Post
by Mr Rusty » Thu Nov 15, 2007 5:40 pm
Immigration Rules say this:
Requirements for an extension of stay as a visitor
44. Six months is the maximum permitted leave which may be granted to a visitor. The requirements for an extension of stay as a visitor are that the applicant:
(i) meets the requirements of paragraph 41 (ii)-(vii); and
(ii) has not already spent, or would not as a result of an extension of stay spend, more than 6 months in total in the United Kingdom as a visitor. Any periods spent as a seasonal agricultural worker and as a student visitor are to be counted as a period spent as a visitor; and
(iii) was not last admitted to the United Kingdom under the Approved Destination Status Agreement with China.
Para 41 (ii)-(vii) is the normal requirements for visitors - no employment or recourse to public funds, intend to leave the UK on completion, etc.
So, a work permit holder is not excluded from seeking an extension as a visitor.
If it really is just an extra few weeks, it is a moot point whether it is better for a non-visa national to incur the expense and potential delay of making an in-country application, or to have a trip abroad for a couple of days (which of course incurs a cost anyway).
There is a slight risk in the latter course that an Immigration Officer might be more prone than a Croydon caseworker to query the passenger's intentions, so cast-iron plans would be required - onward ticket booked, job waiting back home, etc.
