General Visit for Mother - URGENT

[submon]

I am married to a British citizen. I have also got British citizenship. I plan to have my mother from India in the UK for few months later this year. I wanted to ask how hard it is for my mom to get a visit visa. She has never traveled abroad before and she does not work (she has a fixed monthly income scheme at a bank in India and has savings in the same bank; I also send her money from time to time). She is 61 years of age. Will she get a visit visa? Or will the UK Border Agency make it hard for her? I am willing to send her an invitation letter and also pay for her during the entire visit here.

[CR001]

I wanted to ask how hard it is for my mom to get a visit visa.

It depends on what evidence of strong ties to her home country she can produce and submit (social, financial, employment, property, family etc).

She has never traveled abroad before and she does not work (she has a fixed monthly income scheme at a bank in India and has savings in the same bank; I also send her money from time to time).

Never traveling should not be an issue but it might cause doubt that she will leave the UK if granted a visa, depending on her ties to her home country.

She is 61 years of age. Will she get a visit visa? Or will the UK Border Agency make it hard for her?

Age has nothing to do with it. Refer my previous comments on what the ECO expect to see. No one on the forum can tell you definitely if she will get a visa or not, however you should be aware that it is much harder to get a visit visa in the last couple of years, especially for elderly parents.

I am willing to send her an invitation letter and also pay for her during the entire visit here.

While this helps, she still has to prove she is a genuine visitor with strong ties to her home country and that she will leave the UK.

When you say visit for 'a few months', how long exactly did you plan for her to visit and how long will you state in the application form as her duration of stay??

[submon]

Thank you very much for your quick reply. I really appreciate it.

The main reason for my mom’s visit will be to see our (my wife’s and mine baby). I am her only son and our kid will be her only grandson. Our baby is due in April, so I was looking at bringing my mom around June or July.

Regarding her time of stay here in the UK, it will probably be for around two months, three months max. Given that this will be her first visit, I was thinking of six to eight weeks really, as it will be a culture shock and the weather as well.

Would it be advisable to write two months on the visa application? Also, the visa that will be granted (touchwood) will be for six months irrespective of how long she plans to stay?

Also, when she arrives in the UK, at the border control, will it matter if she plans to stay for two or three months even if in the application form we write say a month?

This is the first time that my mom will come, so want to be as clear as possible for the application. Any help will really be helpful and appreciated.

[Casa]

Staying longer than the time requested in your mother's application may have an adverse affect when applying for a visitor visa in the future.