per visit. Your girlfriend hasn't.

There is also a convention, not rule, that a general visitor should not spend more than 6 months out of any 12 in the UK. Your girlfriend hasn't and, fro m what you say, wont.

As long as she is a genuine visitor with a genuine reason for making regular visits and doesn't contravene the above rule and convention then there is no reason why she cannot visit the UK every year.

That she has done so for the previous three years without any problems indicates that the ECOs are satisfied on this point, so unless there has been a significant change in her circumstances since her last visit, I can see no problems.

Have you considered a longer term visit visa; 2, 5 or 10 years? The above restrictions would still apply, but it would save her having to apply each year.

Note, though, that the longer term applied for, the higher the fee and if the ECO decides to grant a shorter period than that applied for there will be no refund of the difference in the fees.

Hi I am in a similar situation to yourself girlfriend been every may for 5+ months . stays at my uk home each summer/autumr for last 5 years.I have just applied for a repeat 2 yr holiday visa for her awaiting resulting outcome. On arrival Manchester last year she was given a right grilling,luckily I was with her and they allowed entry saying she was coming on wrong visa,but there is no other visa! she has always returned before the 6 months time limit is up. I usually return with her to my thai property for 6 months on multi o or multple visit visas as is the case this year

Just submitted my TGF 2nd application. I did see in the UKBA web site they had written a sentence in along the lines of: If the ECO thinks you are spending 6 months in every 12 in the UK they might refuse entry.

Not heard of any one refusing entry yet on this basis.

Sent from my GT-P5110 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Just submitted my TGF 2nd application. I did see in the UKBA web site they had written a sentence in along the lines of: If the ECO thinks you are spending 6 months in every 12 in the UK they might refuse entry.

Not heard of any one refusing entry yet on this basis.

Sent from my GT-P5110 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

There have been some visa refusals on those grounds. I personally know of three. But, the refusal decisions were successfully overturned after good solid representataions were made to the Embassy.

I may be misremembering, but there was a 'fly on the wall' program on British TV about what was then the UKBA a while back, and I recall a Canadian girl who had spent 6 months in the UK with her boyfriend, returned to Canada for a couple of weeks and then returned to the UK. She was refused entry by immigration at Heathrow. (Although Canadians are one of the nationalities who do not require visit visas in advance, they do have to comply with the same conditions of entry as those who do. As do all non visa nationals.)

But it is a convention, not rule; and if the visitor can show a good, valid reason why they need to spend more than 6 months out of 12 in the UK then they should be allowed in.