The business visitor visa allows foreign nationals to visit the UK for business purposes including attending conferences or taking part in sports or creative events and falls under the standard visa category.
Business visit visa eligibility requirements
The applicants must satisfy the Home Office that they are a genuine visitor by meeting the below general requirements.
- Proposed visit will be only for the purpose and duration as stated
- Intend to leave the UK at the end of the visit
- Will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK main home;
- Genuinely seeking entry for a purpose that is permitted by the visitor routes and will not undertake any prohibited activities;
- Have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to the visit without working or accessing public funds.
- Evidence of business activities undertaking in the UK
The applicants are allowed to travel to the UK for a short term stay, usually for a period of no longer than six months, for a specific range of business-related activities. The business activities may include:
- Perform either a one-off or short series of talks and speeches
- Attend business appointments such as conferences, meetings, training, seminars, and interviews
- Negotiate and sign business deals, trade agreements or contracts
- Attend trade fairs for business promotional purposes
- Conduct research and gather information for the benefit of business purposes overseas
- Carry out site visits and inspections of international projects
The business visitor visa does not allow you to work for pay or unpaid, dwell in the UK for long periods of time through frequent trips, marry or give notice of a marriage/civil partnership, or claim public funding. If the applicant desires to visit the UK on a frequent basis, the business visit visa can be filed for for 6 months, 2, 5 or 10 years; however, each visit can only be for a maximum of 6 months.