Post
by Kayalami » Wed Dec 28, 2005 10:42 pm
The maximum period of time that can be spent as a visitor in the UK at each entry is six months. The HO may consider extending this to 12 months in the most compelling of circumstances which will only apply to a few cases e.g. your parents are visiting the UK and one of them has severe/fatal injuries from a road traffic accident a week before their 6 month time is up. For this reason I would suggest most members not even consider this - the HO have this category under intense scrutiny due to abuse in the past.
For non visa nationals such will nominally commence at admission unless (if they have chosen or by virtue of their immigration history advised/required to) they have entry clearance in common with visa nationals. EC confers leave to enter and so may run (and usually does for practical reasons unless you get the visa today and come to the UK today) prior to the holder arriving at a POE.
Where a visitor visa is issued valid for more than 6 months e.g 1, 2, 5 years the maximum duration is still annotated 180 days. The immigration officer will review in detail re-entries into the UK to cover your last visit to the UK, duration, your activity in the UK, your time in your home country, the socio-economic ties you have there to be consistent with standard visit patterns etc. As a rule of thumb don't spend more time in the UK than you do in your home country...IMHO more than 3 months in every consecutive 12 month period is starting to push the margins.
To summarise you need to ask yourself - "Am I living in or visiting the UK?" This will tell you what to expect next time you seek entry = either admission for six months, admission for a shorter period (even for days), or a return trip home on the same flight that brought you and the chance of ever coming back on hold for several years.
I hope that helps