Can I make an early application for a UK tourist visa to circumvent the 3-month application time rule? [closed]
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I am planning to apply for a UK Standard Visitor Visa for an activity that will take place 6 months from now. I am aware that the maximum lead time for a UK visa is 3 months and that applications asking for a longer lead time will be refused.
So can I apply now and then wait for my event to occur and then travel?
Best Answer
An answer to this question has been posted by user Gayot Fow on his blog:
Your strategy assumes that the visa’s start date is when you arrive in the UK, and hence it is misconceived. The visa’s start date is stated explicitly on its face as an immutable point in time. So the answer to your question is no.
However, people apply for their visas for all kinds of reasons and have all kinds of different circumstances and it is not abnormal for some people to travel after their visa’s start date. There is no requirement that a person travel on the visa’s start date, or the day after the start date, or any time near the start date. Who originates these crazy ideas anyway?
So if you want to travel some time between the visa’s start and end dates, that’s fine. As long as you observe the 3 month maximum lead time, there’s no problem.
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