Startup Visa - Coming as Visitor First

dynamicspirit wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 12, 2019 6:51 pm

Hi, I have a friend (not currently in the UK and not currently holding any UK visa) who intends to apply for a start-up visa. This means that she'll first need to apply for an endorsement, which she intends to do at a University in the UK that she used to study at. That requires visiting the UK a couple of times - first to get general advice from that University, and then after she's applied, to attend an interview about her business ideas. She also wants to visit the UK anyway to see a few friends - and that all implies she'll first need to apply for a standard 6-month visitor visa.

My question is... is coming to attend interview/seek advice about the startup visa acceptable in the eyes of the Home Office as a reason to apply for a visitor's visa?

Putting everything together, when she applies for the visitor visa, she would probably state the purpose of her visit as being... to visit friends AND to apply to her former University for an endorsement letter so she can then apply for a Startup visa. Would that (probably) be OK to give as a reason for visiting, or could the home office consider that as 'business' and therefore a reason to refuse the visitor visa application?

Thanks!