Are you wondering what type of visa you should apply to come to the UK? It’s a tricky decision that depends on various factors. Find out about the main UK immigration categories below and discover if you’re eligible for visas for entrepreneurs, high-skilled migrants, or students as well as families and general visitors.

Who wouldn’t want to live in the UK for five years? If you’re like me, a great deal of the intrigue stems from how long one is able to stay. The UK’s Tier 2 Visa class grants someone the ability to live and work in the UK for up to five years. After five years, there are still several ways it is possible to extend your stay in the United Kingdom — especially if you have lived and worked in the country openly during your first five years. We will base our discussion today on – 5 Year Visa For Uk. But, other resources which you can find on our website include some frequently asked questions such as: uk visa fees 2022 and uk visitor visa 180 days rule

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5 Year Visa For Uk

Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor

Apply for a Standard Visitor visa

If you need a Standard Visitor visa, you must apply online before you travel to the UK and attend an appointment at a visa application centre.

The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel.

You must meet the eligibility requirements and only do permitted activities.

Depending on your nationality, you may not need a visa to visit the UK. You can check if you need a visa before you apply.

Visa fees

You can apply for a Standard Visitor visa, or if you visit the UK regularly you can choose to apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa instead.

	Fee	Maximum length of stay
Standard Visitor visa	£100	6 months
Standard Visitor visa for medical reasons	£200	11 months
Standard Visitor visa for academics	£200	12 months
2 year long-term Standard Visitor visa	£376	6 months per visit
5 year long-term Standard Visitor visa	£670	6 months per visit
10 year long-term Standard Visitor visa	£837	6 months per visit

Apply online

Once you’ve started your application you can save your form and complete it later.

If you’re applying with family members, each person must have their own application and pay the fee. They need to attend their own appointment at a visa application centre.

You can apply on behalf of your partner and child, if they cannot apply for themselves.

Apply now

Your application will not be accepted and you will not get a refund if you have the right of abode in the UK (for example you’re a British citizen). You need to apply for a certificate of entitlement instead.

Continue your application

You can sign back into your application if you’ve saved it.

Check your email and follow the link to return to your application.

Long-term Standard Visitor visas

You can choose to apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa if you visit the UK regularly. This visa lasts 2, 5 or 10 years. You can stay for a maximum of 6 months on each visit.

If you’re under 18 years old when you apply, your long-term Standard Visitor visa will only be valid for up to 6 months after you turn 18. You cannot get a refund on the fee.

You may be given a shorter visa than requested if UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) believe you cannot meet the eligibility requirements for the duration of the visa you applied for.

You will not get a refund of the application fee if you get a shorter visa or if your application is refused.

Your visa may be cancelled if your travel history shows you are repeatedly living in the UK for extended periods.

Documents and information you’ll need to apply

You must have a passport or travel document that is valid for the whole of your stay in the UK. There must be a blank page in your passport for your Standard Visitor visa.

You’ll need to provide the following information in your online application:

the dates you’re planning to travel to the UK
where you’ll be staying during your visit
how much you think your trip will cost
your current home address and how long you’ve lived there
your parents’ names and dates of birth (if known)
how much you earn in a year (if you have an income)
details of any criminal, civil or immigration offences you may have committed

Depending on your circumstances, you might also need to provide:

details of your travel history for the past 10 years
your employer’s address and telephone number
your partner’s name, date of birth and passport number
the name and address of anyone paying for your trip
the name, address and passport number of any family members you have in the UK
a certificate proving that you’ve had a tuberculosis (TB) test if you’re visiting for more than 6 months

You need to provide additional documents if you’re visiting the UK:

You must provide certified translations of any documents that are not in English or Welsh.

Proving your identity and providing your documents

As part of your online application, you need to book an appointment at a visa application centre. Allow time to attend your appointment, as the visa application centre could be in another country.

