UK Visa For 10 Years
Moving to the United Kingdom has been steadily running up on the top of so many expats’ lists and it’s not difficult to see why. Britain is home to some of Europe’s most beautiful scenery, wonderful cities, an excellent standard of living and rich cultural heritage. While your time in the country is limited when you would have initially planned to stay for only 60 days, there are ways that you can extend your visa.
If you are planning to visit the UK for a short time, you can get a visa for three months. However, if you want to stay in the country for a longer period, you will need to apply for a visa that allows you to stay in the UK for up to 10 years.
The Tier 1 Visa is granted to investors of £2,000,000 plus. The investor must invest the money into a UK government-approved enterprise and is required to maintain the funds and continue to invest for at least three years. It is extendable to 10 years. The investor must also have an English Language qualification (at B1 Level or above).
The Tier 2 visa is a UK visa for skilled migrant workers which allows the holder and their family to live, work and study in the UK for up to five years. It is for workers who have been offered a job in the UK which cannot be filled by a suitable resident or EU candidate.
The UK is a great place to visit, but it is also increasingly becoming a destination for people who want to immigrate permanently.
You can apply for a permanent residence visa if you have lived in the country for five years on a spouse or partner visa, or if you have lived there for three years as the partner of someone who has settled in the country.
In addition, if you have been working in licensed healthcare roles or as an academic or researcher for at least 24 months within the last three years, then you may be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR). If your ILR application is successful, then you would be eligible for British citizenship after another 12 months.
The United Kingdom visa for 10 years is for those who want to live in the UK for a long time, but not permanently.
The visa lasts for 10 years and allows you to enter the country multiple times during that time period. This means that you can go on vacation, work or study abroad, then return when your visa expires.
It is possible to apply for citizenship after living in the UK with this visa for 5 years. However, it must be noted that even if you become a citizen of the UK, you can only stay there permanently if you have a spouse or partner who is also a citizen or permanent resident of the UK.
The UK visa for 10 years will allow you to work legally in any industry without having any restrictions placed on how many hours per week you must work. It also gives access to social benefits such as healthcare and education.
Long-Term Standard UK Visitor Visa Requirements
The 2, 5 or 10 year standard visitor visa UK is commonly known as long term visit visa. In terms of Appendix V of the Immigration Rules, a visitor is a person who is coming to the UK for a temporary purpose. Therefore, a holder of a long-term visit visa can only stay in the UK for up to 180 days per visit.
It is normally not expedient to directly apply for a long-term 2, 5, 10 years visit visa. Therefore, for a successful long-term standard visitor visa UK application, it is a prerequisite to have a six-month visit visa in the recent past.
Nevertheless, for successful 2, 5, and 10-year visas UK, applicants need to have an obvious reason for frequently visiting the UK.
What Are The Eligibility Rules For A Visitor Visa?
The eligibility rules are the same regardless of the duration of the visa; these include that the applicant:
- must intend to leave the UK at the end of their visit
- will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK their main home
- can support themselves and their dependents during your trip
- can pay for a return or onward journey
- have proof of any business or other activities you want to do in the UK, as allowed by the Visitor Rules
How To Get Long-Term Standard UK Visitor Visa
For getting a long-term standard visitor visa UK, an applicant needs to demonstrate that they have:
- stable financial and personal circumstances
- strong ties to the home country
- adequate overall circumstances, which will not change significantly soon
Conclusion
It is important to understand that the visitor visa cannot be used as a means to simply live in the UK by stealth by spending six months, leaving, and immediately returning. This breaches the rule not to live in the UK for extended periods. Several long stays which reach the six-month limit each time may arouse suspicion that a visitor visa holder is not genuine. It is, therefore, essential that you do not gain employment in the UK, set up a business, do a work placement, sell products to the public, provide goods or services, study (outside the permitted rules above), or come to the UK specifically for public health medical treatment, get married, or enter into a civil partnership. Any such activities may lead to a visitor visa holder having their visa cancelled and future visas being refused. By erring on the side of caution and adhering to the rules at all times, you will be able to use your visitor for regular trips to the UK without any problems.