If you are a citizen of Afghanistan who wants to study or work in the United Kingdom, you need a visa. The type of UK Visas for Afghanistan you will need depends on your situation. For example, if you’re working in a humanitarian organization that has been invited to carry out work in Afghanistan by the UN, your workplace might be able to sponsor your work visa. If you are studying at an English-speaking university in Afghanistan, you might be able to apply for a student visa.
It is extremely simple to get a UK Visa for Afghanistan. You can be expected to know what the visa you want is, name of the country it is issued from, the type and details regarding length of stay. This article is going to help you in getting a UK Visa if you are from Afghanistan.
If you are a citizen of Afghanistan, you can apply for a UK visa depending on your purpose of travel. The UK has two different categories for their visas: visitor visa and settlement visa. If you are applying for a visitor visa, there are other requirements that must be met in order for you to be granted the visa.
Visitor Visa Requirements
In order to apply for a visitor visa, there are several requirements that must be met. These include:
You must have a valid passport or travel document.
You must have proof of accommodation in the UK during your stay. This can be provided by an employer or host family.
You must also have sufficient funds to cover your expenses while in the UK. This can be provided by an employer or through savings accounts or bank statements showing that there is enough money available to cover your expenses during your stay in the UK.
To apply for a UK visa, you need to provide the following documents:
-Passport valid for at least 6 months after the date of your intended return to Afghanistan
-Your passport must have at least 2 blank pages and a validity of at least 6 months
-A visa application form filled out in black ink. The form can be found on the Home Office website.
-An application fee paid by credit card or debit card. The fee is £93 per person, including children aged under 18. Children aged under 11 do not have to pay an application fee if they are applying with their parents, but they must fill out a separate child’s visa application form.
The United Kingdom (UK) is one of the most popular destinations in the world. It is a center for business, education and culture. The UK is a member of the European Union as well as many other international organizations. The UK has a large number of immigrants from different countries around the world. There are also many tourists who visit this country every year. If you are planning to visit or live in this country, you will need a visa.
The process of getting a visa depends on what type of visa you need and where you live. If you live outside the UK, you must apply for an entry clearance before travelling to this country. If you are applying for a visitor visa, then there are two options available:
– Short-term visitor visa: This type of visa allows people from outside the EU to stay in the UK for up to six months at a time. However, if someone applies for this kind of visa and has previously visited another Schengen area country on a short-term basis within 18 months before applying for permission to enter another Schengen area country, then they may be eligible for an exemption from having to meet certain requirements such as having proof that they can support themselves financially during their stay in the UK or having medical insurance.
Who Needs a UK Visa?
Citizens of the European Economic Area, Switzerland and Commonwealth countries are not required to apply a UK visa prior to entering the UK. For a complete list of countries whose citizens need a visa for UK visit this page.
How to Apply for a UK Visa?
The UK visa application process depends a lot on the type of visa that you are applying for. Especially if your type of visa belongs to one of the Points-Based System category. Though most of the requirements are the same for each category, the way they are evaluated in the system differs. There are also additional requirements that vary from one to another category.
When Should I Apply for a UK Visa?
The earliest you can apply for a UK visa is three months before the date of your intended trip to here. Yet, keep in mind that the processing of your visa application may take up to three weeks. Apply in advance, so you can give enough time to the consulate for the processing of your visa.
What are the Required Documents for UK Visa?
There are some standard UK visa requirements to apply for any that every applicant must fulfill. These requirements vary on the visa type and the nationality of the applicant.
What is the Points-Based System (PBS)?
The Point-Based System (PBS) of the United Kingdom Visa is the means of regulating immigration to the United Kingdom from outside the country, as a replacement of the old system one who was much more complex and hard to be covered.
The PBS system evaluates visa candidates based on the points they can gather by meeting visa requirements. Each visa requirement has its points, and there is an appointed number of points the candidate should gather in order to receive the visa.
