A Simple Guide to Hosting Family Members in the UK *

AD | Welcoming loved ones who live thousands of miles away from the UK can be a memorable experience. And hosting family members in the UK feels even more exciting, especially if you haven’t seen them for a long time since leaving your home country. But whether you’re looking to host your siblings, parents, or grandparents, you need to understand UK immigration rules first.

If you’re not familiar with these rules, it’s a good idea to speak with an experienced immigration lawyer for advice on inviting relatives to the UK. This article explains the UK family visitor visa, including its eligibility criteria and application steps.

Hosting Relatives From Abroad: What You Should Know Before Hosting Family Members in the UK

What Is a UK Family Visitor Visa?

The UK doesn’t have a visa specifically called a ‘family visitor visa.’ When people talk about a family visitor visa, they usually mean the Standard Visitor Visa, which individuals can use to enter the UK temporarily for various purposes.

With the Standard Visitor Visa, you can enter the UK for tourism, business trips, and to attend seminars. However, when you intend to visit a family member in the UK, the Standard Visitor Visa is assessed based on family ties and an invitation from the UK-based sponsor.

Comprehensive documentation is essential to obtain this visa, as your family members must demonstrate a strong family connection with you. If applicable, you must also show you can accommodate them in the UK or sponsor their trip.

That said, your family members may not need a Standard Visitor Visa to visit you temporarily (up to six months) in the UK if they’re from visa-exempt countries, including the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. If they’re from one of those countries, all they need is a valid national passport and an approved Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before boarding a flight, ferry, or train to the UK.

UK Standard Visitor Visa Requirements

While there’s no standalone family visa UK for your family members to visit you in the UK temporarily, they must meet the Standard Visitor Visa criteria to enter the country legally. To be eligible for the Standard Visitor Visa, they must:

• Hold a valid passport and have a clean immigration history
• Demonstrate their intention to depart from the UK after their visit
• Prove they are entering the UK to visit you
• Provide evidence that they can pay for their trip, or demonstrate that you are sponsoring their trip to the UK
• Prove they do not intend to take up employment, study, or do business during their visit

Step by Step UK Standard Visitor Visa Process

If your family members are visa nationals and intend to visit you temporarily, here’s a step-by-step guide to applying for a Standard Visitor Visa before you can finalise any plans for hosting family members in the UK:

Check Their Eligibility

Before applying for a Standard Visitor Visa, your family members must ensure they meet the requirements. They must have a valid national passport or travel document, a genuine intention to visit you in the UK, and sufficient funds to cover their needs while in the UK.

Complete the Online Application

They must fill out the Standard Visitor Visa online application form on the UK government website. They must provide accurate information about their situation in the online application form and this must match the information they have in their documents.

Gather Various Documents

Your family members must assemble crucial documents for their Standard Visitor Visa application. The details in these documents must align with the information they have provided in their application form. This is essential as discrepancies in your application can signal a lack of credibility.

This could lead the UK Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) to suspect deception or falsification to meet immigration requirements. Under UK immigration law, if the ECO finds evidence of falsified information, they can automatically refuse the visa application. They may prohibit the individual from entering the UK for up to 10 years.

The documents your family members should gather for a UK Standard Visitor Visa include:

• A valid national passport
• Payslips or bank statements covering at least the last 3 to 6 months
• Employment letter, enrolment letter, proof of pension disbursement, and property deeds/land registries to prove home ties
• Hotel bookings or reservations to demonstrate they have somewhere to stay when they enter the UK
• Invitation letter from you stating your full name, contact details, address and status in the UK. It must also specify their purpose of visit, arrival and departure dates, and acknowledgement of your decision to sponsor their trip (if applicable)

Pay the Visa Fee

Your family members must pay the Standard Visitor Visa application fee of £135 (for a 6-month visa) using a credit or debit card. The system will charge the equivalent amount in the local currency depending on their location when applying.

Book and Attend Their Biometric Appointment

After paying the visa fee, your family members will be directed to book a biometric appointment and attend it at their nearest UK visa application centre. At the appointment, they will be required to provide their biometric information (digital copies of their fingerprints and photographs).

They also need to attend the appointment with supporting documents for submission. Depending on their situation, the immigration officer may ask questions about their intended trip to the UK.

Await a Decision

After attending their biometrics appointment and submitting documents, your family members need to wait for the application decision. They will receive a decision within 3 weeks of submitting the Standard Visitor Visa application from their home country.

Look Forward to Hosting Your Family Members in the UK

Hosting your loved ones in the UK and spending quality time with them, especially after living several years apart, will be an exciting and memorable experience. And while your non-visa national family members only require an ETA to enter the UK, it’s a good idea to get applications in early for the Standard Visitor Visas for your visa national family members.

Understanding the Standard Visitor Visa eligibility criteria and the latest UK immigration rules can help them avoid costly visa refusals, travel delays, border entry bans, and focus on relaxing and enjoying their time with you. And make your reunion hassle-free and memorable for all the right reasons.

* This is a collaborative post – please see my Disclaimer.