At your appointment, you’ll need to:

prove your identity with your passport or travel document
have your fingerprints and photograph (known as ‘biometric information’) taken
provide the required documents that show you’re eligible for a Standard Visitor visa

The visa application centre may keep your passport and documents while processing your application.

How long it takes to get a decision

Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.

You can check to see if you can get your visa decision faster – this depends on what country you’re in.

It’s currently taking 5 weeks on average to get a decision on Standard Visitor visas. Find out visa decision waiting times.

You’ll get an email or a letter containing the decision on your application. This will explain what you need to do next.

If you need to change or cancel your application

If you need to change something in your application after you’ve sent it, contact UKVI.

You can ask to cancel your application. You’ll only get your fee refunded if the application has not been processed yet.

This guide to UK visas and residence permits will cover the following topics:

Immigration in the UK
Who needs a UK visa?
Types of UK visa
Short-term UK visas
Non-immigrant UK visas
Immigrant UK visas
Asylum-seekers and refugees in the UK
Residence and citizenship in the UK
EU Settlement Scheme: residence for EU/EFTA citizens already living in the UK
Arriving in the UK
Appeals and complaints
Useful resources

Tech Nation

Are you a tech professional looking for help and assistance in getting your UK visa? Tech Nation is a visa application service specializing in guiding the best digital entrepreneurs from around the world through the UK immigration system. If you need help getting a Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa, speak to the experts at Tech Nation.

Find out more

Immigration in the UK

The UK has always had a sizable migrant population, with many coming over the years to work, study, or join family members in the UK. However, the percentage of foreign-born residents in the UK is lower than in many other European countries.

Around 14% of the UK population is from overseas. Nearly 40% of these are EU citizens. Most live in the more populated big cities, with around 35% of the UK migrant population living in London.

Following the Brexit vote in 2016 the UK left the European Union on 31 December 2020. EU/EFTA citizens are now subject to the same visa requirements as third-country nationals. However, those already living in the UK as of 31 December 2020 could apply for settled or pre-settled status in the UK through the EU Settlement Scheme. The deadline for this was 30 June 2021.

The UK Home Office is the government department responsible for dealing with visas and immigration in the UK.

UK Visitor Visa

Do I need a Visitor Visa for the UK?

The UK Visitor Visa allows a person from outside the European Economic Area or Switzerland, to visit the UK for up to six months.

To visit the United Kingdom, a person requires permission to do so. This permission can be in the form of the UK Visitor Visa or Leave to Enter the UK. A visitor has to apply for the UK Visitor Visa before travelling to the UK. The Leave to Enter can be obtained at the UK port of entry.

Whether a person requires a UK Visitor Visa will depend on whether the person is regarded as a visa national or not.

Breytenbachs Immigration advise clients, who are non-visa nationals, who have previously been denied a UK Visitor Visa, or denied entry at a UK port of entry , to apply for a UK Visitor Visa, before travelling to the UK.

Activities allowed on a UK Visitor Visa

The UK visitor visa allows a person to do a range of things:

To take a holiday in the UK.
Visit family or friends.
For business reasons.
To take part in sports or creative events.
Receive private medical treatment.
Study for up to 30 days, provided this is not the main reason for your visit.
If you are under 18 years, you may take part in an exchange programme or educational visit.
You can convert your civil partnership into a marriage.

Activities not allowed on a UK Visitor Visa

You are not allowed to do paid or unpaid work.
You cannot through frequent visits to the UK basically live in the UK.
There is no access to UK Public funds.
One cannot marry, register a civil partnership or give notice of marriage or a civil partnership. You can only do this if you have applied for the Marriage Visitor Visa. Please speak to one of our consultants for more information.

Doing business in the UK on a UK Visitor Visa

Applicants are often unsure whether they can do business in the UK on the UK Visitor Visa. There is, however, a range of business activities that are allowed.

