What are the immigration rules for a visit visa to the United Kingdom?

A visit visa allows a person to visit the United Kingdom on a temporary basis, usually for up to six months at a time. As is typical of many sections of the immigration rules, the rules for visitors are complex and spread across several different appendices. The rules are also updated frequently by the Home Office. At the time of writing, visitors make up the largest percentage of people entering the UK so it is important to understand the structure and content of this section of the immigration rules.

Where to find law and policy on visit visas

Appendix V to the immigration rules sets out the formal legal requirements for visitors. Also relevant to Visitors are the following related appendices:

• Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities
• Appendix Visitor: Visa national list
• Appendix Visitor: Permit Free Festival List
• Appendix Visitor: Transit Without Visa Scheme
• Appendix Electronic Travel Authorisation

The Home Office publishes guidance for its own staff on how to make decisions and apply the law (Visit Guidance and Considering human rights claims in visit applications). These documents are helpful tools for preparing visit visa applications as the applicant can see how Home Office staff will approach the decision making process. The Home Office also publishes guidance for applicants on what documents to submit with an application (Visit visa: guide to supporting documents).

What is a visitor anyway?

The introduction to Appendix V opens with a deceptively simple definition of who the visitor route is for:

This route is for a person who wants to visit the UK for a temporary period, (usually for up to 6 months), for purposes such as tourism, visiting friends or family, carrying out a business activity, or undertaking a short course of study…

There are 3 types of Visitor:

• Standard Visitor: for those seeking to undertake the activities set out in Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities, for example tourism and visiting family, usually for up to 6 months. A Standard Visitor may apply for a visit visa of six months, two, five or 10 years validity, however each stay in the UK must not exceed the permitted length of stay endorsed on the visit visa (usually six months).
• Marriage/Civil Partnership Visitor: for those seeking to come to the UK to marry or form a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership.
• Transit Visitor: for those who want to transit the UK on route to another country outside the Common Travel Area and who will enter the UK for up to 48 hours by crossing the UK border unless Appendix Visitor: Transit Without Visa Scheme applies.

Visitors cannot work in the UK unless this is expressly allowed under the permitted activities set out in Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities.

The rest of Appendix V then sets out the visitor requirements at length. The requirements are split into categories and there are subcategories for different categories of visitor. Then as you make your way through the rules you’ll often need to switch between the different, related appendices to fully understand the rule you’re looking at. Overall it doesn’t make for straightforward reading.

In an attempt to explain these rules as simply as possible, we will address the different categories of visit visa and the eligibility requirements first. We will then consider the entry and validity requirements, and the suitability requirements. Finally, we’ll look at extensions of stay as a visitor and cancellation of visit visas.

Categories of visit visa: eligibility requirements

All visitors in all categories must be able to show that they meet the ‘genuine visitor’ requirement. A genuine visitor is one who:

(a) will leave the UK at the end of their visit; and

(b) will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK their main home; and

(c) is genuinely seeking entry or stay for a purpose that is permitted under the Visitor route as set out in Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities and at V 13.3; and

(d) will not undertake any of the prohibited activities set out in V 4.4. to V 4.6; and

(e) must have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to their visit without working or accessing public funds, including the cost of the return or onward journey, any costs relating to their dependants, and the cost of planned activities such as private medical treatment. The applicant must show that any funds they rely upon are held in a financial institution permitted under FIN 2.1 in Appendix Finance.

The funds can be provided by a third party — often referred to as a sponsor — if the sponsor meets the criteria at paragraph V 4.3, which are that the sponsor:

• has a genuine professional or personal relationship with the visitor,
• is in the UK lawfully(or will be at the time of the visitor’s entry)
• can and will provide support for the intended duration of the visitor’s stay.

Once a visitor has established they are ‘genuine’, there may be additional eligibility requirements depending on the purpose of their visit to the UK.

The three main categories of visit visas are standard visitors, marriage/civil partnership visitors, and transit visitors.

Standard visit visas

The ‘standard visitor’ category includes visitors who are coming to the UK for the reasons mentioned in the introduction to Appendix V, such as tourism and visiting friends and family.

