Cant go or stay - Tier 5 visa help please!

Hello!
I am a NZ citizen in the UK (London) on Tier 5 visa which runs out on 1st May.

I have a boyfriend here so ideally I would like to leave to somewhere in Europe for a while, then come back on the tourist visa (which is 6 months for NZ citizens) so he & I can have a little more time together.

There are talks of some Euro countries letting tourists in but doesnt look like thats till mid-May unless you are fully vaccinated which I am not... I couldnt go back to NZ even if I wanted to until at least July as isolation hotels are fully booked till then.

So I guess I should try and apply for an extension of my visa since i cant get back to nz but no other close country will let me in?

I'm also slightly concerned about trying to come back to UK on tourist visa. Friends have been telling me they left for 6 weeks after Tier 5 visa ended then came back through the EGates and had no problems. But my other friend said maybe Border control would ask what I was doing back so soon, and if they denied me, put me on a plane back to NZ and put a red mark against my name if I tried to come back too soon?! Seems extreme. But also maybe not a good look if I apply for an extension to my visa to stay a little longer... then try come back on a tourist visa again.

Would love to hear any advice from the community!

Thanks!

parismercedes wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 11, 2021 9:25 am

So I guess I should try and apply for an extension of my visa since i cant get back to nz but no other close country will let me in?

No, your only option is to ask for more time under "exceptional assurance". This is a sort of grace period for people whose visa is ending, and who need to leave the UK, but who cannot leave due to the pandemic.

See https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus ... -in-the-uk

The scheme is only currently available to those whose visa ends by 31 April, but it will probably be extended.

It is not a way to extend your time in the UK because you don't want to leave. It is only for those who are trying to leave, but because of the pandemic they cannot and they need more time to get organised.

parismercedes wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 11, 2021 9:25 am

But my other friend said maybe Border control would ask what I was doing back so soon, and if they denied me, put me on a plane back to NZ and put a red mark against my name if I tried to come back too soon?!

Please don't ask your friends for immigration and visa advice, especially this one who doesn't know what they are talking about.

parismercedes wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 11, 2021 9:25 am

Hello!
I am a NZ citizen in the UK (London) on Tier 5 visa which runs out on 1st May.

I have a boyfriend here so ideally I would like to leave to somewhere in Europe for a while, then come back on the tourist visa (which is 6 months for NZ citizens) so he & I can have a little more time together.

There are talks of some Euro countries letting tourists in but doesnt look like thats till mid-May unless you are fully vaccinated which I am not... I couldnt go back to NZ even if I wanted to until at least July as isolation hotels are fully booked till then.

So I guess I should try and apply for an extension of my visa since i cant get back to nz but no other close country will let me in?

I think you were meant to register with SafeTravel, months before your UK visa was expiring.
https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/news/cov ... s-overseas