UK Visa Types
There are different reasons why people want to apply for a UK visa. That is why the United Kingdom has an organized visa system based on the purpose of visitor under multiple visa types.
Here are the UK visa types:
- Work Visas.
- Business Visas.
- Study Visas.
- Visitor Visas.
- Family Visas.
- Settlement Visas.
- Transit Visas.
Work and Business Visas
Besides of its strict rules, not allowing to get a job many of the visa holders, the UK also offers Working Visas especially for high-end professionals from other countries who wish to work and live in the UK for shorter or longer periods.
Categories of work and business visas
- Highly qualified foreigners:
- Skilled foreign workers with a job offer in a shortage area
- Youth mobility and temporary foreign workers
- Other:
The UK Business Visa types are the following:
- Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa
- Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa
- Tier 1 Investor Visa
- Turkish Businessperson Visa
Student Visas
These types of visas are issued to international students who want to study in the UK.
Categories of student visas
Tourist and Visiting visas
The UK is a very popular tourism destination, for shorter or even longer periods of visits. The UK Visitor Visas are issued for short stays, tourism visits and similar purposes. UK authorities rarely do issue a tourism visa for a longer period than six months. The foreign nationals are prohibited from getting a job inside UK with this type of visa, just as with many other types.
Short business trips are handled kind of the same way.
Categories tourist and visiting visas
- Marriage Visitor Visa
- Parent of a Tier 4 (Child) Student Visa
- Permitted Paid Engagement Visa
- Short-term Study Visa
- UK Visitor Visa
- Visa for a Chinese Tour Group
Family Visas
The UK Family Visa is issued to visit family members in the UK. This Visa type is for people who have family members working and living in the UK and want to join them for more than six months, as their dependents. The dependents can be husband or wife (spouse), partner, fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner, children, parents, other family members.
Categories of family visas
Transit Visas
The UK Transit Visa is for foreigners who are not from the EEA (EU countries, including Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or Switzerland, and are using the UK as a transit country to pass from another country to their destination. This visa offers the opportunity to apply for a long-term transit visa if the applicant has enough evidence that he needs to travel regularly through UK to arrive at his destination, but has no intention to stay or live there permanently. Such long-term transit visas can be given from 1 to 10 years long.
Categories of transit visas
- Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV) – for those who have to change flights in the UK without leaving the airport
- Visitor in Transit Visa – for foreigners who have to leave the airport and take another means of travel, of making a part of their traveling through the land. This visa can be valid for up to 4 days.
Refugee Visa
Temporary Refugee Visa is for people who are about to enter in the UK and are at the borders because had to leave their country as their life was seriously threatened. The application for this visa is made from within the UK.
The visa is temporary, until the visa holder is not endangered anymore and can return back to their country. Visa for Stateless Persons is for foreigners living in the UK and are not nationals in any other country in the world. This visa is given for 2 to 6 years with a possibility of extension.
UK Residence Permits
Indefinite Leave to Remain
The UK Settlement permit also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain, is for those who have been living in the UK for a long period with a temporary visa, and now want to receive a permanent one. The visa applies to people who have lived out of the UK at least 2 years and now want to return, or their passport was lost.
Foreigners who already live in the UK with e refugee or humanitarian status and want to settle there permanently or for family reunion. Most of these visas condition the applicant to have lived minimum 5 years in the United Kingdom.
EEA Residence Permits
EEA Residence Permits:
- EEA Residence Card
- UK Registration Certificate – EEA (QP)
- UK Permanent Residence Card – EEA (PR)
- EEA family permit related to the derivative right of residence
- EEA family permit related to the Surinder Singh
- EEA family permit related to retained rights of residence
- Certificate of entitlement for right to abode in the UK
Conclusion
A British citizen can apply for a visa for Afghanistan from any of the UK visa application centres overseas. An Afghan national who has an extended family member who is a British citizen can apply for a visa for the UK from their local embassy in Afghanistan together with proof of an extended family relationship to the extended family unit in the United Kingdom.