The rules for entering the UK as a standard visitor are different for ‘visa nationals’ and ‘non-visa nationals’. Visa nationals have to apply for and be granted a visit visa before they travel otherwise they will automatically be refused entry. Non-visa nationals can apply for a visit visa before they travel, but have the option of applying when they arrive at the UK border at a port or airport. Non-visa nationals can enter the UK using eGates which automatically grant entry clearance as a standard visitor. The list of visa nationals is set out in Appendix Visitor: Visa national list.

The standard visitor category also includes several subcategories, each of which has additional requirements. Therefore if a visitor applying for a standard visitor visa falls into one of the categories set out below, they will need to meet an additional set of eligibility requirements under that category. The additional requirements are as follows.

Additional eligibility requirements for children

The additional requirements if the visitor is under 18 are that:

• adequate arrangements must have been made for their travel to, reception and care in the UK.
• if the child is not applying or travelling with a parent or guardian based in their home country or country of ordinary residence who is responsible for their care, that parent or guardian must confirm that they consent to the arrangements for the child’s travel to, and reception and care in the UK. Where requested, this consent must be given in writing.

Visitors coming under the Approved Destination Status Agreement with China

An applicant under the approved destination status agreement with China must:

• be a national of the People’s Republic of China; and
• intend to enter, leave and travel within the UK as a member of a tourist group under the agreement.

Visitors coming to receive private medical treatment

The additional requirements if the visitor is a private medical treatment visitor are:

• if the applicant is suffering from a communicable disease, they must have satisfied the medical inspector that they are not a danger to public health.
• the applicant must have arranged their private medical treatment before they travel to the UK, and must provide a letter from their doctor or consultant detailing:
  • the medical condition requiring consultation or treatment; and
  • the estimated costs and likely duration of any treatment which must be of a finite duration; and
  • where the consultation or treatment will take place; or
  • if the applicant intends to receive NHS treatment under a reciprocal healthcare arrangement between the UK and another country, an authorisation form issued by the government of that country.
• if the applicant is applying for an 11 month visit visa for the purposes of private medical treatment they must also:
  • provide evidence from their doctor or consultant in the UK that the proposed treatment is likely to exceed six months but not more than 11 months; or
  • if the applicant intends to receive NHS treatment under a reciprocal health arrangement between the UK and another country, an authorisation form issue by the government of that country which clearly states that the proposed treatment is likely to exceed six months, but not more than 11 months; an
  • provide a valid tuberculosis certificate if required.

Visitors coming to donate an organ

Why the Home Office is so concerned with the idea that some people might pretend to be an organ donor for the purpose of obtaining a visit visa to the UK is a mystery. In any event, the additional requirements if the visitor is intending to donate an organ are:

• the applicant must satisfy the decision maker that they genuinely intend to donate an organ, or be assessed as a potential organ donor, to an identified recipient in the UK with whom they have a genetic or close personal relationship.
• the applicant must provide written confirmation of medical tests to show that they are a donor match to the identified recipient, or that they are undergoing further tests to be assessed as a potential donor to the identified recipient.
• the applicant must provide a letter, dated no more than three months prior to the applicant’s intended date of arrival in the UK, which confirms that the applicant meets the requirements and confirms when and where the planned organ transplant or medical tests will take place. The letter must be from either:
  • the lead nurse or coordinator of the UK’s NHS Trust’s Living Donor Kidney Transplant team; or
  • a UK registered medical practitioner who holds an NHS consultant post or who appears in the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council;
• the applicant must be able to show, if required, that the identified recipient is lawfully present in the UK or will be at the time of the planned organ transplant.

Visitors coming to study for up to six months

The additional requirements for visitors coming to the UK to study for up to six months are that:

