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- Frequently Asked Questions
- How long does it take to get a visa?
For information on visa application processing times please visit our 'Guide to processing times' page
- Can I get my money back if my application is refused or I withdraw it?
Please see the refund policy information on the 'Visa Application Fee' page on this website.
If you want to withdraw your application you must contact the visa application centre where you submitted your visa 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 within 2 working days. 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.
- 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 6 months. For more information on visit visas over 6 months please visit the UK Border Agency website.
- My old passport has expired but my UK visa is still valid - what do I need to do?
Yes, you must travel with your old passport that includes your valid visa as well as your new passport. The details in both your passports, such as your name, must be the same. You should also check your chosen airline's policy on carrying passengers with visas in non valid passports. Should your Embassy or Consulate retain your old passport you would need to transfer of your visa (vignette transfer) into your new passport. Applications for transfer will need to be made in the same way as applying for a visa and you should include a photocopy of your previous visa. There is a visa fee for this service.
- What does a letter of invitation need to say and does it need to be certified?
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. 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 certified. It should be clear from the invitation why the person is being invited, by who, for how long and where they will stay. .
- 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 24 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 24 hours to a country where you will gain 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 major change in your circumstances since
your last refusal, or if you can not address the reasons
for your 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?
It is very 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 evidence of previous travels abroad and
seeing an old passport can normally help 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. If you are applying under the points-based system you should read the relevant guidance on this. The links to points-based policy information can be found on the 'Visa Information' page on this website.
- When completing the online visa application form, must I always provide the name of a British Citizen as a sponsor?
No. Anyone present in the UK 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
under 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 British overseas territories  such as the Bahamas, Gibraltar and the Cayman Islands. Please visit the UK Border Agency website for further information.
- 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. 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, 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 UK 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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