If you want to visit the UK as a tourist or to stay with friends in the UK, you should apply to come here as a general visitor (or as a child visitor if you are under 18). If you are a Chinese national and you will be coming to the UK as part of a group for a maximum of 30 days, you can apply for a visa as an ADS visitor. There are restrictions on what you can do in the UK in these visitor categories. For example, you cannot get married.

• General visitors
• Child visitors
• ADS visitors

To come to the UK as a child visitor, you must be under 18 years old and be visiting the UK for no more than 6 months (or 12 months if you’re travelling with an academic visitor). In addition you should have made suitable arrangements for your travel to and your stay in the UK and have consent from your parent or guardian for your trip to the UK. There should be adequate funds to be able to pay for your return or onward journey and have enough money to support yourself without working or help from public funds, or have relatives and friends who can support and house you.

If you would like to come to UK to do specific paid work without having to be sponsored under the points-based visa system then this could be a preferred category.

You can apply for UK Business visit visa [sometimes also referred to as UK Business visitor visa] if you would like to visit the UK for business-related activities, for example:

• visiting the UK for a conference, meeting or training
• visiting UK to take part in a specific sports-related event
• visiting the UK for a performance if you’re an artist, entertainer or musician
• visiting the UK for research purposes or accompanying students on a study abroad program [you will be required to demonstrate that you are an academic]
• visiting the UK for clinical attachment or as a observer if you’re a doctor or dentist
• visiting the UK to take the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test or sit the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
• visiting the UK to get funding to start, take over, join or run a business in the UK. [this refers to obtaining funding from the UK to start, take over, join or running a business and not actually running a business]

If you want to come to the UK for up to 48 hours on your way to another country, you can come here as a visitor in transit. UK Visitor visas can be granted for a minimum of 6months to even 10 year multiple entry visit visas.

For people who need to finalise their arrangements for their Tier 4 course of study in the UK. You can visit the UK as a prospective student if you intend to study in the UK under Tier 4 of the points-based system but you have not completed all the arrangements for your course of study.

For example, you can come here as a prospective student if you have been provisionally accepted on a course, with final acceptance dependent on an interview.

For people who need to finalise their arrangements for their Tier 4 course of study in the UK. You can visit the UK as a prospective student if you intend to study in the UK under Tier 4 of the points-based system but you have not completed all

the arrangements for your course of study. For example, you can come here as a prospective student if you have been provisionally accepted on a course, with final acceptance dependent on an interview.

This category is suited for individuals who would want to visit the UK You must be coming to the UK to take part in 1 or more specific performances as an individual amateur entertainer or as an amateur group or perform at a major arts festival or cultural event on the permit-free festival list or take part in music competitions or be part of the technical or support staff at the same event as a performer on an Entertainer Visitor visa, eg a sound engineer, tour manager or press officer.