UK 10 Year Visitor Visa Criteria

[chiang mai]

Does anyone know what the criteria is for granting the UK 5 or 10 year visitor visa is?

 

I'm getting ready to apply for a visitor visa for Mrs CM and it makes sense to me that we should apply once for a period that covers the next few years, rather than keep going through the application loop repeatedly every time we want to visit.

 

We have zero intention of ever living there permanently, in fact we didn't activate a Settlement Visa that was granted five years ago. I own property in the UK and Mrs CM owns our house in CM and we can meet any financial criteria they might impose - the purpose of our visits is simply lifestyle choice and variety.  In practise we're likely to want to go visit and stay for periods of up to about three months each year, at different times, burning season being one of them.

 

The problem is the application fee is non-refundable so it's worth checking before finding we've blown a thousand Pounds on a refused application.

 

Many thanks.

[7by7]

From Long Term Visit Visas (Multiple Entry) (starts on page 25 of the Home Office staff visit guidance)

Quote

Applicants may apply for a visit visa that allows multiple visits of up to 6 months for a visitor (standard) at a time over a period of: 
• 2 years 

• 5 years 

• 10 years

Applicants for a long term visit visa must meet all the visitor rules relevant to their visit. You must then decide whether to issue the length of visit visa applied for. 
The applicant must satisfy you that they have a genuine intention to visit on a regular basis. Consider: 
• credible ongoing reason to visit - a successful applicant will show a frequent and continued reason for coming to the UK, such as family links or an established business connection but must not intend to make the UK their home-visitors coming to marry or to form civil partnership in the UK, as well as unaccompanied children and those entering the UK for medical treatment are unlikely to demonstrate this

• stability of personal and economic circumstances - as far as possible, an applicant’s financial circumstances and ties to their home country should be unlikely to change significantly during the validity of the visa

• travel history - a person does not need to have previously held a visit visa before being issued with a multiple entry visit visa-however, a history of international travel which shows the individual’s compliance with UK or other immigration laws will be relevant to deciding whether the applicant intends to leave the UK at the end of each visit - see guidance on travel history

 

Whilst there is no rule to say that an applicant for a long term visit visa needs to have held a shorter term one previously, as you can see previous travel history can play a part and tip the scales in the applicant's favour if the ECO has doubts. 

 

As you know

Quote

Where the applicant meets the visitor rules, but does not show a need to visit the UK on a regular basis and therefore does not qualify for a long-term visit visa, you can issue a visit visa for up to 6 months. In such cases, no refund (full or partial) is available.  
You must provide clear reasons for the decision to grant a visa for a shorter period than that applied for in a covering letter when the passport is returned.

So prepare the application carefully, explaining why you and your wife wish to visit the UK regularly, your and her ties to Thailand and why you and she have no desire to settle in the UK, even though you own property there.

 

I'm sure that you are aware that regardless of the term, your wife will only be allowed a maximum of 6 months in the UK per visit. Also, although not a rule, she may be refused entry if it appeared to UK Border Force officers that she could be spending more than 6 months out of any 12 in the UK as a visitor. (See Frequent or successive visits: how to assess if an applicant is making the UK their main home or place of work starting on page 10 of the guidance.

[chiang mai]

Many thanks 7B7. It might be difficult to convince the ECO that we're about to adopt a new lifestyle, switching from twelve months in Thailand to six and six and that we're going to keep up that lifestyle for many years, even though that's what we intend. Perhaps we'll get a two year visa to start with and to build a track record and then go for the ten year - the last visitor visa was over ten years ago and the unused settlement visa five years ago.

[rasg]

It's a shame that they have removed the three year option that was available last year. A two year and a three year were the same price. My (now) wife managed to get a three year despite us only being together for 9 months. I agree with you that a two year might be the way to go or even a couple of six month visas over a couple of years.  It's the schlepping to and from Bangkok that's the pain.

[bobrussell]

I would tend to agree that a two year visa is the best step. If the ECO does not consider a longer term visa is appropriate, you might end up with a very expensive standard visit visa!

After the two years on good behaviour the risk of losing the money has to be lower!

Not sure how any ECO is supposed to foresee an applicants situation over the next ten years!

[TheLobster]

My wife recently applied for and received a 10 year visit visa. We have a 1 year old and explained in the application that we would be visiting and staying with grandparents annually for the foreseeable future.

 

We supplied:

Completed application form

Wife's Passport and Full Copy

Wife's old passport and full copy with visa's for 3 previous UK visits & a long term stay (2 years) in middle east whilst I was working there

My birth certificate & copy

Wife's birth certificate & translation & copies

Wife's name change certificate on marriage & translation and copies

Marriage certificate & translation stamped by MFA & British Embassy

Letter from me confirming I was financing our trip and stating the reason for applying for 10 years

My bank statement

Invitation letter from parents including confirmation we could stay any time in the future

My birth certificate & copy which matched the names of my parents invitation letter

Baby's UK passport & copy of bio page

House rental agreement and copy

Tabien Baan and copies of registration pages & translation for wife & baby

Return flight bookings

 

They ask for original documents and I was not prepared to hand in my passport which would have shown evidence of us travelling together for the past 7 years. You can have a copy certified by the application centre for a fee and submit that. This was a slight risk as it would have obviously added to the evidence supplied.

