UK Visa Requirements, Fees, The Application Process, and Types

Every year many people fly from India to the UK for various reasons. Some fly there for better educational resources, as there are some great universities and colleges in the UK, such as Oxford University, Cambridge University, and Imperial College London. Some fly there to seek a new job or continue their respective work. Many tourists also visit the UK for the rich history and beautiful monuments.

Everything You Need to about The UK Visa

To enter a foreign country, a person should prepare a visa that enables the person to enter that country’s borders legally. A visa is considered an official document that accompanies the person’s passport and secures the person’s rights in the traveling country.

Therefore you need to apply for a visa to the UK before flying from India. UNLIKE THE AMERICAN OR AUSTRALIAN VISA a UK visa is generally a short-term visa. However, it opens a travel opportunity to multiple countries that allow UK visas to enter their borders.

If you hold a passport from America, Canada, or Australia, you may not need to apply for a visa to the UK. But if you don’t acquire these passports, you shall apply for a standard UK visa.

Applying for a standard UK visa is not a tough row to hoe. So here we are to help you learn all about applying for a visa to the UK.

UK Visa Requirement

If you want to seek a visa to the UK, you need to apply at least three months before the date you intend to take off. The process of getting a visa may take three weeks. So you need to examine all the details and requirements before applying for one.

To start the visa process, you need all these documents mentioned below.

• UK visa application form which required to be filled correctly.
• Two colored digital photographs were taken within six months.
• A valid passport that is not terminated.
• Bank statements to prove you can provide sufficient means to yourself during your stay in Uk.
• A brief travel plan with the purpose you are traveling for.
• Biometric results
• Medical report
• UK visa fees receipt

You may require other information as per the purpose you are traveling for and what type of visa you require.

Types of Visas in the UK

There are several types of visas as you intend to fly to the UK. You can choose a type of visa as per your requirement, and ultimately, the time limit will be increased or decreased.

Visitor visa

This is the most common type of visa applied for in the UK. A visitor visa can be applied for various reasons, and it can be for a minimum period of 6 months and can be extended to 10 years.

Study visa

Study visas are applied by the students who fly to the UK for educational purposes. Student visas are divided as per the age of the person who is or is willing to fly to the UK for study. The short-term study visa is valid for up to 6 months and can be extended to 11 months if required.

Work visa

If you are willing to work in the UK or get a job in the UK, you need to apply for a work visa that will allow you to stay in the UK for five years and 14 days or for the period mentioned in your sponsorship certificate plus one month. Whichever stands smaller than the other.

Settlement visa

If you have lived in the UK for more than five years by studying or continuing a job there and want to stay there for more years for further study or job duration, you can apply for a settlement visa.

I am returning to a resident visa

 Suppose you have been living in the UK for a job or educational purpose for a few years and have returned to your town. Then, if you want to revisit the UK for the same purpose, you need to apply for a returning resident visa.

Family visa

If you have any family members or relatives staying in the UK as a resident of the UK, you can visit them by applying for a family visa. To apply for a family visa, you first need to mention the family members you are visiting and the permanent address you will stay with them.

Medical visa

If you want to be treated in a medical facility in the UK or visit the UK for any medical purposes, you need to go for a medical visa. Medical visas come with a time duration that can be the duration of the medical process as expected.

Entrepreneur visa

Suppose you have an intention to establish a business in the UK. You need to submit all the documents regarding your business and ensure that your business will in no way harm the UK citizens to acquire an entrepreneur visa. You will be selected by the point-based system(PBS) of UK immigration rules.

Transit visa

If you are flying to a different country and have a connecting flight from the UK, you need to apply for a transit visa if you are staying in the UK airport for more than 24 hours.

The Charges and Fees for Applying for a The UK Visa

Mostly UK visas are short-term. This is because Uk has a firm policy that does not allow everyone to stay there for work or study purposes. But if you want to study or find a job in the UK or travel to it, you may know the application fees for UK visas.

•  The standard staying period that the UK provides visas for is six months. If you are applying for a 6-month short-term visa, it will cost you around 10,299/- INR.
• If you are applying for a two years long-term visa, it will cost you around 34,649/- INR.
• A 5 years long-term visa will come with a 61,749/- INR price.
• A visa valid for ten years will cost you 76,999/- INR.

* All the standard visitor visas for Uk allows you multiple entries.

The application process for applying for a UK Visa

Applying for a UK visa is not a challenging task, but your application may get rejected if it is not done correctly. So before complying with the process, the first thing to do is choose a medium, online or offline. You can also go for visa agencies that will do all the formalities on your behalf.

 Before you apply for a visa to the UK 1st, you need to determine the purpose of your visit to the UK and select the type of visa you require as per the purpose you have discovered.

• Before entering into the process, you need to prove that you are in no way harmful to the harmony of the nation you are visiting. You also need to prove your qualifications to acquire a visa.
• It would be best if you were not engaged in any criminal activity during the application.
• You may need to undergo medical tests and interviews to determine the safety majors.

Once you complete all these, now you are ready to go for the natural process.

Book an appointment

To start the visa process, you need to make an official appointment with the embassy and wait for the call. Therefore, get ready with all your required documents and visit the embassy beforehand to accomplish the first step, or else your application can be rejected. Once your documents are accepted, you will be issued an acknowledged receipt.

Fill up the application correctly

The UK visa application form contains the necessary personal details to be filled in correctly to make the application acceptable.

• Your name and surname.
• Nationality.
• Country of residence.
• Marital status.
• Personal phone number.
• Passport number.
• Reason for visiting the UK.

It also asks for other necessary details, a photograph of yourself and a passport. If your application is not filled correctly, you will be given one more chance to file another application by rejecting the previous one.

Once this is done, and your application is accepted, you will get a hard copy of the same, which you need to sign in front of the embassy officials.

Pay the fees

You will be asked to pay the visa application fees and get the same receipt. The fee structure for UK visas is discussed below.

Biometric

After all the steps are completed, the last step comes here, and the embassy will send you a biometric scan by a digital scanner. Then finally, your thumb and palm prints will be received for identification.

Conclusion

In recent years, it may witness some decrease in the rate of Indian travelers traveling into the UK territory due to the breakdown of coronavirus in several countries.

But according to a survey back in 2019, before the pandemic had started, more than 60 thousand people flew to the UK from India. So it may sometimes feel a bit tricky to apply for a UK visa, but it will get a lot easier with these explained steps.