Hi guys, I know there has been a lot of threads online about this. There have also been slightly different situations that each person seems to describe as to what work they want to be carrying out while they're in the UK. Also recently the following changes have been made to the general visa:
The Standard Visitor visa has replaced the:
Family Visitor visa
General Visitor visa
Child Visitor visa
Business Visitor visa, including visas for academics, doctors and dentists
Sports Visitor visa
Entertainer Visitor visa
Prospective Entrepreneur visa
Private Medical Treatment Visitor visa
Approved Destination Status (ADS) visa
So, my question, like many others have been. If I work on the internet, can I perform my work from the UK. There are very specific guidelines, but here are the ones documented specifically in the visitor's appendix:
newcomer link: http://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-v-visitor-rules [nonactive]
Visitor’s Appendix 3
Business – corporate
Intra-corporate activities
1. 6 An employee of an overseas based company may:
1. (a) advise and consult;
2. (b) trouble-shoot;
3. (c) provide training;
4. (d) share skills and knowledge; on a specific internal project with UK employees of the same corporate group, provided no work is carried out directly with clients.
2. 7 An internal auditor may carry out regulatory or financial audits at a UK branch of the same group of companies as the visitor’s employer overseas.
I want to point out a, b, and c. So it appears as long as you're not providing services to clients, e.g. your work is all trouble-shooting, advise or consulting, or providing training. You can work from the UK as a Business Visitor which is now part of the standard visitor visa.
So my work duties are this:
I work for a corporation based in the US. My job is only to provide IT trouble-shooting, or consulting to internal employees over the phone and via e-mail. I do not deal with any sort of clients, or making deals. I strictly provide troubleshooting and consulting, sometimes training, to internal employees.
My goal is to live with my girlfriend for six months in Scotland, performing the duties that were previously associated with the business visitor. This should be legal, yes? Any advice, input, or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
