It’s no secret that South Africa is seeing a mass exodus to various countries, but one of the most popular and easiest exits in terms of the amount of South Africans with British passports, is the UK.
But applying for a UK visa isn’t always as simple as it seems. We have some excellent tips if you’re considering applying for a UK visa any time soon.
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Have a valid passport
This may seem obvious, but many people forget when their passports are about to expire or they don’t realise that they need at least 3 blank pages when obtaining a new visa. Make sure your passport is valid, and take into account how long Home Affairs takes to process new passport applications.
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Obtain and keep original documents
Many visa options require original documents, including unabridged birth certificates and marriage certificates. Make sure you know what visa you’ll be applying for and then what documents you need. These original documents can also take a while to obtain so keep this in mind as well. Once you have the original documents, make sure you keep them in a safe space.
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Save money
Unfortunately, most of the Home Office fees, and the NHS fees, aren’t cheap so you may need to save up for these costs. You also need to make sure you do your homework to ensure you don’t break any rules when obtaining this money. Asking for a loan from a relative isn’t acceptable when meeting financial requirements with Home Office and they will check any money coming into your account for short periods of time.
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Don’t book overseas travel
You will need to hand in your passport when you apply for a visa so make sure you don’t book any travel. Additionally, processing times aren’t set in stone so it’s not really wise to book travel when you’re not entirely sure when you’ll be getting your passport back.
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Book your tests
Make sure you know which tests you need to do for which visas and which circumstances. Things like the TB test and the English tests are quite booked in advance so you need to make sure you book well before you want to actually apply as you’ll need these certificates when you apply.
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Trust a professional
Using an immigration agent, like Robyn Lamb from RCV International, means you have the security of her experience with applications and with Home Office. Robyn is also incredibly knowledgeable with regards to updates from Home Office and you’ll be able to know your application is in the best hands. If you’re unsure about what visa you could be applying for and it all seems very overwhelming, Robyn can help clear the air and make sure that you’ll meet all the requirements for the visa that suits you.
If you’d like to speak to Robyn about your visa application, email her today. She’ll be able to answer all your questions and concerns. Email robyn@rcvinternational.com today.