Visit Visa

A visit visa covers a short stay abroad for tourism, to see family or friends, to attend an event or exhibition, or for limited business activities such as meetings and conferences. It does not allow you to work, and it is not a route to living in the country. Each government sets its own rules, but each is asking the same basic question: is this a genuine short visit, and will you leave at the end of it.

For most applicants, the starting point is your passport, not your residence visa. Two colleagues in the same office can face very different requirements. One may need a full visa with biometrics and an interview, while the other needs only an online travel authorisation. Your residence status in the country where you live then matters as evidence of your income, your commitments there and your reasons to return.

Ashford assists with visit visa applications for destinations worldwide, based on each embassy’s requirements, and most often for Canada, the UK, the Schengen area, the United States and Australia. We help you understand which permission applies to you, what evidence the decision-maker is likely to look for, and how to present your circumstances clearly and honestly. The decision always rests with the government concerned.