How to Apply for Medical Visa for Private Treatment
If you or a member of your family needs medical treatment in the UK our immigration solicitors can help you apply for a medical visa.
UK Online and London-Based Immigration Solicitors
For advice on medical visas and immigration law call the expert London immigration lawyers at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
The UK medical visa
Although you may be searching for a ‘UK medical visa’ there is no such visa under the UK points-based immigration system. Instead, you need a visitor visa if you want to come to the UK for private medical treatment. In this article, we refer to medical visas and visitor visas but they are one and the same thing.
A visitor visa gives entry clearance for up to 6 months (or 11 months if necessary). If your course of treatment or recovery time may be longer than 6 months it is best to raise visa length with your immigration solicitor when applying for your medical visa.
When can you come to the UK for medical treatment?
If you obtain a visitor visa you can come to the UK to:
- Get private medical treatment at a private hospital or clinic or other medical facilities
- Receive treatment at a National Health Service (NHS) facility or hospital if the cost of your care is being funded under a reciprocal healthcare arrangement by your government
- Assess your suitability to donate an organ to a family member or to a close friend or to undergo the transplant procedure if you are found to be a suitable match
To qualify for the visitor visa, you will need to be able to show that you:
- Intend to leave the UK at the end of your visit
- Will not be effectively living in the UK by making repeat visitor visa applications so you can keep returning under successive visitor visas
- Can financially support yourself while you are in the UK
- Have proof or the funds necessary for your return journey home
The extra eligibility criteria to get a visitor visa for private medical treatment are that you:
- Have a condition that needs private medical treatment in the UK and you have made arrangements for the private consultation or treatment you need. When applying for your visa, you will need a letter from the doctor or clinician setting out your medical condition, the estimated cost and duration of your treatment and where the consultation or the treatment will take place in the UK
- Can pay for your private medical treatment
- Do not have an infectious disease that could pose a public health risk in the UK
Applying for a UK medical visa
To apply for a medical visa or visitor visa there are various steps in the application process but immigration solicitors emphasis that it is best to first check if you need a visitor visa. That is because, depending on your nationality, you may not need a visitor visa to come to the UK for up to 6 months. However, if you come to the UK without a medical visa, but with the intention of getting medical treatment, you could be refused entry clearance if Home Office officials do not believe that you can pay for your treatment.
Talk to immigration solicitors about whether, even in a situation where you don’t need a visa, it may be best to get one. The immigration law legal advice may differ if you are coming to the UK for an initial private medical consultation or for a longer stay because of a planned operation and anticipated period of recovery and follow-up treatment.
Once you have checked if a visitor visa is necessary, the next step is to apply online for your visitor visa and to have your supporting evidence and documents available . For example, a medical letter. The documents you will need to submit in support of your visa application will depend on the reason for your visit because the paperwork you need is different if you are coming to the UK for an organ transplant or if you will be receiving NHS treatment funded by your government .
You can apply for your visitor visa up to 3 months before you travel to the UK.
There is a visitor visa Home Office application fee payable when you apply for your visa. If you are coming to the UK for up to 6 months the Home Office fee is currently £100.
You will also need to sort out biometrics by attending an appointment at a visa application centre in the country where you are living. At the appointment, your photograph and your fingerprints will be taken.
If you are going to be accompanied to the UK by family members then they will each need to make a separate visitor visa application.
UK medical visas for treatment of over 6 months
If you think your medical treatment may take longer than 6 months, our immigration solicitors may suggest that you apply for an 11-month visitor visa. That’s because if you overstay on a visitor visa it may affect future immigration applications and you may not feel well enough to apply for another visa if you only got 6 months UK entry clearance but need to stay longer.
An 11 month visitor visa costs £200 in Home Office application fees. If you come into the UK on a 6 month medical visa, and need to stay longer, then you can apply for an extension for a further 6 months. The extension application has a £1,000 Home Office application fee. If necessary, you can make repeat extension visa applications if you continue to need UK medical treatment and you meet the visa eligibility criteria.
How can OTS Solicitors help you with your medical visa application?
At OTS Solicitors our immigration lawyers are all experts in the field of individual immigration or business immigration law. We can take the stress out of getting a medical visa by making sure that you are applying for the visa that best meets your needs and by ensuring that your visa application is submitted and processed as quickly as possible so you can come to the UK for the medical treatment you require.
UK Online and London-Based Immigration Solicitors
For advice on medical visas and immigration law call the immigration lawyers at OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or contact us online.
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