Inviting Your Family to Visit

If you would like to invite members of your family to visit you whilst you are in the UK, the information below is designed to help you and them understand what is need to apply for a Visitor Visa before they travel. 

If your family are planning to visit you for your congregation, please click here.

General Visitor Visa

Members of your family will need to get entry clearance from the British Embassy, High Commission or Visa Application Centre before they travel to the UK to visit you. Further information about whether your family require a visa to travel to the UK and how to apply can be found on the UK Border Agency Website.

When your family have decided they would like to visit, they will need to apply for a General Visitor Visa.  Please note that a General Visitor Visa is only suitable for short visits and will allow them to stay in the UK for a maximum of six months. It also cannot be extended.  Once your family are in the UK as visitors they cannot change their status to become dependents of you, or to become a student.  Once their permission to stay in the UK has finished, they must leave the UK. It is also not possible to work on this visa.

Click here for information on General Visitor Visas and how to apply

If your family want to join you on a more permanent basis while you are studying then they may be able to apply for a Dependant Visa. Click here for more information.