• the applicant must have been accepted onto a course of study that is to be provided by an Accredited Institution that is not a State Funded School or Academy.
• the course must last no longer than six months unless the course is being undertaken from outside the UK as a Distance Learning Course.
• where the applicant is seeking to come to the UK for up to six months to undertake electives relevant to a course of study abroad, they must:
  • be aged 16 or over; and
  • be enrolled on a course of study abroad equivalent to at least degree level study in the UK; and
  • be studying medicine, veterinary medicine and science, nursing, midwifery, or dentistry as their principal course of study; and
  • have been accepted by a UK Higher Education Provider to undertake electives relevant to their course of study provided these are unpaid and involve no treatment of patients; and
  • provide written confirmation from the UK Higher Education Provider.
• where the applicant is seeking to come to the UK to undertake research or be taught about research (research tuition) for up to six months:
  • they must be aged 16 or over; and
  • they must be enrolled on a course of study abroad equivalent to at least degree level study in the UK; and
  • they must have been accepted by a UK Higher Education Provider to undertake research or be taught about research (research tuition); and
  • the overseas course provider must confirm that the research or research tuition is part of or relevant to the course of study that they are enrolled on overseas; and
  • this must not amount to the visitor being employed at the UK institution.
• the research or research tuition may be undertaken at a UK research institute, providing a formal partnership exists between the research institute and the UK Higher Education Provider for this purpose.

Academics seeking to visit for more than six months

An academic applying for a 12 month visit visa must intend to undertake one or more of the following activities: taking part in formal exchange arrangements with UK counterparts (including doctors); carrying out research for their own purposes, if they are on sabbatical leave from their home institution; or if they are an eminent senior doctor or dentist, taking part in research, teaching or clinical practice provided this does not amount to filing a permanent teaching post.

The academic must also:

• be highly qualified within their own field of expertise
• be currently working in that field at an academic institution or institution of higher education overseas
• provide a tuberculosis certificate if required.

Visitors coming for work related training

The additional requirements for visitors who wish to undertake work-related training are as follows:

• where the applicant wishes to undertake a clinical attachment or dental observer post as an overseas graduate from a medical, dental or nursing school, they must provide written confirmation of their offer to take up this post and confirm they have not previously undertaken this activity in the UK.
• where the applicant is seeking to come to the UK to take the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board test, they must provide written confirmation of this from the General Medical Council.
• where the applicant is seeking to come to the UK to take the Objective Structured Clinical Examinations for overseas, they must provide written confirmation of this from the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Visitors coming for a Permitted Paid Engagement (PPE)

PPE visitors must be aged 18 or over when they enter the UK. They must intend to do one or more of the permitted page engagements, and the engagement(s) must be:

• arranged before the applicant travels to the UK;
• declared as part of the application for entry clearance or permission to enter the UK;
• evidenced by a formal invitation; and
• the engagement must relate to the applicant’s area of expertise and occupation overseas.

The following are permitted paid engagements:

(a) an academic who is highly qualified within their field of expertise, coming to examine students and/or participate in or chair selection panels, and have been invited by a UK higher education institution, or a UK-based research or arts organisation as part of that institution or organisation’s quality assurance processes; and

(b) an expert coming to give lectures in their subject area, where they have been invited by a higher education institution, or a UK-based research or arts organisation, and this does not amount to filling a teaching position for the host organisation; and

(c) an overseas designated pilot examiner coming to assess UK-based pilots to ensure they meet the national aviation regulatory requirements of other countries, where they have been invited by an approved training organisation based in the UK that is regulated by the UK Civil Aviation Authority for that purpose; and

(d) a qualified lawyer coming to provide advocacy for a court or tribunal hearing, arbitration or other form of dispute resolution for legal proceedings within the UK, where they have been invited by a client; and

(e) a professional artist, entertainer, or musician coming to carry out an activity directly relating to their profession, where they have been invited by a creative (arts or entertainment) organisation, agent or broadcaster based in the UK; and

(f) a Professional Sportsperson coming to carry out an activity directly relating to their profession, where they have been invited by a sports organisation, agent, or broadcaster based in the UK; and

(g) a speaker coming to the UK to give a one-off or short series of talks and speeches, where they have been invited to a conference or other event.

PPE visitors are granted a standard six month visit visa, but they must complete their engagement in the first month.

Marriage and civil partnership visit visa

A marriage or civil partnership visit visa is for visitors who wish to come to the UK to get married or form a civil partnership and then leave the UK afterwards. It is not to be confused with a fiancé(e) visa, which is a visa for someone who wants to come to the UK to get married or form a civil partnership with their partner and then extend their stay by submitting a partner application to live in the UK with their spouse or civil partner.

