BUSINESS VISITORS VISA

Types of Business Visitor visas
There are 3 types of Business Visitor visa.

1. Business visitor  – This visa is for people working outside the UK who are coming to the UK to carry out activities relating to their job, eg conferences, meetings and training.
2. Academic visitor – This visa is for academic visitors – eg academics on sabbatical, doing research or accompanying students on a study abroad programme.
3. Doctors and dentists –This visa is for doctors and dentists undertaking clinical attachments or clinical observer posts, or taking the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test.

How long it will take
You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to the UK.
You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.
Check the guide processing times to find out how long getting a visa might take in your country.
How long you can stay
This visa lasts for up to 6 months, or up to 1 year if you’re an academic visitor.
You can apply to extend your visa as long as the total time you spend in the UK is less than 6 months.
You can also apply for a long-term visit visa if you can prove you need to make repeat visits over a longer period. You can stay for a maximum of 6 months on each visit and your visa can last for 1, 2, 5 or 10 years.
Family members of academic visitors
Family members of academic visitors can also apply to stay for 12 months. They’ll need to apply for a general visitor or child visitor visa.
Fees
Business Visitor visas cost £83 per person.
Long-term visit visa fees are:
1 year – £300
2 years – £300
5 years – £544
10 years – £737
What you can and can’t do
You can:
do the permitted activities related to your job as long as you’re employed and paid by an overseas company
study for up to 30 days, as long as it’s not the main reason for your visit
You can’t:

• take other paid or unpaid work
• live in the UK for long periods of time through frequent visits
• marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership
• get private medical treatment
• get public funds

You can’t be an academic visitor if you’re on sabbatical leave from a private research company. You should apply for a visa under Tier 2 or Tier 5 – check what visa you need.
2. Eligibility
You must be:

• from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland
• 18 or over
• receiving your salary from abroad and able to support yourself for the duration of your trip
• not in transit to another country (except for Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands)

Read part 2 of the Immigration Rules to make sure you’re eligible for this visa. Your visa will be refused if you aren’t eligible or don’t provide enough information.
You must also be one of the following to be eligible for a Business Visitor visa:

• an employee on secondment to a company office in the UK that isn’t part of the same group of companies as your employer
  a business advisor or trainer
• an academic on sabbatical, doing research or accompanying students on a study abroad programme
• a doctor or dentist undertaking clinical attachments or clinical observer posts, or taking the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test
• a member of an overseas film crew coming in for a location shoot
• a representative of a news media organisation not based in the UK
• a religious worker
• a guide accompanying a tour group, but only if the company is based outside the UK
• a driver delivering goods or carrying passengers
• a visiting professor
• an adviser, consultant, trainer, internal auditor or trouble shooter coming to a UK branch or a member of the same group of companies as your overseas employer

You can also apply if you’re:

• attending a pre-arranged meeting or interview, a conference or a trade fair (but not selling products or services)
• negotiating a business deal or trade agreement
• carrying out a fact-finding mission to explore potential markets or suppliers
• making a site visit
• providing certain services on behalf of a foreign manufacturer (see part 2 of the Immigration Rules if you’re unsure whether you qualify)
• speaking at a single conference that is not for profit
• getting training for techniques and practices used in the UK

If you’re applying for a long-term visit visa
You must also prove that:

• you have a frequent and ongoing need to come to the UK to do business
• the reason for your need to come to the UK is unlikely to change significantly while the visa is valid
• you plan to leave the UK at the end of each visit

Your visa may be taken away (revoked) and you may get a long-term ban on visiting the UK if your travel history shows you’re repeatedly living here for extended periods.
3. Documents you must provide
When you apply you’ll need to provide:

• a current passport or other valid travel identification
• a passport size colour photograph
• evidence that you can support yourself during your trip, eg bank statements or payslips for the last 6 months
  details of where you intend to stay and your travel plans – you shouldn’t pay for accommodation or travel until you get your visa
• You’ll need to have a blank page in your passport on which to put the visa.

You’ll need to provide a certified translation of any documents that aren’t in English or Welsh.
Read the full list of documents you can provide.
You may need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances.
If you’re applying for a long-term visit visa
You must also provide proof you can support yourself financially for the duration of your visa.
You may be given a visa for a shorter period than requested if you don’t do this. You won’t get a refund of the application fee if you get a shorter visa or your application is refused.
4. Apply
Apply outside the UK
You must apply online for a Business Visitor visa.
You’ll need to have your fingerprints and photograph (known as ‘biometric information’) taken at a visa application centre as part of your application.
You may be able to get your visa faster or other services depending on what country you’re in – check with your visa application centre.
North Korea
You can’t apply online if you’re from North Korea.
To apply from North Korea you must Download the relevant application form for:
business visitors
academic visitors
doctors and dentists
Read the guidance notes before you fill in the form:
guidance notes for business visitors and academic visitors
guidance notes for doctors and dentists
Read the instructions for North Korea on how to apply.
Apply in the UK
You can only extend your visa if you’re already in the UK.
5. Extend your visa

Eligibility
You can apply to extend your visa as long as the total time you spend in the UK is less than 6 months – eg if you have a 3 month visa, you can apply to extend it for 3 more months.
You should apply before your current visa expires.
How to extend your visa
Read the full guidance before applying.
Within the UK you can:
download the form and guidance and apply by post – the address is on the form
download the form and apply in person at a premium service centre
Fees
You’ll pay:
£601 if you apply by post
£1,001 if you apply in person

How long it takes
A decision will be made:
within 8 weeks for postal and online applications
usually on the same day if you use the premium service
You’ll be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer, eg:
if your supporting documents need to be verified
if you need to attend an interview
because of your personal circumstances (for example if you have a criminal conviction)
Once you’ve applied you can stay in the UK until you’ve been given a decision, as long as you applied before your last visa expired.
How long you can stay
You can stay for a maximum of 6 months.

To get more info follow the links: Care Jobs UK, Business visitor visa, Spouse Visa UK, Settlement Visa UK, UK visitor's VISA & UK student visa.