Business visitors
The UK Border Agency defines a Business Visitor as someone who is employed overseas but intends to come to the UK temporarily to do business on their own or their employer's behalf. Business Visitors may come to the UK for a maximum of six months.
Permissable activities
Migrants may only come to the University as Business Visitors to undertake one or more of the following unpaid activities:
- attending meetings, including interviews that have been arranged before coming to the United Kingdom, or conferences;
- arrange deals or negotiate or sign trade agreements or contracts and carrying out fact finding missions;
- conducting site visits;
- speaking at a one-off conference where this is not run as a commercial concern and is not making profit for the organiser;
- interpreting or translating for visiting business persons, provided the interpreter/translator is employed by the overseas company and is coming solely to provide this service for the visiting company member;
- board-level Directors attending board meetings in the UK provided they are not employed by a UK company, although they may receive a fee for attending the meeting.
Restrictions
Business Visitors are not allowed to carry out research, either on their own or in collaboration with others.
As well as satisfying immigration officers that they are taking part in one or more of the above permissable activities, those intending to enter the UK as Business Visitors must also satisfy immigration officers that they:
- only want to visit the United Kingdom for up to six months;
- intend to leave the UK at the end of the period of the visit;
- can maintain and accommodate themselves (and any dependants) without using public funds;
- can meet the cost of an onward or return journey;
- will not receive pay from a UK source (although payment of reasonable expenses to cover the cost of travel and subsistance from a UK source is permitted);
- do not intend to live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits;
- do not intend to take paid or unpaid employment;
- do not intend to produce goods or provide services within the UK;
- do not intend to undertake a course of study;
- are not a child under the age of 18;
- do not intend to marry or form a civil partnership;
- do not intend to give notice of a marriage or civil partnership;
- do not intend to receive private medical treatment;
- are not in transit to a country outside the common travel area.
Application process
Business Visitors who are not visa nationals do not require a Business Visitor visa in advance of travel to the UK. However, they must announce the purpose of their visit (i.e. as a Business Visitor) to immigration officers at the UK port of entry and satisfy the immigration officers that they meet Business Visitor requirements. If the migrant satisfies immigration officers that they meet the Business Visitor requirements they will be approved entry to the UK as a Business Visitor.
Business Visitors who are visa nationals do require a visa in advance of travel to the UK. Business Visitors who are visa nationals can find information on how to apply for a Business Visitor visa on the UK Border Agency website.
All Business Visitors (regardless of whether they require a visa in advance of travel to the UK, or not) will require a letter of invitation from the host department/ college to present with their visa application (for visa nationals) or to immigration officers at the port of entry (for non-visa nationals).
The Work Permits Desk has produced a template Business Visitor template letter of invitation 
(42kb) that can be copied onto department/faculty headed paper and amended accordingly. Please note that a letter of invitation will not guarantee a successful visa application/ successful entry to the UK. This decision is made solely by immigration officers overseas and/or at the UK port of entry.
Migrants, particularly non-visa nationals who do not require a visa in advance of travel, are strongly advised to raise any queries/concerns with their nearest Visa Application Centre/British Embassy to avoid potential problems at immigration on arrival to the UK.