Marriage and civil partnership visitors must meet the additional eligibility requirements set out at paragraphs V 12.1 to V 12.2. These are that they must be aged 18 or over on the date of application, and they must:

• intend to give notice of marriage or civil partnership in the UK; or
• intend to marry or form a civil partnership in the UK.

It must not be a sham marriage or civil partnership.

Transit visit visa

The Home Office guidance defines a transit visitor as “a person who seeks to travel via the UK on their way to another destination country outside the common travel area.”

There are two types of ‘transiting’: transiting landside and transiting airside.

Transiting landside means that the person is applying to enter the UK, pass through UK border control on arrival, and then leave the UK within 48 hours. For example the person could arrive at one port or airport, then transfer to another port or airport to continue their journey.

Transiting airside means that the person does not pass through UK border control and is therefore not deemed to have entered the UK. For example, a person can arrive at Heathrow Terminal 3 and depart from Heathrow Terminal 5 without passing through border control.

Direct Airside Transit Visas can be obtained for travellers transiting airside and never formally entering the UK. Otherwise, for those transiting landside, a transit visit visa must be applied for in advance of travel unless they meet the additional requirements for admission under Appendix Visitor: Transit Without Visa Scheme.

To qualify for entry clearance or permission to enter as a transit visitor, the traveller must show they:

a) are genuinely in transit to another country outside the Common Travel Area, meaning the main purpose of their visit is to transit the UK (passing through immigration control) and that the applicant is taking a reasonable transit route; and

b) will not access public funds or medical treatment, work or study in the UK; and

c) genuinely intend and are able to leave the UK within 48 hours after their arrival; and

d) are assured entry to their country of destination and any other countries they are transiting on their way there.

Entry and validity requirements for visitors

The entry requirements for all categories of visitor are set out at paragraphs V 1.1 to V 1.5. These paragraphs confirm the requirement to obtain permission to enter the UK with a visit visa if the applicant is a visa national, planning to marry or form a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership, or planning to visit for more than six months. Non-visa nationals can apply for permission to enter on arrival in the UK, unless they’re seeking to marry or form a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership, or planning to stay for more than six months.

The entry requirements also confirm that some visitors must obtain an electronic travel authorisation before travelling to the UK. Appendix Electronic Travel Authorisation was announced in March 2023 and is in the process of being rolled out. The scheme is expected to be in place for all non-visa countries by the end of 2024.

The entry requirements also state that for children arriving in the UK as visitors, their valid entry clearance must state whether they are accompanied or unaccompanied. Children travelling with entry clearance that states they are accompanied must be travelling with the adult identified on their entry clearance.

Paragraphs V 2.1 to V 2.6 then set out the validity requirements for entry clearance and permission to stay as a visitor. The validity requirements include:

• applying on the specified form
• paying the relevant fees
• providing biometrics
• providing a passport or other document establishing the applicant’s identity and nationality

Applications for entry clearance as a visitor should be submitted from outside the UK to a post designated to accept such applications, which will usually be a Visa Application Centre. Applications for permission to stay as a visitor can only be made by a person who is in the UK with permission as a standard visitor or marriage/civil partnership visitor.

An application which does not meet the validity requirements may be rejected as invalid, which means that the application will not be considered.

Suitability requirements for visitors

The suitability requirements in Appendix V apply the general grounds for refusal from part 9 of the immigration rules. Under part 9, there are some grounds which mandate a refusal of the application such as where the applicant is the subject of an exclusion order or deportation order. Then there are other grounds for which an application ‘may’ be refused depending on the circumstances.

Where an applicant falls foul of a suitability requirement where refusal is mandatory, it would be very exceptional for an application to be granted. It may still be possible in some circumstances, for example where the refusal is based on overseas convictions not recognised in the UK.

Where an applicant falls foul of a requirement which ‘may’ result in a refusal, the Home Office decision maker has discretion to grant the application. It is worth consulting the Home Office guidance on general grounds for refusal to see where discretion can be exercised. Even if initially refused, an appeal might potentially succeed.

For applicants who are applying from within the UK, an additional suitability requirement applies which is that the applicant must not be in the UK on immigration bail, and not in the UK in breach of immigration laws, except where paragraph 39E applies and overstay will be disregarded. It is only possible to apply under Appendix V from within the UK in very limited circumstances, which we address below.

