Tourist > Home > Tier 5

[iamwidi]

Hi all,

I have just recently left the UK as my Tier 4 student visa ran out on the 30th of October. I'm now back in Australia, where I have been a permanent resident for 15 years however I hold an Indonesian Passport. I need to now apply for a visa to return to the UK for my graduation on the 7th of December (I had an extension on my final project so have a delayed graduation which is past the length of my student visa).

While I was still in the UK I applied for an agency to secure me an internship which I could then do under the Tier 5 (Govt Authorized Exchange) under sponsorship from BUNAC, and I was hoping to have a job offer secured by the time I returned to Australia so that I could immediately apply for my Tier 5 and return on the 3rd of December for both my graduation and to start the internship. However, as it turns out the agency has still not confirmed me a job offer and therefore I now don't have enough time to wait for one before applying for BUNAC sponsorship and visa.

I'm now going to apply for a Visitor Visa in order to attend my graduation, but I'd still like to do an internship in the UK in the future. If I were to get a Visitor Visa for the 3rd of December (valid for 6 months) then stay there for maybe a month whilst the agency sources me a new placement then receive the job offer and BUNAC sponsorship before returning to Australia (say, in January) to then apply for the Tier 5 visa (maybe with priority so I could be back in the UK in a week or two), will this be a problem?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated, thank you!

[The Station Agent]

Because you aim to go back to Oz and apply there for any intern visa (rather than work on a tourist visa), your plan seems reasonable. I would not mention it in the visitor visa app though, because it will significantly complicate things.

[iamwidi]

Because you aim to go back to Oz and apply there for any intern visa (rather than work on a tourist visa), your plan seems reasonable. I would not mention it in the visitor visa app though, because it will significantly complicate things.

Thank you for your advice, I'm definitely not going to mention it on my visitor application. Do you happen to know if I put on my visitor visa application that I am only staying for 20 days but end up staying longer (within the 6 months but since I have a 1 year open return flight ticket) if it will matter? Flight booking details aren't required for the visa application are they?

[The Station Agent]

General advice is that you should not book flights until you have your visa. State how long you intend to stay - then once the visa is issued you could stay as long as the visa is valid, as long as you have money etc.

[Casa]

General advice is that you should not book flights until you have your visa. State how long you intend to stay - then once the visa is issued you could stay as long as the visa is valid, as long as you have money etc.

I disagree. Spending longer on a visitor visa than as stated in the application risks problems with future visitor visa applications.

[The Station Agent]

Yes, but they are perfectly entitled to stay for the length of time the visa allows. Granted it can have implications in future if you say you'll be here 2 weeks and you stayed for 6 months but you are entitled to do it.

[Casa]

In which case to avoid implications with future visa applications it would be unwise to stay for the full 6 months when the application states a only 20 days. Better to apply for a longer period and stay for less, if the full term of the visa issued proves to be unnecessary.

[vinny]

See also UK visit visa refusals for staying longer than requested.

[Casa]

See also UK visit visa refusals for staying longer than requested.

+1 Vinny

[The Station Agent]

If I applied for 2 tickets for a free event, and the event organisers know I only want two, but decide to send me ten instead. I bring some friends and use 8 of the tickets, then they put me on a blacklist for using more than 2. Half-witted. I take your point though, but it still displays an incompetence on the part of the system.

[iamwidi]

General advice is that you should not book flights until you have your visa. State how long you intend to stay - then once the visa is issued you could stay as long as the visa is valid, as long as you have money etc.

I disagree. Spending longer on a visitor visa than as stated in the application risks problems with future visitor visa applications.

If my next visa application is as a Tier 5 though would it affect it as my intention wouldn't be to visit but to undertake an internship under a credible sponsor?

I'm applying as a visitor on the basis of attending my graduation (with letter of invitation from university included) as I would've only been out of the UK a month before entering again, so would it not be excessive/questionable to say I would be on holiday there for a month? I could say I intend to celebrate Christmas/New Years there?

[The Station Agent]

I'd say that would be reasonable. As long as you don't intend to stay for months and months on the visit visa (which would hinge on your graduation ceremony).