What visa is needed to step out of Heathrow for B1/B2 US visa holder?
My relative is planning to visit US from Bombay to Atlanta via Heathrow (London). He holds Indian passport with B1/B2 visitor visa.
On return trip to India, there is layover of 11 hours.
Question is what kind of visa is needed, so he could step out of airport and visit places around and come back on same day to catch return flight.
Any insight would be of great help
Best Answer
For the proposed visit, you will need a Standard Visitor visa.
While it is possible for people holding a US visa to request leave to enter the UK to transit the UK landside, without holding a visa, V 7.5(a) of the immigration rules requires that in this circumstance, the reason for entering the UK is to transit.
V 7.5 An applicant must satisfy the decision maker that they:
(a) are genuinely in transit to another country outside the common travel area, meaning the main purpose of their visit is to transit the UK and that the applicant is taking a reasonable transit route; and
Because you are not changing airports in the UK, nor do you need to collect luggage landside and check in to the next flight as on separate tickets, it's not necessary to leave the transit area of the airport in order for you to complete the transit. The main purpose of leaving the airport -- as you have described -- is sightseeing. Thus, you will need the Standard Visitor visa.
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Answer 2
I believe that a landside transit visa will be sufficient. A transit visa will suffice if the MAIN reason for the visit is to transit through the UK. It does not have to be the only reason, and you may do other things. If the visitor would plausibly not have changed his route if there had been no visit opportunity that would be a clear indication that the transit is the main purpose.
You confused things by writing about "getting back on the return flight". I'll assume you meant the onward flight, I.e. that he arrives from Atlanta, stops at Heathrow and gets on a plane to Mumbai.
You still have to comply with the rest of the rules of the visa, especially about time limits.
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