If you wish to make a short-term business visit to the UK as an overseas citizen, you may be eligible to apply for a business visit visa. This will allow you to stay for up to six months to carry out certain activities, provided you are not working for a UK company or in a self-employed capacity. Business visit visas are available to a range of professionals who are employed overseas as well as to those wishing to work on their business in the UK, within a range of limitations.
At Halliday Reeves, we prepare business visit visa applications and advise on the right documents to be included with your application to give it the best chance of success. We will check that a business visit visa is the appropriate choice for your circumstances and advise you of any other options open to you, taking into account what you want to do while in the UK.
We specialise solely in immigration and have a high level of expertise in dealing with business visas. We are also known for the exceptional service we provide to both businesses and individuals.
If you require assistance in securing a business visit visa, call us on 0330 133 7777, email us at enquiries@hallidayreeves.com or fill in our Contact Form and we will be happy to help.
“Karim was an excellent lawyer, very pleasant to work with and very knowledgeable of the law. I feel the success I’ve had in my application was due to the clear guidance that he provided. There was also a refreshing pace to which he was able to get things done. For any future applications I will happily seek his guidance again.”
When Can You Use A Business Visit Visa?
There are strict limitations to the work that you can carry out on a business visit visa and you cannot sell goods while in the UK or work for a UK business. Permitted activities include:
- Attending meetings and conferences
- Negotiating and signing contracts
- Promoting your business at trade fairs
- Attending training for your work that is not available in your home country
- Site visits and site inspections
- Overseeing delivery of goods and services provided by a UK company to your overseas company
- Training UK employees of your overseas company
- Servicing and repairing equipment, to include IT equipment and software, if your overseas company has a contract with a UK business
Certain professionals can also carry out some permitted activities in the UK under a business visit visa. This includes those employed overseas as:
- an archaeologist
- a camera operator
- a driver
- an internal auditor
- a market researcher or analyst
- a personal assistant
- a professor from an overseas academic institution
- a religious worker
- a scientist or researcher
- a sports person or sports official
- a translator or interpreter
If your reasons for visiting the UK for business fall outside of these activities and professions, you may be able to apply for another type of work visa. We can advise you of the right choice.
Am I Eligible For A Business Visit Visa?
To be eligible for a business visit visa, you need to prove to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) that:
- You intend to leave the UK after your visit
- You do not intend to live in the UK by making frequent or successive visits
- You can support yourself and any dependants while in the UK
- You can pay for your return trip
How Do I Apply For A Business Visit Visa?
A business visit visa application should be made online before you travel to the UK. You will need to provide extensive information about your background and the circumstances of your visit, including:
- Proposed travel dates
- Where you intend to stay
- The cost of your trip
- Your home address and how long you have lived there
- Your parents’ names and dates of birth
- Your annual income
- Details of any criminal, civil or immigration offences you have committed
You may also be asked for:
- Your travel history over the previous ten years
- Your employer’s name and contact details
- Your partner’s name, date of birth and passport number
- Details of any family members you have in the UK
You will need to pay the business visit visa fee.
Your application can be made up to three months before you wish to travel to the UK and we can prepare this on your behalf.
You will need to make an appointment at a visa application centre to provide paperwork demonstrating to UKVI that you are eligible for the visa as well as to verify your identity and have your photograph and fingerprints taken.
What Documents Do I Need For A Business Visit Visa?
UKVI will need to see documents relating to your immigration history, your economic circumstances, family details, including ties to your home country, and persuasive evidence showing that you intend to leave at the end of your visit.
We can work with you to identify the right documents to provide showing that you are eligible and that you will be able to support yourself for the duration of your trip and pay for the cost of returning home.
Contact Our Business Visit Visas Solicitors
Our business immigration lawyers have wide experience of assisting overseas individuals with their UK visa requirements, including in complex or urgent cases.
To speak to one of our experts, ring us on 0330 133 7777, email us at enquiries@hallidayreeves.com or fill in our Contact Form.
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