Visas

From DebConf7

This page gives information about UK visas. More general travel information, including some information about transit visas for other countries, is on the main travel page.

Most countries from which DebConf attendees come do not require a visa to visit the UK. These are some of the countries whose nationals require a visa to visit the UK (as of June 2006): Bosnia, China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Peru, Romania, Russian Federation, Ukraine. To find out if you need a UK visa, check http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/

A UK 'visitor' visa is sufficient to attend a conference: you do not need a business visa.

Visa process

http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/ gives information for each country, including the information that needs to be provided to apply for a visa, and where it should be sent.

We can provide an invitation letter to any DebConf attendee. This may be useful for visa purposes, or for showing to your own country's officials. In addition, we can provide a visa sponsorship letter to attendees to whom we are giving food/accommodation/financial support. If you require a sponsorship letter, contact mailto:visa@debconf.org as soon as possible, including your:

• full name
• postal address
• telephone number
• nationality
• passport number
• birth date
• place of birth.

According to government statistics, the most common reason for visa refusal (65% of cases) is "Doubts over intention to return to home country/insufficient economic or family ties in home country". Even if you are receiving full financial support for the trip from DebConf sponsorship, it is important that you demonstrate to the immigration officials that you will return home afterwards, for example giving evidence that you have a job to return to, or that you are in the middle of a university course.

Your visa application will require:

• a valid passport
• recent passport-sized photograph(s) as requested
• the correct fee
• a completed and signed up-to-date application form.

In addition it may help your application to provide:

• evidence of employment and leave
• 6 months' itemised bank statements
• evidence of your income
• sponsorship letter from DebConf.

Note that a visitor visa does not allow you to work in the UK, so you should be clear that you are coming to attend conference talks etc., and not imply that you will be doing even voluntary/unpaid work while here.

Background information

According to government statistics, the main reasons given for visa refusal (there can be more than one reason) are:

• 65% Doubts over intention to return to home country/insufficient economic or family ties in home country
• 54% Inadequate funds for trip
• 47% Doubts over credibility of applicant
• 33% No evidence of financial circumstances
• 22% Lack of knowledge of United Kingdom/course
• 14% Forged documentation

Source: National Audit Office Report (HC 367, 2003-04): Visa Entry to the United Kingdom: The Entry Clearance Operation (Full Report) http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/NAO%20Report%20170604.pdf

As conference organisers, we can help the process as much as possible by providing letters stating that the person will be attending DebConf, and where appropriate stating what financial/travel/accommodation/food sponsorship we are providing. Attendees should in turn make clear in their applications that they have the money to, and intend to, return to their home countries after DebConf. There's more information on what sponsors can/can't do at http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1006977150088

Here are the refusal rates for 2004-2005 (the most recent year for which figures are available) by region, for all non-settlement visa applications. There should *not* be read as predicting the outcome of new applications from DebConf attendees, but more documentation may be required to support an application from a region where there are many refused visas.

Source: UKvisas Global Statistics 2004-05 http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/GlobalStats2005,0.pdf