Inviting Friends and

Relatives to the UK

International Office
 Inviting Friends and Relatives to the UK

During your studies, you may wish to invite people from home to visit you or
you may want your husband or wife and children to come and live with you. In
this guide we give details of the ways in which your friends or relatives can
come to the UK, the documents they require and how they can make an
application.

Visitors
Visitors can come to the UK for up to six months, so this type of visa would be
suitable for anyone coming to see you for a holiday, to attend your graduation
or to stay with you for a short period of time. Visitor visas cannot be extended
and visitors are not entitled to work during their stay. Visitors must be able to
show that they will return home by the end of the six-month period.

People from countries which are not classed as Visa National can choose to
apply for a visa before travelling or they can apply on arrival at a UK airport.
See www.ukvisas.gov.uk to check if your visitor is from a Visa National
country. People from Visa National countries will need to apply for Entry
Clearance (a ‘visa’) in their home country before they travel to the UK.

Applying for a visa on arrival at the airport

If applying on arrival, visitors should show documents to prove that they have
sufficient funds available to cover the costs of their stay and that they will
leave at the end of the visit. They should also show any documentation
available to show the purpose of the visit, such as a letter from the friend or
relative inviting them to stay.

Applying for Entry Clearance

A visitor can make a visa application at the British Embassy (or High
Commission or Consulate) nearest to where they live. Please see
www.ukvisas.gov.uk to find the relevant Embassy contact details.

Different Embassies have varying application procedures and processing

times. Although the majority of complete, valid applications are usually

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 Inviting Friends and Relatives to the UK

processed within 15 days we recommend allowing longer for an application to

be processed, as Embassies get especially busy in the summer months.

Some Embassies take applications directly and some by outsourcing through

an independent application or 'Visa Handling Service' (VHS) centre. Some
Embassies are able to accept online applications. See the 'Visa4UK' section
of the UKvisas website to see if your visitors can apply online in their country.

Documents required

Although there are standard documents that any applicant requires, individual
posts might also ask for slightly different things. We recommend an applicant
makes contact with the Embassy to check their procedures and requirements
first. The standard documents required for a visitor visa application are:

• VAF1 application form (from www.ukvisas.gov.uk or from an Embassy).

• Application fee of approximately £63 or equivalent.

• A recent passport-sized colour photograph.

• Evidence that the visitor has access to sufficient funds to cover the
costs of accommodation and living expenses for the visit. For
example: bank statements or payslips from the last three months, or
evidence of support from a sponsor or family member.

• Evidence that the visitor will leave the UK at the end of the visit (for
example a letter from their employer).

• A letter from the person they are visiting explaining their relationship
with them and the purpose of their visit (see a sample letter later in this
booklet).

• A copy of the passport bio data page (the page containing their
photograph) of the person they are visiting and if applicable, evidence
of their immigration status in the United Kingdom.

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 Inviting Friends and Relatives to the UK

It is also advisable to show:

• Evidence of accommodation arranged, such as a contract or hotel

booking.

Dependants
Your spouse or civil partner* and children are permitted to come to the UK as
your dependants. Usually, dependants are granted permission to stay in the
UK for the same length of time as the student.

*For someone to be eligible as your civil partner, you should be a same-sex

couple who have registered your partnership, and thereby gained formal legal
recognition of the relationship.

For your spouse or civil partner to be eligible for a dependant visa the
marriage/partnership should continue to exist and you should intend to live
together in the UK. You should be able to maintain and accommodate
yourselves and any children without using public funds. If the dependant is
granted permission to stay for 12 months or more they would usually be
authorised to work, though they should not intend to take employment unless
they are permitted to do so.

A dependant child should be under the age of eighteen or already have leave
to remain (a ‘visa’) as a student dependant. To be eligible for a visa as a
dependant the child must be unmarried and not living in an independent
family unit.

In order to support your family financially in the UK, you will need to budget
carefully in advance. As an estimate, we recommend in addition to a
student’s usual expenditure, you should budget for a further £4000 to support
your spouse, and a further £1500 for each child per year.

