Applying for a UK Visitor Visa

We are heading to the UK for 3 weeks in June, to visit with friends, do some sightseeing and also to spend some time in Tring and decide whether that's a place we could see ourselves settling when we go over permanently on an ancestral visa, or whether we need to look elsewhere.

As South African passport holders, we had to go through the process of applying for a UK Visitor Visa - a process which can seem quite daunting at first glance, but which turned out to be simple really. 

The UK Visitor visa is applied for online.  A good place to start in the application process is HERE.  The online form asks for pretty much the same information as this form: UK Visitor visa VAF1  I find it easiest to read through the questions first, so that I know what to expect and can gather all the information I need before I sit down to start the online application.

Once you have completed the online form and printed it out, you will make an online payment for your visa (see the fees here), once that is completed, you will be directed to a page where you make an appointment to visit the visa centre nearest you, where you will produce all your supporting documents, which will be scanned into the system and sent for processing along with your passport.  You will also have biometrics (fingerprints and a digital photograph) done at this appointment.

TLScontact are the local agents for UK Visas and Immigration, we went to their Durban branch for our visa appointment and found the employees that we dealt with very friendly and helpful.

What supporting documents to produce:
(Please note, these are the documents I used to support our application, your circumstances may differ)

* your current, original passport - it must be valid for your visit, be in good condition and have one page blank on both sides
* If you have had a UK visa before, in a previous passport, send that passport in too

* Information about your visit - eg tours booked, flight details, letter of invitation if visiting family or friends and evidence of your sponsor's status in the UK if that applies to your visit.

* Current employment - letter from employer stating you are taking annual leave, payslips

* Money - proof of how you are funding your holiday.  I sent in 3 months bank statements showing sufficient funds

* Home address - documents showing where you live, such as property deeds or mortgage statement or tenancy agreement

* Additional Documents - 
- proof of marital status 
- documents proving that you have family members remaining in your home country while you travel (basically they want to know that you have a reason to return to your home country)


A couple of things to note regarding supporting documents:
* I think it's easiest to have all your supporting documents in a large envelope (not a flip file like I did!) as you will hand them over to the consultant as loose pages, in one batch
* None of the pages must be stapled together, as they are put through a scanner

Once your application is made and your visa appointment is booked, it's a good idea to register on the TLScontact website, as you will then be able to track the status of your application online.  Our application took 2 weeks from the day of our appointment to the day we collected our passports, with the visas in them, at the TLS offices in Durban.