Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade, Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Our immigration solicitors provide clear legal advice on UK visitor visa applications for individuals and families who want to visit the UK for tourism, family visits, business activities or other permitted purposes. We can advise on eligibility, supporting evidence, financial circumstances, the purpose of your visit, application preparation and visitor visa refusals.
Standard Visitor Visa Advice
A planned visit may be a chance to see family, attend an important event or meet business contacts. A previous refusal or uncertainty about financial evidence can make those plans difficult to arrange. Our immigration solicitors help you explain the purpose of the trip, how it will be funded and why you intend to leave afterwards. We check the proposed activities against the visitor rules and identify the documents that answer the Home Office's likely questions.
We can prepare or review a Standard Visitor application, assess an invitation from a UK host and address concerns raised in an earlier decision. Our legal advice is particularly useful where income varies, someone else is paying or the trip includes business activities. We explain the application costs and any evidence still needed before submission. The aim is a clear account supported by reliable records, so your travel plans and personal circumstances are understood in context.
A visitor can usually stay for up to six months and may carry out only activities permitted by the visitor rules. These can include holidays, visiting relatives, business meetings, limited study, medical treatment and certain permitted paid engagements. Most work for a UK business is prohibited.
Some nationalities must obtain a visa before travel, while others may need an Electronic Travel Authorisation or can travel without either. Every traveller must still satisfy the visitor rules at the application stage or border.
A visitor cannot normally take employment, work for a UK business, access public funds or use repeated visits to make the UK their main home. Study, medical treatment and paid engagements are allowed only within the defined visitor provisions.
The proposed itinerary and supporting invitation should not describe activity that amounts to work or falls under a different immigration route.
Visitor refusals often concern credibility, funding, the purpose of travel or the applicant's ties to their country of residence. Large unexplained bank deposits, an invitation that conflicts with the form or a travel plan inconsistent with work and family commitments can create avoidable concerns.
A solicitor can identify the documents needed to explain income, sponsorship by a relative, accommodation, business activities and reasons to return. Advice is particularly useful after a previous refusal or where the proposed activity sits close to the limits of the route.
The Home Office may refuse an application if it is not satisfied that the visit is genuine, affordable and temporary. Common concerns include an unclear purpose, unexplained deposits, spending that does not fit the applicant's income, limited evidence of work or family commitments overseas, a proposed stay that appears unrealistic or plans involving work or another activity not permitted as a visitor.
A previous refusal should be answered directly. Repeating the same form with more bank statements may not resolve concerns about the source of funds or the intention to leave the UK. We compare the new evidence with the earlier application and explain material changes without hiding inconsistencies. Most ordinary visitor refusals do not carry a right of appeal, so getting the next step right matters.
We review the travel purpose, nationality, finances, invitation, accommodation and immigration history. We can prepare an evidence list and written explanation that connects the proposed visit to the applicant's personal and economic circumstances.
If a visitor application has been refused, we can assess the reasons and advise on a stronger fresh application or any exceptional public-law or human-rights issue. A visitor cannot use this route to live in the UK through frequent successive visits.
At 15 September 2026, a six-month Standard Visitor visa costs £135. Long-term visas cost £506 for two years, £903 for five years or £1,128 for ten years, but each visit is normally limited to six months. Every family member submits a separate application and pays the fee.
Visitors do not pay the Immigration Health Surcharge and may be charged for NHS treatment used during the visit. Other costs can include translations, visa-application-centre services, priority processing and legal advice. Our fee depends on the purpose, financial evidence and refusal history.
We focus on the questions behind the documents: why the person is travelling, who will pay, what they will do and why they will leave. The evidence is then selected to answer those points clearly.
Standard Visitor Visa FAQs
Answers about permitted activities, funds, invitations, charges, refusals and repeat visits.
Some travellers need a visa, some need an ETA and others can visit without either, but all must meet the visitor rules. Nationality, purpose and existing permission determine if a visa or ETA is needed. An ETA is permission to travel, not a guarantee of admission, and the traveller must still satisfy the visitor conditions.
Most visitors can stay for up to six months. Longer periods are available only for specified purposes such as certain medical or academic visits. A long-term visitor visa does not normally allow continuous residence for its full validity.
Most paid and unpaid work for a UK business is prohibited. Only limited activities expressly allowed by the visitor rules can be undertaken. Business meetings and some defined professional activities are allowed, but employment normally needs another route. We check the actual proposed activities rather than relying on a description such as “business trip”.
Yes, but the application should prove the sponsor's ability and intention to pay, the relationship and the applicant's own circumstances. Third-party funding does not remove the applicant’s duty to show a genuine temporary visit and intention to leave.
There is no single fixed amount. The funds should realistically cover travel, accommodation and living costs after normal commitments are taken into account. The trip cost should be credible against income, savings and ongoing commitments, with the source of any unusual deposit explained by reliable records.
The fee depends on the visa length and is paid by each applicant. At September 2026 rates, the six-month application is £135. Longer-validity visas have higher fees, but do not permit longer ordinary visits. Translations, optional services and legal advice add to the total.
No. Visitors do not pay the IHS, but they may have to pay for NHS treatment at the point of use. Treatment may be chargeable under NHS rules, and travel insurance should be considered. A visit for medical treatment has additional purpose and funding requirements.
No. The route cannot be used to make the UK a main home through frequent or successive visits. The pattern of travel, time spent abroad and personal circumstances can all be examined. A two-year or ten-year visa does not create an entitlement to live in Britain by leaving briefly between visits.
A fresh application may address the reasons with better evidence. Most ordinary visitor refusals have no appeal or administrative review right. We examine the decision and any exceptional legal challenge, or identify the changes and evidence needed for a fully supported fresh application.
It must be disclosed when the later form asks about refusals. A previous refusal does not automatically prevent every future visa, but the reasons and any findings about dishonesty can matter. We review the earlier form and decision so the next application explains material changes and answers the concerns accurately.
Arrange a telephone call or visit our Cheltenham office by appointment. We will discuss your circumstances, any deadline and the legal work required, then explain the scope and fees before proceeding.
Call 0330 900 0377, email info@pembridgesolicitors.co.uk or request a consultation.
We assist clients in Cheltenham and the surrounding Gloucestershire area, including applications involving family members or applicants overseas.
Pembridge Solicitors
Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade
Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Office visits by appointment.
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