The thing about visas is you can’t just get up, go to an immigration center, and say that you want a visa. You need to put extra thought and care even before you decide to get one.
To be specific, there are quite a few preparatory steps that you should consider doing in your pre-application for a UK visa. These will help you ensure a smoother process from start to end.
Note, though, that you may also have to look into legal matters. In this case, we recommend working with an Immigration lawyer to help with specific UK visa laws. Immigration Advice Services is one of the best in this field. Their legal experts offer several UK visa services, which will surely give you an advantage.
Going back, below are the things that you can do:
#1: Check if you need a visa to be in the UK.
First, don’t waste your time applying for a visa if you don’t need it. If you’re new to the UK’s visa laws, then you should check if you’re exempted from the requirements. To qualify, you need to be either one of the following:
- EEA Citizen
- Swiss Citizen
- Commonwealth Citizen
Other countries in Asia like South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan can also skip the visa process if they only plan to stay six months or less in the UK. There are many more nationals applicable for this condition, so make sure to check the latest guidelines of the said country.
#2: Determine the specific visa type you need.
If you checked, and you still need a visa, then it’s time to determine the specific visa type that you need to apply for. This will highly depend on why you want to go to the UK.
Generally, you can choose from:
- Tourist Visa
- Work Visa
- Student Visa
- Transit Visa
- Dependent Visa
- Business Visa
If you’re not familiar with each type, you should consider consulting a professional. This is essential, especially because the requirements that you have to prepare will depend on this factor. Your stay period will also vary depending on the visa type.
Nevertheless, a good rule of thumb is to deduce your main purpose of visit or migration.
#3: Check locations of possible application centers.
The availability of application centers will vary depending on what country you’re in. Since you’re going to pay for transportation expenses, no matter if you have your own vehicle or not, make sure to check the locations where you can apply beforehand. This will help you schedule the application process properly.
Alternatively, you can just go through the application process if you can. This will be a much more convenient way to submit all of your requirements. The only time that you’ll need to go to an immigration center is for the interview.
#4: Save money for visa fees.
It may hurt your budget if you apply for a visa without knowing the exact cost of fees that you have to pay for. Hence, you should get a quote either from your lawyer or by personally going to an immigration center.
For an overview, here are some of the payments that you need to make:
- Visa Fee – This will depend on the type you applied for.
- Healthcare Surcharge – This will range from £470 to £3,120, depending on how long you plan on staying.
- TB Test Fee – This will vary depending on what medical institution you’ll get the test from.
Note that the longer your scheduled stay is, the more expensive the fees will be. If this is the case, then prepare at least a few thousand pounds for the application process.
#5: Prepare documents and interview answers.
The documents and interview answers that you will give will play a significant part in whether you’ll get accepted or not. Again, this will depend on your visa type. Nonetheless, this will require a lot of work, so you should pay a lot of attention to the papers.
Similarly, make sure to allot time in preparing for the interview. You can search for common visa application questions online or ask a professional about them. Either way, make sure that you stay authentic with your answers. Doing so will prevent rejected applications and other legal issues.
Summary
To summarize, you have to take care of things like documents, fees, interview questions, and other things like transportation.
If you have successfully done all the tips above, check with your immigration lawyer if there are some more tips that can increase your success rate. However, the above tasks will probably be enough to ensure an efficient visa application process.
Keep in mind that going through the application process for a UK visa won’t be easy. What you can do is to quicken the process somehow.
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