The United Kingdom is one of the top destinations for travelers who go there for different purposes. UK is an amazing country which is why every year, the UK embassy receives tons of applications from individuals seeking a visa. The visa application process for the UK appears easy on paper, but to shock you a little, obtaining a UK visa is not pretty easy. Be thou as it may, if you have all the valid documents, have a solid reason, and then follow a few tips, your UK visa would be granted. First, you need to download the UK visa application form and get the required UK visa application requirements.
With a UK visa, visitors are allowed to enter the country. Obtaining a visa can be daunting for some countries as the country has one of the stringent visa policies, which at the UK embassy, every document must be checked appropriately. There is no shortcut to getting the visa, all you need to do is to know the exact visa type and then follow the application processes.
Some citizens are exempted from applying for a visa before they can enter the UK. For nationals who will need a visa, here are the UK visa application processes. To apply for a UK visa, applicants must complete these steps:
• Find out your eligibility status
• Decide the best UK visa type for your travel
• Fill the online UK visa application form applicable to your visa type
• Book a UK visa appointment
• Pay the visa fee
• Attend the UK visa interview
Find out your eligibility status
Check before applying for a UK visa. You need to know your eligibility status. That’s to say, you must check if your country is listed among countries that need a UK visa. You can check your eligibility here. Citizens from any of these countries do not need a visa to enter the UK:
EEA citizens
Citizens from Switzerland, Ireland
Citizens from the commonwealth countries
Decide the best UK visa type for your travel
This is crucial when applying for a UK visa for any class. There are different types of UK visas, it is required that visa applicants apply with the exact visa type. Here are examples of UK visa types:
1. UK Tourist Visa – For those who wish to visit friends, family members, go on vacation, do business, medical care, are to apply for the UK tourist visa.
2. UK Transit Visa – This visa is meant for travelers passing through the United Kingdom on their way to another destination.
3. UK Work Visa – Interested persons who seek job opportunities in the United Kingdom can apply for this UK visa type.
4. Study Visa: The UK study visa is open to individuals wishing to travel to the United Kingdom to enroll in a college or university. If your program won’t last for more than 6 months, you can apply for a short-term study visa in the United Kingdom. If you need to remain in the UK for an extended period, you must apply for a Tier 4 Visa.
Fill the online UK visa application form
The next step to take after you have decided on the best type of visa you should apply for is to fill the UK visa application form which must be filled correctly. Do not provide any misleading information (different from what is contained in your documents).
Provide all the requirements for UK VISA
As a part of your UK visa application requirements, you are required to provide some documents for your visa application. The documents vary depending on the type of visa. Here are the common UK visa requirements:
• Fill the correct UK visa application form
• Visa fee payment
• Valid Passport for at least 6 months
• Proof of funds
• Proof of accommodation.
• Detailed travel itinerary
• Medical Test Results from an approved hospital
• Biometric information
Book a UK visa appointment
At this point, you’re getting close to completing the UK application steps. You can book an appointment online. After choosing an appointment date for the interview at the UK embassy in your region, make sure you print the email receipt confirming the details of your appointment and take it with you to the UK visa application center you have chosen to attend, together with the required documents.
The documents required for the UK visa application must be submitted in original copies accompanied by photocopies. After the visa officer has gone through the documents and certified them, the original copies would be returned to the visa applicant. Then the next step is to pay the UK visa fee. Check your visa fee for your country, also, check the mode of payment.
Submit your UK visa application at the nearest UK Embassy or Submission Center
When you visit the UK visa submission center, you will need to provide your biometric information, which includes a photograph and a digital scan of your fingerprints. Every applicant who is submitting a visa application must attend the visa application center in person, including children. Applicants under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult.
What happens when your UK visa is rejected and how can you appeal?
It is quite disheartening to go through these processes and still get a visa denial. Sometimes, there may not be an exact cause why the visa was rejected, while in some situations, it is the slightest of all errors that lead to the visa denial. However, in a situation where the visa is not granted, the best option is to appeal or wait for a little, like 3 months before applying again.
In case you decide to appeal, You can appeal against a visa or immigration decision on the UK Government website by visiting this page.
Conclusion
To apply for a UK visa depends mostly on the visa type you need to apply for, for which the visa application requirements vary. The first step is to know the visa requirements specific for the class of visa you want to apply for, you find everything from checking your visa type to applying for your UK visa here