Grants of visitor leave

Different periods of leave can be granted to different types of visitors:

What can and can’t visitors do in the UK?

The rules on what visitors can and cannot do are complex. Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities lists the activities that visitors are allowed to undertake, while Appendix V contains a section called ‘prohibited activities and payment requirements for visitors’ which lists what visitors must not intend to do during their visit to the UK.

It is worth noting here that there is a distinction between breach of a formal condition stated on a visa and doing something that is not permitted under the immigration rules for a particular type of visitor. Breaching a formal condition of a visa is a criminal offence under section 24 of the Immigration Act 1971. For example, a person who is required to obtain an electronic travel authorisation before travelling to the UK and knowingly arrives in the UK without one is committing an offence. Doing something that is not permitted under the immigration rules for visitors will have adverse effects on future immigration implications if discovered by the Home Office. However, it is not a criminal offence.

What can’t you do as a visitor?

Paragraphs V 4.4. to V 4.6. of Appendix V set out the activities visitors must not intend to do during their visit to the UK. For each prohibited activity, there is of course an accompanying exception or exemption from the rule.

A visitor must not intend to work in the UK unless expressly allowed by the permitted activities in Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities or Appendix Visitor: Permit Free Festival List. Work is defined in paragraph V 4.4 as including:

(i) taking employment in the UK; and

(ii) doing work for an organisation or business in the UK; and

(iii) establishing or running a business as a self-employed person; and

(iv) doing a work placement or internship; and

(v) direct selling to the public; and

(vi) providing goods and services

Working remotely from the UK during a visit is now listed in Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities under ‘general business activities’ as of 31 January 2024. Remote working is permitted as long as it is not the primary purpose of the visit.

It is also prohibited for visitors to intend to study in the UK, unless it is permitted under Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities and they meet the relevant additional requirements.

Visitors must not intend to access medical treatment, unless they are accessing private medical treatment or donating an organ and meet the relevant additional requirements for these activities.

Finally, visitors must not intend to get married or form a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership. That is, unless they are applying for a marriage/civil partnership visit visa or are a relevant national as defined in section 62 of the Immigration Act 2014.

The remaining rules on prohibited activities focus on employment and payment for activities undertaken in the UK.

Where a visitor undertakes permitted activities, these must not amount to the visitor undertaking employment, doing work which amounts to filling a role or providing short-term cover for a role in a UK-based organisation. Where the visitor is in paid employment outside the UK, they must remain so.

Confusingly, the rules state clearly that the visitor must not receive payment from a UK source for any activities undertaken in the UK. A list of several exceptions then follows. The visitor can indeed accept payment from a UK source if the payment falls into the following circumstances:

(a) reasonable expenses to cover the cost of their travel and subsistence, including fees for directors attending board-level meetings; or

(b) international drivers or Seafarers undertaking activities permitted under PA 9.2 to PA 9.4; or

(c) prize money; or

(d) billing a UK client for their time in the UK, where the Visitor’s overseas employer is contracted to provide services to a UK company, and the majority of the contract work is carried out overseas (payment must be lower than the amount of the Visitor’s salary); or

(e) multi-national companies who, for administrative reasons, handle payment of their employees’ salaries from the UK; or

(f) paid performances at a permit free festival as listed in Appendix Visitor: Permit Free Festival List, where the Visitor is an artist, entertainer or musician; or

(g) the permitted paid engagements listed in V 13.3, providing the requirements in V 13.1 and V 13.2 are met.

What can you do as a visitor?

The three different categories of visitor (standard, marriage/civil partnership, and transit) can undertake different permitted activities.

Transit visitors are permitted to transit in the UK as described in Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities PA 18. This paragraph states that the visitor must meet the requirements in Appendix V.

Marriage/civil partnership visitors are permitted to marry or form a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership, and do all the permitted activities in Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities other than study as described in PA 17 and the permitted paid engagements in PA 19.

Standard visitors can do all the permitted activities in Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities, except visitors under the approved destination status agreement who may only visit friends and family or come to the UK for a holiday.

