Urgent: UK Visitor Visa Validity

[mohakbhardwaj]

Hello,

I am an Indian national and am traveling to the UK soon. I was issued a multi visit Type C tourist visa in 2021 with validity from 25/10/2021 - 25/10/2026. However, in 2022 I was issued a Type D - Temporary work visa for 5 months from 20/06/2022 - 25/11/2022. I read online that after a second visa is issued, the first one gets cancelled. However, I wasn't notified about it and my visa stamp in the passport does not have a "Cancelled Without Prejudice" sticker on it either. I called UKVI and they verbally notified that it could have been cancelled but couldn't confirm it. I also called the Border control at the Heathrow airport and they said that my tourist visa will be valid. I am now confused about these conflicting pieces of advice, and am wondering if there is a way for me to confirm the validity of my visa or talk to someone who can provide some concrete confirmation. I have to travel in 10 days so any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

[Ticktack]

Hello,

I am an Indian national and am traveling to the UK soon. I was issued a multi visit Type C tourist visa in 2021 with validity from 25/10/2021 - 25/10/2026. However, in 2022 I was issued a Type D - Temporary work visa for 5 months from 20/06/2022 - 25/11/2022. I read online that after a second visa is issued, the first one gets cancelled. However, I wasn't notified about it and my visa stamp in the passport does not have a "Cancelled Without Prejudice" sticker on it either. I called UKVI and they verbally notified that it could have been cancelled but couldn't confirm it. I also called the Border control at the Heathrow airport and they said that my tourist visa will be valid. I am now confused about these conflicting pieces of advice, and am wondering if there is a way for me to confirm the validity of my visa or talk to someone who can provide some concrete confirmation. I have to travel in 10 days so any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

If your visa wasn't cancelled, then it's still valid in my opinion. I'm sure they would be obligated to let you in. Safe travels.

[mohakbhardwaj]

Hello,

I am an Indian national and am traveling to the UK soon. I was issued a multi visit Type C tourist visa in 2021 with validity from 25/10/2021 - 25/10/2026. However, in 2022 I was issued a Type D - Temporary work visa for 5 months from 20/06/2022 - 25/11/2022. I read online that after a second visa is issued, the first one gets cancelled. However, I wasn't notified about it and my visa stamp in the passport does not have a "Cancelled Without Prejudice" sticker on it either. I called UKVI and they verbally notified that it could have been cancelled but couldn't confirm it. I also called the Border control at the Heathrow airport and they said that my tourist visa will be valid. I am now confused about these conflicting pieces of advice, and am wondering if there is a way for me to confirm the validity of my visa or talk to someone who can provide some concrete confirmation. I have to travel in 10 days so any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

If your visa wasn't cancelled, then it's still valid in my opinion. I'm sure they would be obligated to let you in. Safe travels.

Thank you for the response! I also feel the same. However, in the rare chance that I am not allowed in will this have an adverse effect on future visa applications? Also, is there a known way of confirming that the visa is in fact valid and they didn't just forget to put the stamp in?

[Ticktack]

Hello,

I am an Indian national and am traveling to the UK soon. I was issued a multi visit Type C tourist visa in 2021 with validity from 25/10/2021 - 25/10/2026. However, in 2022 I was issued a Type D - Temporary work visa for 5 months from 20/06/2022 - 25/11/2022. I read online that after a second visa is issued, the first one gets cancelled. However, I wasn't notified about it and my visa stamp in the passport does not have a "Cancelled Without Prejudice" sticker on it either. I called UKVI and they verbally notified that it could have been cancelled but couldn't confirm it. I also called the Border control at the Heathrow airport and they said that my tourist visa will be valid. I am now confused about these conflicting pieces of advice, and am wondering if there is a way for me to confirm the validity of my visa or talk to someone who can provide some concrete confirmation. I have to travel in 10 days so any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

If your visa wasn't cancelled, then it's still valid in my opinion. I'm sure they would be obligated to let you in. Safe travels.

Thank you for the response! I also feel the same. However, in the rare chance that I am not allowed in I'm not sure that can happenwill this have an adverse effect on future visa applications Not a chance? Also, is there a known way of confirming that the visa is in fact valid and they didn't just forget to put the stamp in?You've gone through all the proper channels already. The validity is that fact that visa isn't cancelled and it's not expired. You don't have to even say anything. just present it to the IO and look him/her straight in the eyes.

[mohakbhardwaj]

Hello,

I am an Indian national and am traveling to the UK soon. I was issued a multi visit Type C tourist visa in 2021 with validity from 25/10/2021 - 25/10/2026. However, in 2022 I was issued a Type D - Temporary work visa for 5 months from 20/06/2022 - 25/11/2022. I read online that after a second visa is issued, the first one gets cancelled. However, I wasn't notified about it and my visa stamp in the passport does not have a "Cancelled Without Prejudice" sticker on it either. I called UKVI and they verbally notified that it could have been cancelled but couldn't confirm it. I also called the Border control at the Heathrow airport and they said that my tourist visa will be valid. I am now confused about these conflicting pieces of advice, and am wondering if there is a way for me to confirm the validity of my visa or talk to someone who can provide some concrete confirmation. I have to travel in 10 days so any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

If your visa wasn't cancelled, then it's still valid in my opinion. I'm sure they would be obligated to let you in. Safe travels.

