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- Frequently Asked Questions
- How long does it take to get a visa, and how far
in advance should I apply?
For information on visa application processing times
please visit our 'processing
times' page.
- Can I get my money back if my application is refused
or I withdraw it?
If you want to withdraw your application you must
contact the visa application centre where you submitted
your application. Please do not contact visa staff at
the UK Border Agency. 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.
The visa application centre will forward your authorisation
to visa staff at the UK Border Agency. Your passport
will be returned to the visa application centre the
within 2 working day. Please note that although staff
at the UK Border Agency in Moscow will try hard to meet
these timescales, there can sometimes be unavoidable
delays in processing your withdrawal requests. It is
possible that the UK Border Agency may not consider
your request and the visa application centre won't be
in a position to give you any information on this. To
know more, you should contact the UK Border Agency by
email at Moscowvisainquiries@fco.gov.uk.
Visa application 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is unsuccessful or withdrawn.
- What length of visitor's 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 six months. 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 traveler or have never visited the UK
before. We do not refund visa fees if, for example,
you have applied for a longer duration visa, but are
issued with a shorter validity one.
- 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 who, for how long
and where they will stay.
- Where should sponsors send their invitation letters?
Invitations must be sent direct to the person who
is being invited. The person applying for the visa should
include the invitation 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 visa section. 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 in Russia is helpful
to satisfy the visa officer that you are in settled
employment and also to indicate 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 twenty-four hours? Can
I leave the airport?
If you are a Russian national, provided you arrive
by air and you have a confirmed onward ticket for a
flight within twenty-four hours to a country where you
are assured of entry, you do not require a transit visa
and you can leave the airport. Being able to transit
without a visa is only a concession and there
is no guarantee you will be allowed to pass through
the UK in transit by the UK Immigration Authorities.
You may still be refused entry when you arrive at the
UK airport if a UK Immigration Officer is not satisfied
that you qualify. We recommend that you apply for a
UK transit visa before you travel.
- 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. 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. If you were last refused it will not mean that
any new visa applications that you make will be refused
automatically, unless you have submitted forged documents
in connection with any application relating to your
UK immigration status (this means an application for
a visa, or to enter or remain in the UK). If you re
apply then you will have to complete the full application
process again.
- In the case of an application for a marriage visa,
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.
- Do I need to show my old passport when I apply?
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 travels, you
may wish to ask for it to be returned to you by the
Russian 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 'How
to apply' page for further information.
- When completing the application form, 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 Russian 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 at the British
Embassy in Moscow 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. It is important to remember that
of the 160,000 or so visa applications made in Russia
each year, only a very small percentage are refused.
The ratio of men to women in this figure is roughly
equal.
- I am a British citizen with a Russian girlfriend.
I want to invite her for a holiday in the United Kingdom
but I have heard that visas are never issued to women
in such cases. Is this true?
No. We regularly deal with applications of this
type and the majority are issued with visas. The main
reason for refusing applications of this type is because
the applicant has not been honest with relevant facts
to the visa officer. Our advice is that all applicants
should be open and honest when making a visa application.
Where an applicant appears to have attempted to lie
to the visa officer, the application is likely to be
refused.
- 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. Please visit www.ukvisas.gov.uk
for full details of which countries and territories
the UK Border Agency at the British Embassy in Moscow
issue on behalf of. 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. Visa staff at the UK Border Agency in Moscow makes
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. For information on how to make an appeal,
please visit the 'appeals'
page.
- Are there any other documents I need to show if
I am a foreign national living and working in Russia?
Under Russian law governing the labour activity
of foreign citizens in Russia, employers must obtain
a work permit for their foreign employee (although there
are some exceptions for certain types of employee, permanent
residents and nationality). The employee will be given
a Federal Migration Service (FMS) work permission card
(with the holder's photograph on it) to prove they are
working legally in Russia. If you are such a foreign
worker here, the visa officer expects to see the original
FMS card (and a photocopy for our records) submitted
with your application when you apply for a UK visa.
If you do not have such a card and are working here
in Russia (not just here on a short business trip),
you will have to satisfy the visa officer that you are
working here legally and the reasons why you do not
have to have an FMS card. Please note, that it is your
responsibility to show that you are working legally
in Russia, as the visa officer may refuse your application
if you do not demonstrate this.
- I want to go to the United Kingdom to study. What
sort of visa should I apply for?
- Student
visitor (As a student visitor you may take a
short course of study during your visit to the UK,
provided your college is recognised. Under this
category you will be regarded as a visitor and not
a student and for this reason you cannot work or
extend your stay. A student visitor would, for example,
come here on holiday and may do an English language
course, as well.
- Points-based
system Tier 4 General students and Tier 4 child
student (Applications under made Tier 4 gives
you full student status rather than visitor status.
Under Tier 4 you are entitled to work part-time
and extend your stay)
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