Taking part in a specific sports-related event.
Performing as an artist, entertainer or musician.
Academics who are doing research, or accompanying students on a study abroad programme.
Doctor or dentist who are taking a clinical attachment or observer post.
To take the Professional Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test or to sit the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).
To get funds to start, take over, join or run a business in the UK.

How to apply for a visa to come to the UK

Choose a visa

You may need a visa to come to the UK to study, work, visit or join family.

There are different visas depending on:

where you come from
why you want to come to the UK
how long you want to stay for
your personal circumstances and skills

Before you apply, you must check if you need a visa and what type you need. Depending on your nationality, you might not need a visa to visit or transit through the UK.

Your application must be approved before you travel.

You do not need to apply for a visa if you’re an Irish citizen.

If you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

If you or your family member started living in the UK by 31 December 2020, you may be able to apply to the free EU Settlement Scheme instead of applying for a visa.

The deadline to apply was 30 June 2021 for most people. You can still apply if either:

you have a later deadline – for example, you’re joining a family member in the UK who was living in the UK by 31 December 2020
you have ‘reasonable grounds’ for being unable to apply by 30 June 2021 – for example, you had an illness, or were the victim of domestic abuse

If you want to visit the UK

Apply for a Standard Visitor visa to visit the UK for up to 6 months. For example:

for a holiday or to see family and friends
for a business trip or meeting
to do a short course of study

You must apply for a Marriage Visitor visa if you want to visit the UK to get married or register a civil partnership.

If you have a visitor visa you cannot take a job in the UK.

If you’re travelling through the UK

You might need a visa if you’re travelling through the UK on your way to another country, for example if you have a layover between flights.

Apply for a visa to travel through the UK.

If you want to study in the UK

Your course length, type and place of study affect which visa to apply for.

A Standard Visitor visa lets you do a short course of study that lasts no longer than 6 months.

A Short-term study visa lets you come to the UK to study an English language course that is over 6 months and up to 11 months.

A Student visa is usually for a longer course. You must be sponsored by a licensed college or university and have a confirmed place. You may be able to do some work on this visa.

A Child Student visa is for 4 to 17 year olds who want to study at an independent school. If you’re 16 or over, you can do some work on this visa.

If you want to work in the UK

You can work in the UK on a short or long-term basis with a work visa. There are many types of work visa.

The visa you need depends upon:

your skills and qualifications
if you have a job offer and sponsorship
if you want to bring your family with you
what you’ll be doing – for example sporting, charitable or religious work

You can set up a business with a Start-up visa or an Innovator visa.

If you want to join family in the UK

If you’re a spouse, partner or family member of someone who has British citizenship or settlement in the UK, you can apply for a family visa to join them. They may need to show that they can support you financially.

You may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after a set amount of time living in the UK.

If your family member is in the UK on a visa

You may be able to apply for a visa to join a family member who’s in the UK on a visa. They must be either:

your spouse or partner
your parent if you’re 18 or under

Check what visa you’ll need to join them.

If your family member is from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

You can apply for a free family permit if you have a close family member who was living in the UK by 31 December 2020. A family permit lets you live, work and study in the UK for up to 6 months.

Close family members include your spouse or civil partner, child, grandchild, parent or grandparent.

You can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme after your family permit expires.

Family reunion visas for refugees

If you were separated from your partner or child when you were forced to leave your country, they can apply to join you in the UK.

Your family members can apply if you have been given asylum or 5 years’ humanitarian protection, and not have British citizenship.

Other ways to get permission to live in the UK

Commonwealth citizens

You can apply for an Ancestry visa to work in the UK if you have a British grandparent and meet other eligibility criteria.

You may have right of abode to live in the UK.

If you’re a Commonwealth citizen and cannot prove your right to be in the UK, read about the Windrush scheme.

Returning residents

If you had indefinite leave to remain (ILR) and left the UK for more than 2 years you’ll need to apply for a Returning Resident visa to come back.

Other visas

There may be another visa that’s right for you based on your circumstances. Check if you need a visa and what other visas you’re eligible for.