Thank you for the response! I also feel the same. However, in the rare chance that I am not allowed in I'm not sure that can happenwill this have an adverse effect on future visa applications Not a chance? Also, is there a known way of confirming that the visa is in fact valid and they didn't just forget to put the stamp in?You've gone through all the proper channels already. The validity is that fact that visa isn't cancelled and it's not expired. You don't have to even say anything. just present it to the IO and look him/her straight in the eyes.

Thanks again for the prompt response. On a related note this is the clause I was referring to that I read online. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... eave-ecb22
I am assuming this either does not apply for the visitor visa case in general, or that the lack of "Cancelled without Prejudice" stamp means they did not apply it for my specific case. Do you have any knowledge about the applicability of this clause?

[mohakbhardwaj]

Hello,

I am an Indian national and am traveling to the UK soon. I was issued a multi visit Type C tourist visa in 2021 with validity from 25/10/2021 - 25/10/2026. However, in 2022 I was issued a Type D - Temporary work visa for 5 months from 20/06/2022 - 25/11/2022. I read online that after a second visa is issued, the first one gets cancelled. However, I wasn't notified about it and my visa stamp in the passport does not have a "Cancelled Without Prejudice" sticker on it either. I called UKVI and they verbally notified that it could have been cancelled but couldn't confirm it. I also called the Border control at the Heathrow airport and they said that my tourist visa will be valid. I am now confused about these conflicting pieces of advice, and am wondering if there is a way for me to confirm the validity of my visa or talk to someone who can provide some concrete confirmation. I have to travel in 10 days so any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

If your visa wasn't cancelled, then it's still valid in my opinion. I'm sure they would be obligated to let you in. Safe travels.

Thank you for the response! I also feel the same. However, in the rare chance that I am not allowed in I'm not sure that can happenwill this have an adverse effect on future visa applications Not a chance? Also, is there a known way of confirming that the visa is in fact valid and they didn't just forget to put the stamp in?You've gone through all the proper channels already. The validity is that fact that visa isn't cancelled and it's not expired. You don't have to even say anything. just present it to the IO and look him/her straight in the eyes.

Thanks again for the prompt response. On a related note this is the clause I was referring to that I read online. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... eave-ecb22
I am assuming this either does not apply for the visitor visa case in general, or that the lack of "Cancelled without Prejudice" stamp means they did not apply it for my specific case. Do you have any knowledge about the applicability of this clause?

[AmazonianX]

Noting that you had a work visa in between, should you decide to come on visit visa do ensure you can evidence being a genuine visitor.

[Frontier Mole]

Is there an absolute part of guidance that sets out the circumstances for long term visit visas and the circumstances you state, I am unable to find any such guidance.

The general teaching and approach is that an individual is unable to hold more than one visa type at any point. When you applied and subsequently entered under the temporary worker visa it automatically superseded your visitor visa. Your visitor visa in my opinion has ceased to have any force or validity, the issue of a visa type that post dates the issue of the visit visa nullified the visit visa.

It makes legal sense that only one visa type can be held as the conditions for each visa type vary. The idea that one pre existing visa comes back into force on the expiry of a subsequent visa is not ever stated nor ever considered.

IMHO you need to have a new visit visa issued.

[secret.simon]

I would offer an alternate viewpoint, @Frontier Mole.

One can only be in the UK on one instance of leave to remain at a time.

However, while the five year visit visa is a long term visa, the OP would not have been in the UK for five years. They would have made specific visits to the UK based on that visa, which would have been stamped into their passport. But, they could arguably enter the UK on an entirely different visa, leave the UK on that visa and then enter the UK back on their long-term visit visa.

At no point in time would they have been in the UK on anything other than one leave to remain.

Another way to think about it is that the long term visit visa is merely a permit for the airline to fly him to the UK, with the actual leave to remain decision being taken by the Immigration Officer at the air/sea port.

Unfortunately I have no Home Office documentation to plead in this case, merely my logical argument. But I would like your thoughts on this point.

I did glance through the Immigration Rules, but I see no explicit statement in them or in the Act that a person can hold only one leave to remain outside the UK.

[vinny]

If visitors do not have extant leave when they are outside the UK, then is there a requirement to cancel their visitor entry clearances? Moreover, if entry clearances were automatically cancelled, then the instruction to explicitly cancel them would be redundant? If the visitor entry clearance was not cancelled, then it may still be valid?

[mohakbhardwaj]

Just wanted to post an update that I was able to enter the UK without any issues. So the visitor visa is still valid. Thanks for all the help!

[vinny]

Thanks for letting us know.