UK Visa for Indians - Definitive Guide

People who do not belong to the EU, USA and a few other visa-exempt countries require a permit to visit the country. Citizens of the UAE, Kuwait and a few other GCC countries also have an Electronic visa waiver program. Indian citizens require a UK Visa to enter the country. The permit is issued in the form of a sticker in your passport. The validity of the visa depends upon the types. Different types of visa have multiple duration and entry types given with that particular permit.

Before starting the application process for the visa, you will need to decide the right type of visa you are applying for. It is important to meet the eligibility criteria for a particular type of visa. Once this is done, you will have to gather the necessary documents required for the process. These may vary depending upon the UK Visa types. Please note that in the case of North Korea, there is only an offline application. However, most countries have online application mode. 

How to apply for UK visa online from India?

The process of applying for a UK Visa for Indians online is described as below. 

1. Create an account on the UK Visa application portal called Visa4UK. If you are applying for a visitor visa, you can also apply it via the visa immigration service portal too.
2. Complete the UK online visa application form with your details.
3. Proceed to pay the UK Visa fees online.
4. Book your visa appointment at a visa application centre (VAC) for the visa and biometric submission.
5. Take a print out of the confirmation of the appointment you receive in your email. 
6. Along with this, attend the appointment at the VAC with your documents to finally submit your application.

Please note that in certain cases, you may be required to submit to an interview. Also, it is necessary to ensure that you submit genuine and correct documents. Any false information can lead to visa rejection. A refusal for the permit can affect your future applications.

There are a number of types of permits issued to visit the United Kingdom. For the temporary visas; Based on the purpose of visit, the major types can be classified into the following. 

• UK Tourist/Visitor Visa - This type allows you to visit the country for a short term visit. These are normally issued for a duration of 6 months. However, in certain cases where the applicant requires to travel to the country multiple times over a few years, it may be issued for even 2,5 or 10 years. However, you will only be allowed to stay for a maximum of 6 months per entry. Based on the type of visit, these can further be classified into the following -
  1. Standard Visitor - This is issued to visitors travelling for the purpose of tourism, business, medical treatment, and other similar short term visit purposes.
  2. Marriage Visitor - This type is required if you are visiting the country to get married or get into a civil partnership in the UK.
  3. Transit - This is only required if you have to travel through the UK as a transit to visit another country.
• Student - This type of permit is issued to people who want to pursue a course in the UK. This is generally based on the Point Based System (PBS). The types of student permits are as follows -

• 1. Short-term study - Used for students doing short term courses or research for 6 or 11 months. 
  2. Tier 4 General Student - This is issued in cases where you have been offered a place on a course. Since this is a PBS type, you will need to meet the necessary eligibility points. The visa is issued as per the duration of your course.
  3. Tier 4 Child Student - Children between the ages of 4 and 17, visiting the UK to take part in studies in an independent school will require this type.

• Work - The work permit is issued to individuals who are visiting the country to take part in work or employment activities. This is also a PBS system and requires the individuals to meet the eligibility points. The types of work visas are as follows.
  1. Tier 2 - This is issued to individuals who are moving to the country to take part in long term work.  You will be required to be sponsored by a licensed sponsor for this. There are several sub-divisions of this visa too.
  2. Tier 5 - A 5th tier permit is issued for short term work. These can be unpaid voluntary work, religious work, sports-related, etc. These can further be split into multiple types based on the purpose.
  3. Tier 1 - For individuals performing long term business activities, and planning to set-up their business, a tier 1 type is the apt one. This can be issued for entrepreneurs, start-ups, etc based on the eligibility.

• Family - You can apply for a family visa is you are going to the UK to live with your spouse, parent, child, or a relative who will be providing for you for a long term. These visas are issued for more than 6 months. If you require to visit them for a period of fewer than 6 months, you can apply for a standard visitor visa instead.

As per the UK Visa documents requirements for Indian citizens, the documents needed for UK Visa depends on the type of visa. Each one of the UK Visa types has a certain set of documents specific to it. However, the general requirements for most types are as follows - 

• UK visa application form - Online completed application form on Visa4UK
• 2 recent passport size photographs
• A passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of return, along with at least one blank page
• Proof of financial means to support your stay in the UK
• Proof of accommodation
• Complete travel itinerary
• Biometric information, if applicable
• Visa fees receipt
• Proof of occupation

According to the regulations, the photos have to be as per the following instructions -

• Recently taken
• Dimensions- 35mm X 45mm
• Clear basic cream or light grey background
• Glasses - allowed only for medical reasons
• Eyes - directly gazing at the lens
• Headgear - not permitted except in religious cases
• Facial expression - neutral
• No “Red-eye effect” from the camera flash

The time taken for a permit to enter Britain depends on several factors. Mainly, it depends on the type of visa. Certain visas are processed much faster than the other ones. Apart from this, it also depends on the embassy workload, additional documentation requirements, fast track processing, and so on. On average, the popular types are issued within 15 days. It is necessary to ensure that you apply for the permit well in advance to avoid delaying your visa.

The UK Visa fees India depends on aspects such as the UK Visa types, the number of entries, the duration of the visa, express processing fees, biometric charges, as well as any additional service charges. It is crucial to check the exact fees before applying for it.

Except for a few certain types, every other UK Visa types have to be applied online. The online application is completed on Visa4UK, and alternately on visa services portal in the cases of standard visitor visa. However, for the biometric, and document submission, you will have to visit one of the visa application centres located around the country. As per your convenience, you can book an appointment at any of them near you. The applications, however, as processed by the British High Commission in New Delhi, or the British Deputy High Commission in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai.

You can acquire complete assistance for the process from the professional visa services. This way you can ensure that there are least chances of any errors in the process and odds of visa rejection are reduced as well.

You cannot check the status of UK Visa application online. You will be notified of the status via text message if your visa has been approved. You can also check it by sending a message with your passport number to the designated number. Alternately, you can perform the UK Visa tracking by contacting the High Commission, or VAC email or phone and telling them the GWF number. The GWF is a unique number given for each application. You must make a note of this. Once your visa has been accepted and has been dispatched, you can track it using the GWF number on the courier company’s website.