HOW TO PREPARE THE DOCUMENTS YOU NEED WHEN APPLYING FOR A UK VISA

 

I must admit that I had pangs of apprehension when I chose to apply for a UK visa online. That was the first time that I was doing it on my own without the help or services of a travel agency. The apprehension came from thoughts of being declined for whatever reason. However, I composed myself and went through the process and mustered some confidence through the support of friends who have applied for UK visas online on their own, too. I took their word that it was an easy task. What also helped was the thought of the money I will save doing it on my own rather than applying through a travel agency : )

If you are going to London as a general visitor like my friend and I were, here is the list of the supporting documents we submitted and tips on how to prepare each for your visa application.

1. Current and valid passport. Check the expiry date of your passport. Ensure that it is valid within the date of your trip.

2. Photograph. Your photo must comply with the requirements stated in the photo guidance. If possible, print out the photo guidance and bring this with you to the photo shop where you'll have your photo taken. Inform the photographer that your photo will be for your UK visa application. Show them the photo guidance in case they're not familiar with it yet.

3. Previous passports. These are to show your previous travel history.

4. Evidence of current employment. This include the following:
     a. Certificate of Employment issued by your employer. Ensure that details such as your salary, length of employment, confirmation that you were given time off work and stating if this time off is paid or unpaid are indicated in the certificate.
     b. Payslips covering up to the previous six months. Original copies of these are going to be returned to you upon receiving your passport with or without your visa.
     c. Tax returns. You need to submit your latest tax return.

5. Bank letter or bank certificate. You need to inform your bank that the bank certificate is for your UK visa application since they use a specific format for this.

6. Details of accommodation and return travel bookings. This include: 
     a. print out of the email of your travel booking confirmation. No need to buy or submit copy of tickets at this point since you don't have a visa yet.
     b. If you are staying with a friend like we did, you need accommodation details with a supporting letter from your friend confirming that you are able to stay there. You should also include a letter of invitation from your friend
as well as their financial documents. You should also ask your friend to supply evidence of their immigration status in the UK, this could be copies of:
     bio-data pages from their passports
     valid visa or immigration stamp from their passport
     Home Office letter confirming permission to stay in the UK

7. Completed visa application form. 

8. A planned itinerary. You can request your friend to prepare one for you and submit a copy of your email conversations about it.

Preparing the documents and completing the visa application form took some time but the perseverance paid off. What my friends said were true. Applying for a UK visa online is easy. The instructions are straightforward. One only needs to see to it that the details are fulfilled.

One money saving exercise done!

Here's the link to the UK visa application online: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/