UK Standard Visitor Visa implications during travel restrictions as a result of COVID-19 outbreak?

UK Standard Visitor Visa implications during travel restrictions as a result of COVID-19 outbreak? - A Close-Up Shot of a Medical Professional Holding a Passport and a Test Result

My wife (a Kazakh national) is visiting in the UK on a Standard Visitor Visa, staying with my family. She arrived on Feb 1st. Her original intention was to stay for approximately 3 months, until April 30th, and stated as such on her application form. She had been to the UK twice already, and had always departed in line with her intentions as originally stated during her previous applications. Her current visa expires in July.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Kazahkstan will institute a one-month travel ban from tonight, preventing flights into the country. I'm a little concerned about what should happen if the ban is extended beyond that.

I understand that the Home Office generally frowns upon visitors who stay longer than their stated intentions, even if they do not overstay their visa lengths. But if the Kazakh travel ban prevents her from travelling back to her country until a date beyond April 30th, might this cause a problem in her future visa applications? Or is it a reasonable excuse, and provided she explains the extended duration of her previous stay during the future application, might it be okay?

Edit: On that note, she applied for this UK visa from China (where we lived at the time). Obviously, returning to China at this point, while theoretically possible (though we'd have to apply for new Chinese visas; they expired in February, a fact that she readily disclosed in her application), is hardly desirable. This is a circumstance that we could hardly have predicted beforehand. Her Chinese visa was temporary and she acknowledged this fact during her application. Might the UK officials think "well, you couldn't fly to Kazakhstan, sure, but why not go back to China? After all, you applied from there" ? I must stress that she never stated during her application that she intended to go back to China; indeed our plan was always for her to fly to Kazakhstan around April 30th, the original envisaged date of departure. Am I overthinking this, and would the specific country that she'd go to after departing the UK be of no concern to them whatsoever?



Best Answer

According to the official guidance, current visas will be extended to 31 May 2020. In case your wife needs that extension, she has to apply for it. If she stays longer than the original intention but her visa doesn't expire, she must be perfectly fine.

If you’re in the UK and your leave expires between 24 January 2020 and 31 May 2020

Your visa will be extended to 31 May 2020 if you cannot leave the UK because of travel restrictions or self-isolation related to coronavirus (COVID-19).

You must contact the Coronavirus Immigration Team (CIT) to update your records if your visa is expiring.

EDIT: The official guidance states a further extension to 31 July 2020.

If you’re in the UK and your leave expires between 24 January 2020 and 31 July 2020

Your visa will be extended to 31 July 2020 if you cannot leave the UK because of travel restrictions or self-isolation related to coronavirus (COVID-19).

You must request an extension by updating your records with the Coronavirus Immigration Team (CIT) if your visa is expiring and you cannot leave the UK at present but are not planning to stay in the UK in the long term.

If you’ve already had your visa extended to 31 May 2020, your visa will be extended automatically to 31 July 2020.

You are expected to take all reasonable steps to leave the UK before this date where it is possible to do so.




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