Business Visitor Visa
The Business Visitor sub-category of the Standard Visitor route allows applicants to come to the UK to carry out business activities.
Business Visitor visa application: Main requirements
In order to enter the UK as a Business Visitor, an applicant must demonstrate that:
- they intend to leave the UK at the end of their visit;
- they have sufficient funds for their visit;
- the activities which they intend to carry out in the UK are permitted activities as defined in the Immigration Rules; and
- they do not intend to take employment in the UK.
What are the conditions of stay for a Business Visitor visa?
Applicants can apply to come to the UK for a period of up to six months. There is no option to extend this visa from within the UK.
Applicants should not intend to live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits under this route or make the UK their main home. Applications can be refused if an immigration officer believes that this is the case.
Business Visitor visa: permitted activities
The general activities which a Business Visitor can carry out during their stay in the UK include the following:
- attend meetings, conferences, seminars and interviews;
- give a one-off or short series of talks and speeches provided these are not organised as commercial events and will not make a profit for the organiser;
- negotiate and sign deals and contracts;
- attend trade fairs to carry out promotional work providing they are not selling directly to the public;
- carry out site visits and inspections;
- gather information for their employment overseas;
- be briefed on the requirements of a UK based customer, provided any work for the customer is done outside of the UK; and
- undertake activities relating to their employment overseas remotely from the UK, provided this is not the primary purpose of the visit.
Applicants who are employees of an overseas business can also visit the UK to carry out certain intra-corporate activities in order to:
- advise and consult;
- troubleshoot;
- provide training; and
- share skills and knowledge on a specific project with UK employees of the same organisation.
Applicants who are employees of an overseas business may also undertake these activities directly with clients, provided the client facing activity is incidental to the visitor’s work abroad and does not amount to the offshoring of a project or service to their overseas employer.
This route can also be used by prospective entrepreneurs, employees of foreign manufacturers looking to install, repair, or service equipment and clients of UK export companies coming to the UK to oversee that their requirements for goods or services are being carried out correctly.
Business Visitor visa application: How our Immigration Solicitors can help
The Home Office will carefully scrutinise an application for a Business Visitor visa. If it does not consider that the applicant intends to leave the UK at the end of their stay or if it considers that any of the other requirements have not been met, the application will fall for refusal. It is therefore essential that the application is prepared thoroughly and carefully.
We are experienced in preparing visa applications for Business Visitors to ensure a successful outcome and will provide expert guidance and assistance to you throughout the process.
For further advice, please contact us.
More Business Visitor visa FAQs
It is also possible to apply for a Business Visitor visa for a duration of two, five, or ten years (each visit must still be no longer than six months). The Home Office fees for a two, five, or ten year Business Visitor visa are £432, £771, and £963 respectively.
Unless the visa is stated to a be a single or dual entry Business Visitor visa, individuals may enter and leave the UK multiple times whilst the visa is valid. Each single visit must be no longer than six months.
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