Hi,

Due to previous help from this forum my girlfriend now has a UK visitors visa (issued a few days ago).

In the application we applied for 4 months although we realistically expect to ustilise the whole 6 months.

My question is this.....does the 6 months that she is allowed to remain in the UK start from the date of issue of the visa.....or does it start from date of entry into the UK?

We will be flying to the UK at the end of next month so we are a little worried that will only allow us 5 months together in the Uk.

Many thanks,

B.

See also Validity of visa:

The period of permitted stay in the UK is also limited to the validity of the visa unless an extension of stay is authorised by the Home Office.

Benjy,first ,well done getting the visit visa they are real strict sometimes.

My wife(then girlfriend) got a six month visit visa and its definatly valid from date of issue,not when you enter u.k. I know this because i thought it was from date of entry to u.k and my mrs ended up overstaying !! I only found out when we returned to Thailand to get married and whilst at u.k embassy making settlement visa the staff told us that she overstayed.i couldnt belive it,trying to do everything to the book,but we still got the settlement visa though,lucky i think.Good luck.

Benjy well done.

Be aware that if you asked for 4 months when you intended to actually stay 6 months then it MAY count against you slightly in any future applications you make. Not as bad as saying 1 month and staying 6 , but why didn't you just ask for 6 to start with . You must have had a strong application anyway to be granted 4 months as this is quite a long time for a VV , so you probably would have got 6 anyway.

Just a though for the future

The minimum period for a standard visit visa is 6 months, even if the applicant requested a shorter period.

And, yes, it starts from the date of issue, not the date of entry to the UK. Although it is possible to have the commencement date postponed for up to 3 months, but this must be asked for when making the application.

Re-reading my post i'm not sure i made it clear what i was saying so i'll repeat it again slightly differently.

When i say you were granted 4 months i meant that you applied for and was APPROVED on the 4 months , even though you will be given 6 months. Every one gets the 6 months but future applications will be judged on past performance , although the difference between 4 and 6 months is not great , and if you intended 6 months you could have just said 6 months to start with.

Hope thats clearer