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Appendix V: Visitor, V 4.2(a)

Genuine visitor: intention to leave at the end of the visit

The applicant must satisfy the decision maker that they are a genuine visitor, which means the applicant will leave the UK at the end of their visit.

What the officer assesses: Whether your circumstances at home give you a reason to return that outweighs any reason to stay. The officer weighs employment, family, property, study and previous travel together, not one by one.

Evidence that addresses it

Employment letter on headed paper stating role, start date, salary and approved leave dates
Payslips covering the same period as the bank statements
Business registration, tax filings and business bank statements where self-employed
Property deeds, a tenancy agreement or a mortgage statement in the applicant's name
Evidence of dependants: birth certificates, school letters, care responsibilities
Previous passports showing visas used and departures made on time
Proof of enrolment and term dates where studying

Appendix V: Visitor, V 4.2(b) to (d), V 4.4 to V 4.6

Genuine visitor: permitted purpose and no prohibited activities

The applicant must be genuinely seeking entry for a purpose that is permitted by the visitor routes, must not undertake any prohibited activities, and must not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK their main home.

What the officer assesses: Whether what you have described doing in the UK is something a visitor is allowed to do, and whether your pattern of visits looks like visiting rather than living here.

Evidence that addresses it

An itinerary that matches the stated purpose and the permitted activities
For business visits, a letter from the home employer stating the activity and that salary continues to be paid from home
Previous passport stamps showing the length and spacing of earlier visits
Where a short course is planned, the course letter and its dates

Appendix V: Visitor, V 4.2(e) and (f), V 4.3

Maintenance and accommodation: funds for the visit and the return journey

The applicant must have sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs in relation to their visit without working or accessing public funds, including the cost of the return or onward journey, any costs relating to dependants, and the cost of planned activities. A third party may provide support where they have a genuine professional or personal relationship with the applicant and are not, or will not be, in breach of UK immigration laws.

What the officer assesses: Whether the money that will pay for this trip exists, is yours or a genuine sponsor's, and got there in a way the statements explain.

Evidence that addresses it

Six months of personal bank statements, stamped or downloaded from the bank with the bank's name on every page
Payslips matching the salary credits in the statements
A written explanation and evidence of the source of any large or unusual credit
Where a sponsor pays: their letter of invitation and undertaking, their bank statements, payslips, and proof of their UK immigration status
Proof of accommodation: hotel booking, or the sponsor's address with proof they live there

Appendix V: Visitor, V 4.2(c)

Purpose of visit: consistency between the purpose, the invitation, the itinerary and the money

The applicant must be genuinely seeking entry or leave to remain for a purpose that is permitted by the visitor routes.

What the officer assesses: Whether the story the documents tell is one story. The stated purpose, the dates, the invitation, the booking and the spending must all describe the same trip.

Evidence that addresses it

A day-by-day or week-by-week itinerary with dates
The invitation letter, where someone is inviting you, with their address and status
Flight reservations or bookings matching the itinerary dates
Accommodation bookings for the whole stay
Evidence of any event you are attending: tickets, a conference registration, a wedding invitation

Part 9: grounds for refusal, and Appendix V: Visitor V 4.2

Previous immigration history and travel history

An application may be refused where the applicant has previously breached immigration laws, and the decision maker will take the applicant's immigration history into account when assessing whether they are a genuine visitor.

What the officer assesses: What your record shows about whether you keep the terms of a visa: previous refusals and their reasons, overstays, removals, and visas used properly.

Evidence that addresses it

All previous passports, including expired ones, showing visas and entry and exit stamps
The previous refusal notice, with a short written explanation of what has changed
Evidence of compliance with earlier visas: departure stamps, boarding passes

Part 9: grounds for refusal, paragraph 9.7.1 to 9.7.3

False representations, false documents or non-disclosure

An application for entry clearance, permission to enter or permission to stay must be refused where false representations have been made, or false documents or information have been submitted, whether or not to the applicant's knowledge, or where relevant facts have not been disclosed.

What the officer assesses: Whether anything submitted was untrue or fabricated, or whether a material fact was withheld.

The requirements are in Appendix V: Visitor of the Immigration Rules. Part 9 holds the general grounds for refusal. The paragraph numbers printed on your refusal notice govern.