Immigration and Asylum
A meeting, conference or contract negotiation may be possible as a Standard Visitor, but a business visit is not permission to take a UK job. SJS can help you check the planned activities and the evidence needed before you travel or apply for a visitor visa.
Understanding your next steps
Visitor rules permit specified business activities, including meetings, negotiations and certain training or site visits. Work beyond the permitted activities may require a work visa, even if the trip is short or the work is unpaid.
The itinerary, invitation, overseas employment and funding should tell a consistent story. We can help identify evidence of the purpose, accommodation and travel plans, and the circumstances showing that the visit is temporary.
Earlier refusals, lengthy stays or a history of repeated UK visits can raise questions. Provide a full travel history and any decision letters so that these points can be addressed honestly in the application.
A clear way forward
Tell us who you will meet, where you will work or attend events, how long you will stay and who will pay.
We identify whether a visa or another pre-travel permission is required for your nationality and circumstances, and whether the activities fit the visitor rules.
We review the documents and application details, including the purpose of the visit and the arrangements for returning overseas.
Planning ahead
We will quote for the advice or visa application work required. Government application charges and any document translations are separate. Travel and accommodation bookings are not included in legal fees.
Check permission before making non-refundable arrangements. The relevant application window and processing time should be reviewed against the intended travel date. A conference booking does not guarantee admission or a visa.
Read our published Price Guide, then contact us to confirm the work you need and the costs involved.
View Price GuideUseful to know
Meetings and contract negotiations are among the permitted business activities, subject to the visitor requirements. The rest of the itinerary must also fit the rules.
Unpaid does not automatically mean permitted. Work outside the allowed visitor activities may still require a work visa. Describe the actual duties before travelling.
No. Pre-travel authorisation does not change the activities permitted as a visitor. Work and immigration conditions still need to be observed.
No. A visitor visa is for visits. It should not be used to make the UK your main home through frequent or successive stays.
General information about UK immigration. Contact us for advice about your circumstances.
SJS Solicitors · Balham
