The information provided here will serve as a referance to those wishing to apply for a visa for a friend or a relative to visit them in the U.K. or the Commenwealth. This as a guide only, I am not a professional, I am only putting this information in as a guide from my own experiances gained when sorting out a visa for my friend Zhanna to visit me in the U.K..
The links that are vital to the information gained are the Foreign & Commonwealth site from which you will gain the information and the form's that are required for the aplication of the visa. They can be downloaded from here which will save time because you will not have to have them posted, you can also download the application required for opening them if you do not have this programme, its the Adobe acrobat reader. This is a useful site also as a link to the various British consulates around the world and there address's which the person aplying will have to visit in order to gain their visa. It will also give telephone numbers and helplines for any other helpful information that you will require. The information that you can download also will include guides on how to go about things for both the applicant and the sponsor of the visitor, this is very useful but don't forget that the information given is in English as is the form, so if the applicant cannot speak english they will need the form and the guidance translating for them.
The sponsor will have to provide a letter of sponsorship to the applicant which they will provide to the issuing authority when they are considering the visa application, this will be about you ability to support the applicant or their ability to support themselves as the case maybe. This will also have to be able to be proved in the application with bank statements or pay slips from you place of work. Bear in mind that if you are posting this information abroad that you may well think about registering your mail as some of my mail has "disappeared" on the route to my friend. This can therefore save time and effort when sorting out the visa, also when writing out the visa if you use a computer and save the letter if it gets lost and you need to send another then you can just send in another copy that you can print off your hard-drive, good thinking eh!
But beware if you say you have visited Russia or where ever they will ask for a copy of your visa for that visit (if one was needed) and also a photocopy of your passport information, this will then be used to prove your case, so don't say you met last month when you visited her or his country and you did not because they will ask for proof and catch you out and that will wreak any plans you have for a visit.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Ian Chamberlain
ian@i-chamberlain.netlineuk.net
Nottinghamshire
United Kingdom
useful links
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