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London, Great Britain is a part of United Kingdom (along with Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales). This is one of my dream places! I've been given an opportunity to travel to London this year and this post documents my road to acquire a UK Visa.
A Filipino National needs to have a visa before setting foot to United Kingdom. Whether for business or pleasure, one needs to apply and secure a visa.
The visa itself is more like that of Schengen Visa. However, having a Schengen Visa is of course not a guarantee that you'll be granted a UK visa, and vice versa. However, you may have a good chance of approval, since you have shown that you are in good faith in the past (provided that you went back here on your previous Schengen Visa arrangement). Anyways, below is a list of the UK Visa Requirements that I have prepared for my application.
REQUIREMENTS:
♣ Current and previous passport
The more countries you have visited, the better. It's a good plus if you have obtained different kinds of visas too (i.e. Schengen, Korea, Japan, etc.) Note though that this is not a guarantee of approval.
♣ 2 passport size color photographs
It is originally, 1 passport size picture. However, to be sure, just have a buffer. In my case, when I went for personal appearance, I've been asked for another one. Good thing I have an extra in my wallet.
♣ Certificate of Employment
I gave them the original one, though I've heard from my friends that they also accept PDF documents that have been digitally signed.
♣ Letter of Invite / Guarantee Letter
I've also sent them the original letter. The letter should state that your sponsor will shoulder your expenses during your trip. It has to include the letterhead, address and contact number of the sponsor.
♣ Evidence of Finance
This includes your Income Tax Return, bank certificate, photocopy of your bank book, stock certificates, pay slip, credit card statements, mutual fund certificates and the like. This is important specially if you're applying for a tourist visa.
♣ Travel Details
You need to include your Flight Itinerary and Hotel Booking Confirmation. In my case, I'll be staying for 60 days in the UK. Initially, I've been booked for the first 3 weeks (since I gather it's not a norm for them to reserve for super long stays) - thank God, I didn't encounter any problems with that.
♣ Completed Visa Application Form
I have printed one and accomplished them in writing. This way, I can verify the accuracy of each information.
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