How does the 180 rule work for UK tourist visas?

How does the 180 rule work for UK tourist visas? - Woman Walking in the Street during Night Time

This is in regards to the multiple entry visa issued to my parents who are presently visiting UK.

To our understanding, my parents are not allowed to remain in UK for more than 180 days and must leave the country before 180 days.

To recap, my parents arrived in UK on 20th December 2018 and their return travel to India was initially booked/confirmed for 1st June. However, during this period they left UK on 16th March 2019 for Europe tour and will be returning back to UK on 26th March 2019.

Now my question is, since they are having multiple entry visas:

  1. Does their 180 days period gets reset when they left UK for Europe tour?
  2. Can I postpone their return travel to India by 6 months (approx. mid September 2019) after their return to UK on 26th March 2019?
  3. Is the 180 days criteria is max. stay criteria in one year, or are they eligible to return to UK after spending 5 months in UK within one year?
  4. Lastly, can I re-book their return travel to UK from India in end September 2019?


Best Answer

I'm not an expert but I wouldn't advise doing any of this. There are lots of stories on this site of people applying for a visa for, say, a three week visit, seeing that their visa is valid for six months and deciding to stay that long. Then they're refused entry at the border because what they said on their visa application was wildly different to what they tried to do.

Your scenario has the same feel to it, except that the planned visit was longer so the extension isn't as extreme. But, basically, you're saying "Oh, wow, it says six months so I can stay that long! Cooooool!!"

You're not allowed to use repeated trips on a visitor visa to effectively live in the UK. You're proposing that your parents will spend approximately nine months out of a nine-and-a-half month period in the UK with you: that looks a lot like living in the UK. You're then proposing that they return to India for a couple of weeks and then come back yet again, which sounds even more like living in the UK.

  1. Does their 180 days period gets reset when they left UK for Europe tour?

The six-month period applies to each admission to the UK, unless the immigration officer decides to admit them for a shorter period – or even not to admit them at all.

  1. Can I postpone their return travel to India by 6 months (Approx. Mid Sep 2019) after their return to UK on 26th March 2019?

You can but it would be a bad idea. It's a real possibility that they will not be given a six-month entry when they return to the UK after their European trip.

  1. Is the 180 days criteria is Max. stay criteria in one year ? OR are they eligible to return to UK after spending 5 Months in UK within one year?

Six months is the maximum length of a single entry. There is no formal restriction on how many visits can be made or how long there has to be between them, but you are not allowed to live in the UK by making repeated visits on a visitor visa and, if they suspect you're doing that, they won't allow you to enter the UK.

  1. Lastly, can I re-book their return travel to UK from India in End Sep 2019?

You can do but that would be an extremely bad idea. By that time, they will have spent more than eight out of the last nine months in the UK and coming straight back again will look like they're living in the UK and just leaving every now and again to reset the counter.




Pictures about "How does the 180 rule work for UK tourist visas?"

How does the 180 rule work for UK tourist visas? - My Secret Plan to Rule the World Book
How does the 180 rule work for UK tourist visas? - Assorted Liquor Bottles
How does the 180 rule work for UK tourist visas? - Woman Walking on Pathway While Strolling Luggage



Is the UK 180-day rule per visit or per year?

Visit visas allow stays of no longer than 6 months (or 180 days) per visit. Visit visas can be valid for long term periods (1 year or more), facilitating multiple visits. Additionally, those using visit visas are in general more limited in the activities they are permitted to undertake while in the UK.

What is the 180-day rule UK?

If you've spent time outside the UKYou must have spent no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12 months. If you think you're affected by this rule, the Home Office has guidance about how to calculate your time in the UK ('continuous residence').

How soon can I reenter the UK on tourist visa?

If you have to apply for a Standard Visitor visa The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel. If you visit the UK regularly, you can choose to apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa instead. You can pass through the UK to another country on a Standard Visitor visa.

Can I stay more than 180 days in UK?

One of the most common UK immigration myths is that there is a maximum permitted stay of 180 days in a year (or six months in 12 months) for UK visit visa holders. This myth has been propagated not just by migrants but also by advisers and even UK Border Force staff. In reality, there is no such rule.



What is the 90 180 Day Rule? What does it mean to visitors to Spain?




More answers regarding how does the 180 rule work for UK tourist visas?

Answer 2

However, during this period they left UK on 16th March 2019 for Europe tour and will be returning back to UK on 26th March 2019.

If they are readmitted without any special annotation then they get another 6 months. The previous stay does not count anymore. However, an intention to stay in the country for 11 out of 12 months may well be a big red flag for a secondary interview.

It does sound like trying to live in the UK for extended periods of time through multiple successive visits - something they clearly state a visitor shouldn't do.

Awaiting your confirmation, in order to plan their retun travel to India and then coming over again to UK.

After planning to spend 11 out of 12 months in the UK, you intend to have them travel again to the UK soon after, once again. This may very well get them into trouble at UK border. I certainly think it is not advisable in ordinary circumstances.

I'm sorry if i read the 11 out of 12 month thing wrong, but that doesn't matter. Any extended stay with frequent successive extended visits still matters the same.

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Aleksandar Pasaric, Ann H, Luciann Photography, Oleksandr Pidvalnyi