We have compiled information on the International Office website to give

more details of facilities and support services available if you bring your family
to Warwick. Please see www.warwick.ac.uk/go/international.

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 Inviting Friends and Relatives to the UK

Dependants must apply for Entry Clearance (a ‘visa’) before travelling to the
UK; they are not permitted to make an application on arrival at the airport.
They may apply for Entry Clearance at the same time as you on separate
application forms, or after you have already come to start your course.

Documents required for a dependant visa application

• VAF1 form (from www.ukvisas.gov.uk or from an Embassy).
• Application fee of approximately £99.
• Marriage/birth certificates to show relationship to the student.
• A letter from the student confirming their relationship and that they will
accommodate and support the dependants (see a sample letter later in
this booklet).

• A copy of the bio data page (the page containing their photograph)
and immigration status page of the student’s passport.

• Evidence of sufficient funds to cover the costs of accommodating and

maintaining the family in the UK, as well as to meet the student’s tuition
fees. For example: evidence of a scholarship, or of support from a
sponsor or family member. If you have a sponsor, it is necessary to
show both a letter from them stating details of their support and
evidence of their financial position and circumstances in documents
such as bank statements, evidence of employment and details of
assets owned. You should also show the nature of their relationship to
you, and it can be helpful to demonstrate that they can continue to
meet their other financial commitments whilst supporting you.

• A status letter from the International Office to prove the student is

studying full-time at Warwick.
• Evidence of organised accommodation, for example a tenancy
agreement or contract.

Invitation letter
The International Office can provide a letter to show that you are a genuine
student here, but as you are the person your friends or relatives are coming to

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 Inviting Friends and Relatives to the UK

see, you should also write an invitation letter to them for the Entry Clearance
or Immigration Officer to read. Here are examples of what you should write:

Visitor
Dear…..
I am writing to invite you to visit me for a holiday in the UK between (dates). I
am currently studying full-time at the University of Warwick and I enclose a
letter from the University confirming my registration details.

I have arranged accommodation for you in my rented house/a hotel. I enclose

a copy of my tenancy agreement/a letter from my landlord/a hotel reservation
to show the details.

I will be able to pay for your daily expenses whilst you are in the UK and I
enclose my recent bank statements to show that I can afford to do this/ I
understand that you are going to pay for your trip.

I enclose the data and visa pages from my passport to show that I have
permission to stay in the UK as a student until….

For further information, I can be contacted at…... I am looking forward to

seeing you soon.

Dependants
Dear…..
I am writing to invite you to join me in the UK as my dependant. I am currently
studying full-time at the University of Warwick and I would like you to stay with
me until I complete my course on (date).

I confirm that I will be responsible for financing our stay in the UK, and that of
our children. I have sufficient funds to cover my tuition fees and the costs of
our accommodation and daily expenses.

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 Inviting Friends and Relatives to the UK

I enclose documents for you to use in your visa application. These are: a letter
from the University confirming my registration details; a tenancy agreement to
show I have organised accommodation for you; bank statements/ evidence of
financial support and/or a scholarship letter to show that we will have enough
money for our stay. I also enclose the data and visa pages from my passport
to show that I have permission to stay in the UK as a student until….

For further information, I can be contacted at…... I am looking forward to

seeing you soon.

Created 05.04.06
Last updated 02.04.07

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We endeavour to ensure that our advice is accurate but it is subject to change, often at short
notice. The International Office cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, for
consequences arising from the use of our advice nor for the decisions made by the Home
Office or other agencies regarding immigration applications.

The International Student Advisers in the International Office are authorised to provide
immigration advice and services by an order made under Section 84(4)(d) of the Immigration
and Asylum Act 1999 (Part V Exemption: Educational Institutions and Health Sector Bodies)
Order 2001 (Statutory Instrument 2001 No. 1403).

Immigration advice and services regulated by the Immigration Services

Commissioner.

We offer an appointment service between 10am and 1pm and 2pm and 4pm Monday to
Friday. Please drop into the International Office in University House, telephone
024 7657 5229 (internal extension 75229), or email immigrationservice@warwick.ac.uk to
make an appointment to see an Adviser.

Immigration Service, International Office, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 8UW