Standard Visitor Visa

A visitor is a person who is coming to the UK, usually for up to six months, for a temporary purpose, for example as a tourist, to visit friends or family or to carry out a business activity.

If a visitor needs to visit the UK regularly over a longer period, they can apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa that lasts 2, 5 or 10 years, allowing the visitor to stay for a maximum of six months on each visit.

Visitors cannot work or study in the UK unless this is allowed by the permitted activities that are set out in the Visitor Rules. Visitors to Diamond need to be aware of the following:

• The visitor must not intend to work in the UK (this includes doing a work placement or internship) and cannot carry out activities which amount to the visitor undertaking employment, or doing work which amounts to them filling a role or providing short-term cover for a role within Diamond.

• Volunteering and voluntary workers are provided for under the points-based Temporary Worker route and not under the Standard Visitor visa. If an applicant will be coming to Diamond to work or on an internship or for participation in a work placement then the Temporary Worker route is more appropriate.

• The visitor will need to be able to show that they have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to their visit to Diamond without working or accessing public funds.

• The visitor cannot receive any payment from Diamond for any activities undertaken while at Diamond, except reasonable expenses to cover the cost of their maintenance, travel and/or accommodation costs where applicable. These costs will only be covered by Diamond if approved internally in accordance with Diamond’s prevailing policies and procedures. In such a case Diamond will provide the visitor with a letter to confirm that Diamond will be responsible for the relevant approved costs for the period of the visit. This can be used in the visitor’s visa application and can be presented at immigration upon arrival in the UK.

The areas of activity that are expressly permitted under the Standard Visitor and that we would regard as most relevant to Diamond are the following: