COVID 19-staying beyond 6 months on a valid visit visa

[Raj1978]

Hello all,
apologies if this has been asked earlier. my mother in law (indian citizen) has 2 year visit visa till december of 2021. she was due to leave UK on 26th of march. however due India closing borders on 18th March, her ticket is scheduled for may 3rd. her 6 months allowance finishes on 17th of may. considering the current situation, it is likely she will have to postpone her stay beyond 17th May.
my question is -
1) does she need to let the hole office know about this if she has to stay beyond her stipulated allowance of 6 months?

[seagul]

Yes. Fill and submit the following form:

https://gov.smartwebportal.co.uk/homeof ... id2=5C97E7

[Raj1978]

Thank you!

[eddiewestyorkshirers]

hi mate
this is the same case apply to me and my mother in law grace period of 6 months expires on 15th of june 2o2o...however she can not travel as well coz she is too old and can not travel in this situation of pandemic,,,
therefore
i just want to know that did you fill the form yet and is there any reply you receivved so far ,,,?

thanks mate

[secret.simon]

however she can not travel as well coz she is too old

Keep in mind that she will be expected to travel back when she can. It is unlikely that she will be able to stay longer than a few weeks.

[sah10406]

Yes. Fill and submit the following form:

https://gov.smartwebportal.co.uk/homeof ... id2=5C97E7

This is not correct. This form is for a free extension if your visa is expiring on or before 31 May 2020. That is not OP's mother's situation. She need take no action, just leave the UK when she can.

[seagul]

Yes. Fill and submit the following form:

https://gov.smartwebportal.co.uk/homeof ... id2=5C97E7

This is not correct. This form is for a free extension if your visa is expiring on or before 31 May 2020. That is not OP's mother's situation. She need take no action, just leave the UK when she can.

A mere display of an expiry date on visitor visa doesn't mean that you can be able to continue to live as much as you want or always be allowed to reenter rather the conditions on the basis which it has been issued most importantly matter. A visitor is expected to spend more time in their own country than in UK and maximum can stay for 6 months. And in case if the op's mother couldn't be able to leave the UK after 6 months then definitely should inform the to UKVI.

[sah10406]

A mere display of an expiry date on visitor visa doesn't mean that you can be able to continue to live as much as you want or always be allowed to reenter rather the conditions on the basis which it has been issued most importantly matter. A visitor is expected to spend more time in their own country than in UK and maximum can stay for 6 months.

Of course, but we are not in normal times right now, hence all the emergency guidance and concessions from the Home Office. The person in question has valid leave, and although they cannot meet its requirement to leave the UK after their visit, the tone of all the guidance put out by the Home Office is very clear that no-one will be penalised for such things beyond their control in future applications for leave to enter. The Home Office is taking a sensible and pragmatic approach.

And in case if the op's mother couldn't be able to leave the UK after 6 months then definitely should inform the to UKVI.

She can contact the Coronavirus Immigration Health Centre if she wishes, but they will just tell her she needs to leave the UK as soon as she can do so, and to meanwhile prioritise taking care of herself. People with valid leave using the free extension form needlessly will just clog up the system.

[seagul]

The speed at which immigration rules and fee have been changing from time to time one should always be remained extra cautious especially when dealing with immigration authorities because as per a lot of member experiences a minor negligence cost & inflict them unimaginably at later. Therefore, since filling such form is totally free so it must be adhered to for avoiding any hassle/inconvenience in future.

[sah10406]

The speed at which immigration rules and fee have been changing from time to time one should always be remained extra cautious especially when dealing with immigration authorities because as per a lot of member experiences a minor negligence cost & inflict them unimaginably at later.

The Home Office has already said this would not be seen as the migrant's negligence at all, as they have no alternative due to unprecedented world events.

Therefore, since filling such form is totally free so it must be adhered to for avoiding any hassle/inconvenience in future.

The form does not account for someone in OP's mother's situation. It is only for those with expiring leave. If OP's mother has any concerns or worries about her situation, she should speak to or email the Coronavirus Immigration Help Centre directly, not complete an irrelevant form.

[seagul]

Who knows what will happen post covid19 over immigration policies and matters which are temporarily relaxed. Although there are different opinions and views whilst not much official guidance so updating to authorities regarding your individual situation via form/email is ideally more appropriate to avoid any future delays over subsequent applications where such information will be readily available to decision maker instead they trigger their investigation & checks. All the best if someone has varying opinion which I hope must also work.

[Zerubbabel]

I wouldn't push my luck too far with Home Office apparent flexibility.

At one point, the person would have to apply again for a visitor visa and the overstay will be put under the microscope. I trust that the Home Office will know the exact day/hour when flights resumed for each destination. It will be very hard to justify an overstay more longer than that.

[sah10406]

At one point, the person would have to apply again for a visitor visa and the overstay will be put under the microscope. I trust that the Home Office will know the exact day/hour when flights resumed for each destination. It will be very hard to justify an overstay more longer than that.

Yes, hence why she needs to leave the UK as soon as possible.

[abhinav.vaid]

Hi All,

My father is here in UK and his Visitor visa is expiring on 21st May.

I have filled in form - https://gov.smartwebportal.co.uk/homeof ... id2=5C97E7 which home office shared (this is for extension of visitor visa )
After filling above form I got an email to confirm the email address and that's it. I did this on 15th April. Since then I haven't received any update.

I then also sent an email to CIH@homeoffice.gov.uk for which I got an automated response which basically said to wait.

I have also registered with HCI London using link - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIp ... w/viewform

Is there anything else I should do?

Has anyone received any response that says visa has been extended? Anyone else facing similar circumstances?

Regards
Abhinav

[Zerubbabel]

At the moment is seems they are extending only to May 31st.

Considering his visitor visa expires on May 21st, this extension would buy you 10 days at best.