From 24 April 2015 the UK visitor visa scheme will be simplified, and any visitor visa applications made on or after this date will be under the new scheme.
There are at present over ten different types of visitor visa but under the new scheme there will only be four:
- Standard visitor
- Marriage/civil partner visitor
- Permitted paid engagement visitor
- Transit visitor
“Standard visitor” will include several of the existing categories and the student visitor visa will be renamed “short-term student visa”.
The Home Office say that this will clarify the system and make it easier for applicants to understand.