Entering the UK while undergoing visa process

Hello all,

I spent 6 months in the UK last year (February to August 2016) under a Tier 2 Skills Transfer visa from the US on a US passport.

I will be starting the Tier 2 General visa process with my US employer to move to our UK office in the next month or so. Currently they are undergoing the labor market test.

I have a close friend's wedding in the UK the first weekend of September and I am wondering if I will be able to enter the country while undergoing a separate visa application. I would enter the country after the 12 month cool down period from my visa last year and would have a return ticket to show them I am entering as a tourist (for now).

Will I likely be allowed in? Will entering the UK complicate my current visa application at all? If everything goes smoothly, I should have visa stamp by the end of September or early October.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Kind regards,
JV

As long as you don't have an active application in process, you'll be able to enter for the wedding.

As long as you don't have an active application in process, you'll be able to enter for the wedding.

Thanks for answering as I was really confused about the question!

As long as you don't have an active application in process, you'll be able to enter for the wedding.

Thank you KFdancer. By September I most likely will have an active application in process. Whether the application will have been submitted to the immigration office or not by that week in September, I don't know. It all depends on how smoothly the process goes from here.

So it sounds like I should definitely hold off on purchasing any tickets until it gets closer to the wedding and I know where I'm at in the visa process.

Thanks again.

Thank you KFdancer. By September I most likely will have an active application in process. Whether the application will have been submitted to the immigration office or not by that week in September, I don't know. It all depends on how smoothly the process goes from here.

So it sounds like I should definitely hold off on purchasing any tickets until it gets closer to the wedding and I know where I'm at in the visa process.

Thanks again.

You have to submit your passport with your application, and you have to send it from your home country.  So you won't have a way to travel if you've already sent in your application.