UK Family visitor visa entry criteria

[yoga_yoga]

Hi
Some one I know are expecting a family visit visa for UK valid for TWO years from June 2016 till June 2018. Question they would like to ask on the forum is,
1. Their first trip is planned from September 2016 till December 2016 (for four months)
2. For second visit they want travel from March 2017 till August 2017 (for just about six months)
3. For third visit they want travel from Feb 2018 till June 2018 (for just about five months)

I am sure the duration for which they want to stay in UK is less than six months for every trip but the question for which I could not get the answer for is the gap between each trip? What's the rule say? Is it possible to travel for six months for each calendar year irrespective of gaps between the two visits OR gap between two visits has to be six months irrespective of calendar year.

Please clarify and provide any official link which states these rules clearly.

Best regards

[secret.simon]

Why do they need to spend so much time in the UK? That will be considered as residing in the UK in the guise of a visit visa and that may get them into trouble in getting visit visas in future. Visitors are also expected to be spending more time in their country of origin than in the UK.

The rules as regards the amount of time people can spend in the UK are not as clear-cut as you think. There is no 6 months out of every 12 months rule. The text of the rule is below;

"4.2 (a) (c) (e) of Appendix V, Immigration Rules of Visitors" states:

The applicant must satisfy the decision maker that they are a genuine visitor. This means that the applicant:
(a) will leave the UK at the end of their visit; and
(b) will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK their main home; and
(c) is genuinely seeking entry for a purpose that is permitted by the visitor routes (these are listed in Appendices 3, 4 and 5); and
(d) will not undertake any prohibited activities set out in V 4.5 – V 4.10; and
(e) must have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to their visit without working or accessing public funds. This includes the cost of the return or onward journey, any costs relating to dependants, and the cost of planned activities such as private medical treatment.

Even after getting the visit visa, if the Immigration Officer at the airport comes to the conclusion that the visitor is residing in the UK in the guise of a visit visa, they can cancel the visit visa on the spot and have them sent back to their country of origin. As that would be on their record, that would also make it very difficult if not impossible for them to get a visit visa in the future.

There have been threads from other people who have been refused visit visas after repeatedly staying in the UK for six months every year in the recent past. Look in the forums for those stories/threads.