UK Visitor Visa Solicitors

If you wish to visit the UK for a short period of time (six months or less), you may be required to obtain a UK Standard Visitor Visa.

To speak to our top visit visa solicitors based in London, please contact us on +44 (0)207 936 9960, or contact us through our online enquiry form.

OTS Solicitors is an award-winning, Global Legal 500 ranked law firm based in central London.  We provide the best Immigration advice available in the UK and have a team of highly experienced Immigration solicitors, judges and barristers who work closely with our clients to advise and represent them with visit visas to the UK.

What our Clients say about our Standard Visitor Visa service

“BEST EXPERIENCE WITH A POSITIVE OUTCOME! It was a very smooth, professional and lovely experience for us getting OTS Solicitors to represent us for my UK Visitor Visa reapplication. I got denied my UK visitor visa twice, and the third time we got OTS Solicitors to help us and I HAVE BEEN GRANTED MY VISA. They wrote a very professional and detailed (intelligent) representation letter and gave us realistic approaches. They were very accommodating and just reliable — they definitely know what they are doing every step of the way.

The person who specifically was assigned to our case, Ms. Saida Ahmed, was just brilliant. She's very understanding, accommodating and just smart. Despite the differences in time zones, us being 7 hours ahead, she still managed to work with us closely. She would e-mail and call the Home Office on our behalf and there would always be an update. She's very kind and goo to work with. She'd e-mail us about asking for updates about the outcome and she has thought of many ways of dealing with matters even before they arise.

Any visa or even Immigration matters, I would trust only them. We were more than pleased and all thanks to OTS Solicitor's help.”

and

“I found Saida to be very efficient and knowledgeable. My mum’s visitor visa had been rejected due to a created excuse by the home office. She suggested ways that were short and with quick results. Saida, I am very grateful for your help.”

What is a UK Standard Visitor Visa?

The Standard Visitor visa has replaced the:

• Family Visitor visa
• General Visitor visa
• Child Visitor visa
• Business Visitor visa, including visas for academics, doctors and dentists
• Sports Visitor visa
• Entertainer Visitor visa
• Prospective Entrepreneur Visa
• Private Medical Treatment Visitor visa
• Approved Destination Status (ADS) visa

If you are from the UAE such as Dubai or Abu Dhabi, we have offices located in Dubai to assist any clients that require visit visa services to the UK.

If you are from Commonwealth country such as Canada, Australia New Zealand or parts of the Caribbean, you may not need a UK Standard Visitor Visa to come to the UK for six months or less.  Citizens from the United States and large parts of South America are also usually entitled to visa-free access to the UK for up to six months.

While the UK remains a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), nationals from other Member States are also entitled to come to the UK without needing to obtain a visa.

People from most other countries must obtain a UK Standard Visitor Visa to enter the UK as a tourist, attend a business conference, see family or get private medical.

What are the eligibility requirements for a UK Standard Visitor Visa?

One of the most important factors UK Visas and Immigration will be looking for is proof you will leave the UK at the end of your visit and not try and remain in the country after your UK Standard Visitor Visa expires.

To establish this, they may look at your past Immigration history, how frequently you visit the UK, whether you have a return flight home booked and how credible your reason for visiting the UK is, considering your background.

OTS Solicitors have an in-depth knowledge and experience of helping applicants fill in UK Standard Visitor Visa application forms and collating the necessary documents that UK Visas and Immigration will examine when considering whether to approve a request.

What can I do if my UK Standard Visitor Visa application is rejected?

If your UK Standard Visitor Visa application is refused, you may be able to reapply, depending on the grounds for refusal.  For example, if you neglected to include a specific document such as a bank statement, reapplication, and a covering letter from one of our solicitors is likely to result in success.

However, if your UK Standard Visitor Visa has been rejected because you have been excluded from the UK for a specific period, or UK Visas and Immigration does not believe you are a genuine visitor who plans to leave the UK on expiry of the visit visa, there is little point in re-submitting the same documents and a legal challenge may be required.

An appeal against a UK Standard Visitor Visa refusal can only be made on Human Rights grounds.  At OTS Solicitors, we have a robust reputation for achieving successful results in UK Standard Visitor Visa appeals and Judicial Reviews.  These cases can be extremely complex; however, our investment in quality case management and legal research materials and the high calibre of our staff means we can work swiftly to ensure you receive the best legal advice and representation.  We will issue a Pre-action Protocol letter in the first instance, warning the Home Office you plan to challenge their decision to reject your application on the grounds outlined in the letter.  In many cases, this is enough to get a UK Standard Visitor Visa granted.

Getting refusal decisions reversed fast

Our strength lies in our dedication and ability to have Standard Visitor Visa refusal decisions reversed quickly.  We achieve this by preparing powerful legal representations that result in formally rejected visitor visa applications being approved.

We have helped clients from the United Arab Emirates, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United States, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, China, Thailand, Singapore, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Turkey as well as many other nationalities.  Many different languages are spoken by our staff and we are renowned for our responsive, fast, friendly service.

“Having tried for some time to source a specialist Immigration firm that I could conduct my wife's Immigration hurdles I visited OTS in Fleet Street some months ago initially meeting Hans Appadu and being impressed with his resolve and concise legal knowledge on the subject. He passed me over to a para-legal colleague, Saida Ahmed who from the start conducted herself gracefully despite my clear frustration at the prejudicial Immigration hurdle I was facing. Having had 3 Visitor Visas rejected (my wife is Cuban) and a seemingly impossible spouse visa financial hurdle Saida and I bundled an improbable 140 page Visitor Visa application together. The OTS letter alone was 30 pages long describing my wife's circumstance as well as mine but essentially Saida provided the bulky case law that had been omitted by myself in our 3 previous failed applications. Although the saga is only at the Stage 4 Grand Prix with a whole raft of further hurdles to climb I am pleased to report that my wife's Visitor Visa to UK was granted for 6 months this week. Without OTS and Saida working effortlessly in this regard our logjam would undoubtedly have continued. My wife and I are eternally grateful to OTS and Saida and will continue to use their services for the next Grand Prix and those thereafter. It feels that the spouse visa treatment by the Home Office and UKVI is prejudicial to British Citizens who marry Spouses outside UK/EU putting '000s at the back of the queue. I have challenged Mrs May on this and her scant disregard typifies the intransigence of big government to the plight of Spouses of British Nationals. Shame on you Mrs May ! Well done to OTS though.....and thanks again”.

Helping to ensure your UK Standard Visitor Visa application is successful first time

To avoid the waste of time and additional expense the refusal of a UK Visitor Visa may result in, it is advisable to have an experienced Immigration solicitor to look over your initial application and supporting documents and provide the best advice on your chances of success.

To prevent your application for a UK Visitor Visa being rejected, it is imperative that you tell the truth on your application, provide all of the relevant documentation and ensure this documentation is presented in chronological order.

Although the advice of family and friends can be useful, when it comes to successfully applying for a UK Visitor Visa, expert guidance is worth its weight in gold.  For example, if there is potential to appeal a refusal on Human Rights grounds, our solicitors will ensure this is included in your initial application.  We firmly believe that when it comes to visa refusals, prevention is better (and less stressful and costly) than any cure provided by the Home Office.

For a more detailed discussion making an application for a UK Standard Visitor Visa or appealing against a refusal, please call us now on 0203 959 9123.