 

They handed back the baby's passport at the application centre and only the copy was submitted with the application.

 

It took 6 days to process the application from the application centre appointment to confirmation of a decision and a total of 10 days to from the appointment to receiving the passport in the post. It would have  been even quicker if we had collected.

 

[7by7]

Thanks for that; it shows that a 10 year one is certainly achievable.

 

From your list, I would say that you did not need to supply your birth certificate as your passport shows that you are British and they will believe that the persons offering accommodation in the UK are who they say they are. There was also no need to supply return flight tickets; indeed UKVI advise applicants not to purchase any tickets until they have received their visa.

 

You say that your marriage certificate translation was stamped by both the MFA and the British embassy. Can you tell us when and how you got the embassy to do this? As far as I am aware, they have not offered this service for some time.

 

For a UK visa neither is required anyway, as a certificate by the translator is sufficient. Though it is worth getting it done at the MFA as this is required by other countries; the Schengen states for example.

 

4 hours ago, TheLobster said:

They ask for original documents and I was not prepared to hand in my passport which would have shown evidence of us travelling together for the past 7 years. You can have a copy certified by the application centre for a fee and submit that. This was a slight risk as it would have obviously added to the evidence supplied.

 

The standard visit visa guidance, which is the same worldwide, does indeed say original documents are required.

 

However, the ECOs in Bangkok are fully aware that foreigners in Thailand are supposed to keep their passports with them at all times in lieu of a Thai ID card; or at least have it to hand PDQ if required.

 

Therefore they do not expect British sponsors to include their actual passport with visa applications.

 

But there was no need to pay VFS a fee to certify the copy; a self certified copy is acceptable.

 

You could have simply written on each page of the copy "I (full name) certify that this is a true copy of page (number) of my British passport (number), (signed and dated.)"

[TheLobster]

On 11/13/2016 at 10:03 AM, 7by7 said:

Thanks for that; it shows that a 10 year one is certainly achievable.

 

From your list, I would say that you did not need to supply your birth certificate as your passport shows that you are British and they will believe that the persons offering accommodation in the UK are who they say they are. There was also no need to supply return flight tickets; indeed UKVI advise applicants not to purchase any tickets until they have received their visa.

 

You say that your marriage certificate translation was stamped by both the MFA and the British embassy. Can you tell us when and how you got the embassy to do this? As far as I am aware, they have not offered this service for some time.

 

For a UK visa neither is required anyway, as a certificate by the translator is sufficient. Though it is worth getting it done at the MFA as this is required by other countries; the Schengen states for example.

 

 

The standard visit visa guidance, which is the same worldwide, does indeed say original documents are required.

 

However, the ECOs in Bangkok are fully aware that foreigners in Thailand are supposed to keep their passports with them at all times in lieu of a Thai ID card; or at least have it to hand PDQ if required.

 

Therefore they do not expect British sponsors to include their actual passport with visa applications.

 

But there was no need to pay VFS a fee to certify the copy; a self certified copy is acceptable.

 

You could have simply written on each page of the copy "I (full name) certify that this is a true copy of page (number) of my British passport (number), (signed and dated.)"

 

Thank you for the useful information you provide on the forums. From your list:
 
I supplied my birth certificate as I wasn't offering my passport and it was a copy I had available (needed for something else previously). I agree it wasn't necessary but believe it added to the evidence supplied as I said it had both my parents named on it that matched our invitation letter. I vow to your superior knowledge on whether they will believe that the persons offering accommodation in the UK are who they say they are, it seemed a bonus that I was able to provide evidence of the signatures on the letter.

I supplied return flight ticket bookings as I was sure that we would get a visa just not sure how long it would be.

The marriage certificate translation was stamped by both the MFA and the British Embassy around 2011 or 2012, we needed the British Embassy stamp for a visa elsewhere. From memory the British Embassy stamp says the MFA information/signature is correct.

The standard visit visa guidance, which is the same worldwide, does say original documents are required and I think this should be clarified to applicants in Thailand officially. As they handed the baby's passport back I agree that the ECOs in Bangkok are fully aware that foreigners in Thailand are supposed to keep their passports with them (we didn't supply alternative ID for the baby).
 
It is useful to know self certified copy is acceptable, please can you clarify where this is stated for future reference.

 

We had far more demands and trouble trying to get a Schengen Visa to visit France but that is another story!

 

Kind regards,

 

The Lobster

 

 

[7by7]

19 hours ago, TheLobster said:

It is useful to know self certified copy (of sponsor's passport) is acceptable, please can you clarify where this is stated for future reference.

 

I can't remember where, or indeed, if, I read any official statement to this effect; but it worked for me, albeit 16 years ago, and others who have done so more recently.

[rasg]

Like 7by7 I can’t remember where I read it. My wife has applied for four visas of various flavours in the last 18 months and the only time we supplied my original passport was for FLR. For the two visit visas and the settlement visa we supplied colour copies of the main page and the Thai entry and exit pages.