- How long does it take to get a
visa?
This may depend on the type of visa you are applying
for. We aim to process 90% of applications within 15
days of you submitting your application and biometrics
at the visa application centre. Some applications can
take us longer to process, particularly at busy times
of the year. We recommend that everyone allows 5 weeks
for their visa to be processed.
- How far in advance should I apply?
We suggest that you do not buy tickets or make
non-refundable travel arrangements until your visa has
been issued. You can apply for your visa up to 3 months
before you are due to travel. Applications for certain
British overseas territories and Commonwealth countries
can take up to 3 months to process, so please apply
well in advance of your travel date.
- Can I get my money back if my application
is refused?
Visa fees are non-refundable but if a payment has been
made and the application is not submitted or if the
applicant refuses to provide biometrics details with
their application, then we will refund the fee.
Visa application fees fees
are paid for consideration of the application and are
set at a level to cover our administrative costs. Payment
of the fee does not guarantee the visa will be issued
and visa application fees are not refundable if an application
is unsuccessful.
- Can I get my money back if I withdraw
my application?
If you want to withdraw your application you must contact
the visa application centre where you submitted your
application, or email info.ukkz@vfshelpline.com.
Please do not contact UK Border Agency staff. You will
have to attend the visa application centre in person
between 09:00 and 11:00 and complete a form authorising
the withdrawal of your application.
- What length of visa can I apply
for?
As a visitor, you can apply for a visa which is valid
for 6 months; 1 year; 2 years; 5 years; or 10 years.
This is the length of time that you can use the visa.
As a visitor, the longest that you can stay in the UK
on any one trip is 6 months.
- What duration of visa should I
apply for?
Anyone can apply for a 6 month visa. A 6 month visa
is likely to be the right one for you to apply for if:
* You have never travelled to the UK before; or
* On a previous trip to the UK, you did not comply with
UK immigration regulations.
If you pay the higher fee for a visa that lasts longer
than 6 months, the UK Border Agency may only issue you
a 6 month visa. If this happens, they will not refund
the difference in the fee.
- Who can apply for a visa that lasts
longer than 6 months?
Anyone can apply, although long-term visas are aimed
at people who:
* Travel regularly; and
* Have established a history of complying with immigration
regulations.
- What validity visa can I expect
to be given?
The visa officer will decide how long your visa will
be valid for. The guide below should give you some idea
of the likely length of the visa that could be issued
to you:
You will need to show that your financial circumstances
are likely to remain very similar for the full time
that the visa is valid for (for example - you are likely
to stay in full-time employment, if that was what you
were doing when the visa was issued). You also need
to satisfy the visa officer that you will not base yourself
in the UK, but will be making short trips there, and
will leave at the end of each visit.
Longer validity visas are aimed at people who travel
frequently to the UK. If you are a regular visitor,
you will find it more convenient to apply for a longer
duration visa, and we encourage you to do so.
- What if my visa is valid for a
shorter time than I asked for?
There is no right to appeal. You can apply again when
your visa has run out. Remember that we do not refund
visa application fees.
- How long does it take to process
longer validity visas?
Many longer validity visas take us longer to process.
If you are applying for a 2, 5 or 10 year visa, please
allow up to 5 weeks for it to be processed from the
time you submit your application and biometrics at the
visa application centre.
- What does a letter of invitation
need to say and does it need to be notarised?
There is no set form of words for a letter of invitation.
Sponsors should write the invitation in their own words.
It should be addressed to the person being invited and
must include details of the purpose and duration of
the visit and also the relationship between the applicant
and the signatory of the letter and /or the persons
inviting the applicant. These letters do not have to
be notarised. It should be clear from the invitation
why the person is being invited, by whom, for how long
and where they will stay.
- Where should sponsors send their
invitation letters?
Invitations must be sent direct to the visa applicant
who they are sponsoring. The person applying for the
visa should include the invitation letter with their
documents when they lodge their application at the visa
application centre. Please do not send (or copy) invitation
or sponsorship letters to the UK Border Agency. We do
not have the resources to retain them, or to link them
to the application.
- Do I need to have a letter from
my employers indicating my salary if some or all of
my expenses are going to be covered by my sponsor?
Evidence of your circumstances is helpful to satisfy
the visa officer that you are in settled employment
and provides proof of your financial situation here.
You should include this information with your application
whether you are paying for the trip or not.
- Do I need a transit visa if I
am staying in the United Kingdom for less than 24 hours?
Can I leave the airport?
The UK Border Agency's Border Force operates a 'Transit
Without Visa' concession. At the discretion of an immigration
officer certain visa nationals, including Kazakh citizens,
can transit within Gatwick or Heathrow without a visa
provided they have a confirmed booking on a flight departing
within 24 hours to their country of destination and
a valid visa for their final destination country. Please
note: this is at the discretion of the immigration officer,
and no guarantees can be given about whether you will
be given permission to enter or transit the UK. A full
list of those nationals who qualify under the 'Transit
Without Visa' concession can be found at www.ukvisas.gov.uk
under 'Do
I need a visa'.
- If I am refused a visa, when can
I re-apply?
You can re-apply at any time and your new application
will be considered on its merits. You should be aware,
that if there has been no significant change in your
circumstances since the last refusal, or if you are
unable to address the reasons for refusal, your application
may be refused again. A previous refusal will not mean
that any subsequent application will be refused automatically,
unless you have submitted forged documents in with your
application.
If you re-apply then you will have to complete the full
application process again. You should follow the same
set of steps outlined on our webpage 'How
do I apply for a visa'.