The full list of permitted activities are grouped into the following categories:

• Tourism and Leisure
• Volunteering
• General Business Activities
• Intro-corporate Activities
• Manufacture and apply of goods to the UK
• Clients of UK export companies
• Overseas roles requiring specific activities in the UK
• Work-related training
• Science and academia
• Legal
• Religion
• Creative
• Sports
• Medical treatment and organ donation
• Study as a visitor
• Transit
• Permitted paid engagements

Extension of stay as a visitor

It is possible for a visitor to extend their stay only in very limited circumstances under the rules. The following extensions of stay are permissible:

(a) a Standard Visitor or a Marriage/Civil Partnership Visitor, who was granted permission for less than 6 months may be granted permission to stay for a period which results in the total period they can remain in the UK (including both the original grant and the extension) not exceeding 6 months; and

(b) a Standard Visitor who is in the UK for private medical treatment may be granted permission to stay as a Visitor for a further 6 months, provided the purpose is for private medical treatment; and

(c) a Standard Visitor who is in the UK to undertake the activities in V 10.1 (a), or the accompanying partner or child of such a Standard Visitor, may be granted permission to stay for a period which results in the total period they can remain in the UK (including both the original grant and the extension) not exceeding 12 months; and

(d) a Standard Visitor may be granted permission to stay as a Visitor for up to 6 months in order to resit the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board Test; and

(e) a Standard Visitor who is successful in the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board Test may be granted permission to stay as a Visitor to undertake the activities in PA 10.1. (a) for a period which results in the total period they can remain in the UK (including both the original grant and the extension) not exceeding 18 months.

There is no provision in the rules for extensions of stay beyond these limits.

Cancellation of visit visas

Visit visas can be cancelled in certain circumstances. These are set out in the immigration rules part 9: grounds for refusal.

Some circumstances mean a person’s visitor visa ‘must’ be cancelled, whereas other circumstances mean a person’s visa ‘may’ be cancelled.

A visitor’s entry clearance or permission to say must be cancelled where:

• the visitor is subject to an exclusion order or the Secretary of State has personally directed that the person be excluded from the UK
• the visitor’s presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good
• the visitor has been convicted of a criminal offence in the UK or overseas for which they have received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, or they are a persistent offender who shows a particular disregard for the law, or they have committed a criminal offense, or offences, which caused serious harm

A visitor’s entry clearance or permission to say may be cancelled where:

• the visitor has been convicted of a criminal offence in the UK or overseas for which they received a custodial sentence of less than 12 months, or they were convicted of a criminal offence in the UK or overseas for which they have received a non-custodial sentence, or receive an out-of-court disposal that is recorded on their criminal record
• the Secretary of State has at any time decided that paragraph 339AA (exclusion from Refugee Convention), 339AC (danger to the UK), 339D (exclusion from a grant of humanitarian protection) or 339GB (revocation of humanitarian protection on grounds of exclusion) of these rules applies to the applicant, or has decided that these paragraphs would apply but for the fact that the person has not made a protection claim in the UK, or that the person has made a protection claim which was finally determined without reference to any of the relevant matters described in paragraphs 
• the decision maker is satisfied that it is more likely than not the person is, or has been, involved in a sham marriage or sham civil partnership
• false representations were made or false documents or information submitted (whether or not material to the application, and whether or not to the applicant’s knowledge)
• material facts were not disclosed
• the visitor has failed to comply with the conditions of their permission
• the visitor fails without reasonable excuse to comply with a reasonable requirement to: attend an interview; provide information; provide biometrics; undergo a medical examination; or provide a medical report
• on arrival in the UK, the visitor fails to produce a passport or other travel document that meets the requirements in paragraph 9.15.1 or 9.15.2 of part 9
• a medical inspector advises that for medical reasons it is undesirable to grant entry to the person
• the decision maker is satisfied that a person has committed a customs breach, whether or not a criminal prosecution is pursued
• there has been such a change of circumstances since the entry clearance or permission was granted that it should be cancelled
• the visitor’s purpose in seeking entry is different from the purpose specified in their entry clearance
• the visitor ceases to meet the requirements of the rules

This article was originally published in May 2015 and was updated in July 2024.