Restrictions And Extensions Of The UK Visa: What You Should Know

Several compelling reasons await your trip to the UK. Right from the Royal British culture to authentic British cuisine. From the amazing live theatre experience to the dream of potter heads, riding the Hogwarts Express. And the numerous museums that are available in present in various locations across the country.

But before you can start with your trip to the UK, you will need to get your visa in place. Since there are different types of visas that you can choose from, the validity of them also changes accordingly. Here are some common UK visa types and the validity that they offer.

Extending your stay

You can extend your visit to the UK if you have permission to be in the UK for less than 6 months. In such cases, you can extend your stay by another 6 months. However, you must meet any of the following conditions to be able to ask for an extension.

1. If you are a patient receiving medical treatment.

2. If you are an academic and meet the necessary criteria.

3. If you are a graduate and want to retake the PLAB or Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board test.

Irrespective of your nationality, you must pay a fee of £1,000 if you wish to extend the stay. And this step must be taken while you are in the UK and before your current visa expires.

Here are more details about the above conditions, where you can extend your stay.

Medical treatment

For people receiving medical treatment in the UK, they can extend their stay to a further 6 months, if the following conditions are met.

1. The individual has paid for all the treatment that they have received to date.

2. The individual can afford to bear the further treatment costs.

3. The individual meets the requirements for further medical treatments.

There is no upper ceiling on how many times you can extend the stay. However, you must pay £1,000 for every extension. One of the most important documents in such a case is the one provided by a practitioner or NHS consultant, saying that you need further treatment.

Academic requirements

If you are in the UK and have permission to stay for less than 12 months, you can extend the stay up to a maximum of 12 months. For individuals travelling with their spouse or children can extend their stays as well. However, each application would have to be submitted with a fee of £1,000.

The following conditions must be met for that.

1. You must prove that you are not applying for a permanent post as a teacher.

2. You are highly qualified in your field, such as a PhD.

3. You were working in the specified field of expertise at other academic institutions prior to your shift to the UK.

To take the PLAB test

You can extend your stay in the UK up to 6 months if you must retake your PLAB test. For the extension, you must provide a confirmation from the General Medical Council about retaking the test.

Documentation for extension

When you do apply for extending your stay in the UK, you will need to visit the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services. The appointment will ensure that you provide biometric information and provide additional supporting documents for the extension of your stay.

It is possible to extend your stay in the UK, provided you have legitimate reasons for the same. Above are some common reasons for people seeking an extension of their UK visa. Knowing the conditions and documents requirement will help you get through the process without any hassles.