- For a marriage visa application,
must the sponsor be present at the interview?
No. In most circumstances only the applicant needs to
be interviewed. You will be required to submit evidence
of the sponsor's residence status in the United Kingdom,
freedom to marry and ability to support and accommodate
without recourse to public funds. Please see "Documents
Required" page on this website.
- Do I need to show my old passport
when I apply?
It is extremely helpful if you do. If your old passport
contains visas showing previous foreign travel (for
instance to UK, Schengen, Switzerland, USA) you may
wish to ask for it to be returned to you by the passport
office when you renew it. You will then be able to attach
it to your new passport when you submit your UK visa
application. It is very useful for us to see such direct
evidence of previous travels abroad and seeing an old
passport can often enable us to process your application
much quicker.
- Apart from a letter of invitation
what other evidence should I bring?
This very much depends upon the type of application
which is being submitted. Please see the "Documents
Required" page on this website.
- Must I always provide the name
of a British citizen as a sponsor?
No. Anyone present in the United Kingdom, for whatever
purpose, can sponsor someone. It is important to name
the specific sponsor particularly in the case of family
visits. If you are intending to visit a relative then
please specify this and submit evidence of their immigration
status in the UK (for example, a copy of their passport
photograph page and current UK Visa).
- I have heard that the UK Border
Agency refuses visas to single women. Is this true?
No, it is not. Each visa application is considered on
its own merits and, provided the applicant qualifies
in accordance with the UK's Immigration Rules, their
visa will be issued.
- Do you issue visas for Commonwealth
countries?
Yes, for certain Commonwealth countries and other territories
and islands such as the Bahamas, Gibraltar and the Cayman
Islands. For full details of which countries and territories
the UK Border Agency in Almaty issue visas on behalf
of;please visit www.ukvisas.gov.uk.
Please remember that it is presently not possible to
apply for these types of visa online. It is necessary
to visit one of our visa application centres and submit
a paper-based application. An appointment is not required.
- Can you help me find a job in
the UK and permission to work?
No. UK Border Agency staff at the British Embassy in
Almaty make decisions on visa applications, and are
not involved in the employment process. For information
on working in the UK, please visit the UK
Border Agency website.
- If I am refused a visa, will I
know why and can I appeal against the refusal?
If you are refused, you will receive a written notice
from the visa officer detailing the reasons why you
have been refused. The right of appeal against refusal
only exists for certain categories and the visa officer
will inform you at the time of refusal if you have the
right to appeal. Please note: visitors to the UK (business
or tourist) and students on courses of less than 6 months
duration do not have the right of appeal.
- How long will my visit visa be
valid for?
With a visit visa you can usually enter and leave the
UK any number of times while it is still valid. The
visa officer may occasionally limit a visa so it is
valid for only 1 entry. You cannot stay for longer than
6 months on each visit. Visit visas can be valid for
6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years or 10 years. You
can apply for a visa valid for any of these periods,
but please note that applications for longer visas may
take longer to process. Please note, the visa officer
may decide to make your visa valid for a shorter time
than you have asked for, for example if you are not
a regular traveller or have never visited the UK before.
We do not refund visa fees if you have applied for a
longer duration visa, but are issued with a shorter
validity visa.
- Are there any other documents
I need to show if I am a foreign national living and
working in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan?
You should provide evidence of your permission to be
in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan if you are not
a national of any of these countries.
Please note, that it is your responsibility to show
that you are legally in the country, and the visa officer
may refuse your application if you do not demonstrate
this.
- I want to go to the United Kingdom
to study. What type of visa should I apply for?
There are different types of visa that will allow you
to study in the United Kingdom and the most appropriate
one will depend on the length and type of course you
are intending to follow. It may also depend on your
age. For detailed information, visit the UK Border Agency
website.
| • |
Student Visit visa. This is for applicants
who wish to take a short course of study. It is
cheaper than the full student visa, and does not
allow you to work or extend your stay in the UK.
Students do not need to study for a minimum 15
hours per week, but the training provider must
be on the Register
of Training Providers. Study can be in the
evenings or at weekends. It is not appropriate
for sandwich course students, or any short course
with a work placement element |
| • |
'Full' Student visas. Holders can apply
for extensions of their stay in the UK and can
take work with permission. These visas can be
issued to children between 5 and 18, but see the
information below about child students. |
| • |
Students who are taking a short term English
course before going on to long term studies in
the UK, where the offer letter for the long term
studies is conditional on them completing the
course in the UK or achieving a certain IELTS
level. Applicants should apply as students
(not student visitors) and pay the fee for the
'full' student visa. |
| • |
Children studying in the UK - short term.
Children under the age of 18 travelling to the
UK for a short language course should apply under
the Child Visitor category rather than the Student
Visitor category. This can be accompanied or unaccompanied
as appropriate. Applicants will be required to
demonstrate that adequate arrangements have been
made for their care in the United Kingdom which
means that they must be going to a named person
and the address given must be where they will
stay. It is not enough to give the address of
the school unless it is a boarding school or residential
address. They must also submit the necessary signed
consent forms from both parents, and we must be
advised of the name and passport number of the
person accompanying them to the UK. The UK Border
Agency has a code of practice for keeping children
safe from harm. For more details, visit the UK
Border Agency website. |
| • |
Children studying in the UK - long term.
Children under the age of 5 years do not usually
qualify. Applicants must be going to an Independent
School as defined by the Education Act. An English
Language school would not usually qualify. |
|
