UK Visitor Visa for Pakistani Citizens
What a Pakistani citizen applying for a UK Standard Visitor visa has to show under paragraph V 4.2, what it costs, where the tuberculosis rules bite, and how long a decision takes.
- Section
- Visitor Visa
- Reading time
- 10 min
- Last checked
- 11 March 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- Standard Visitor visa: £135 for a stay of up to 6 months.
- Published decision time from outside the UK: 3 weeks; priority is £500 for about 5 working days.
- The rule is paragraph V 4.2 of Appendix V, and it is the same for every nationality.
- There is no minimum bank balance, and no required number of months of statements.
- Pakistan is on the tuberculosis testing list, but the test only applies to stays of 6 months or more.
Pakistani citizens need a visa to visit the UK. A Standard Visitor visa costs £135 for a stay of up to 6 months, and the published decision time from outside the UK is 3 weeks. The Home Office does not publish a refusal rate by nationality, so this guide sets out the five things paragraph V 4.2 of Appendix V requires, and what applicants use to evidence them.
What the Rules Require
Pakistani citizens are on the visa national list, so a Standard Visitor visa is needed before travelling. The test is paragraph V 4.2 of Appendix V, which requires the decision maker to be satisfied that the applicant is a genuine visitor. Its five limbs are:
- V 4.2(a): will leave the UK at the end of their visit.
- V 4.2(b): will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits, or make the UK their main home.
- V 4.2(c): is genuinely seeking entry for a purpose permitted under the visitor route.
- V 4.2(d): will not undertake any of the prohibited activities in V 4.4 to V 4.6, such as working.
- V 4.2(e): has sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs of the visit without working or accessing public funds, including the return or onward journey.
A refusal letter names which limb was not met. The Home Office does not publish refusal rates by nationality, so any percentage quoted for Pakistan is an estimate rather than an official statistic, and Rowan does not carry them. See our refusal reasons guide.
Financial Evidence
V 4.2(e) names no figure, no minimum balance and no number of months, and requires only that funds be held in a financial institution permitted under FIN 2.1 of Appendix Finance. Applicants from Pakistan commonly include:
- Bank statements: no period is prescribed. Applicants commonly send several months of official statements, because a run of them shows where the money comes from rather than only what is there today
- Employment letter: Confirming your job, salary, and approved leave
- Property documents: If you own land or property
- Business evidence: If self-employed, include registration, accounts, and tax returns
- Sponsor evidence: If your UK host is funding the visit, include their financials and an invitation letter
A deposit that appears shortly before the application, with nothing to explain it, shows the balance but not whose it is. Money moved in temporarily and moved out again is a false representation, and Part Suitability of the Immigration Rules sets a 10-year re-entry ban where deception is used in an application. See our financial evidence guide and financial documents guide.
Tuberculosis Testing
Pakistan is on the GOV.UK list of countries where a tuberculosis test is required. The trigger is coming to the UK for 6 months or more having lived in a listed country for 6 months or more, so an ordinary visit of up to 6 months does not need one. An 11-month Short-Term Study visa does. Where it applies, you must be tested at a Home Office approved clinic, and the certificate is valid for 6 months from the date of the chest x-ray. See GOV.UK on tuberculosis tests for visa applicants.
Processing Times
- Standard: a service standard of 3 weeks, counted from the biometrics appointment rather than from payment
- Priority: £500 on top of the visa fee, for a decision usually within 5 working days, where the service is offered
Apply on GOV.UK and book a biometrics appointment at a visa application centre in Pakistan. See our processing time guide.
Family Visit Tips
Many visit applications from Pakistan are to see family. Nothing below is a requirement — GOV.UK publishes no checklist — but these are what such applications normally evidence:
- Include a detailed invitation letter from your UK family member
- Show the family relationship with documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates)
- The UK host's status and accommodation. A host who is not a British citizen proves their status with an eVisa share code rather than a card: biometric residence permits stopped being issued at the end of 2024, and a share code lasts 90 days
- What takes you back to Pakistan, for V 4.2(a)
See our parents visiting guide. Only an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority, or a solicitor, can advise on an individual case — see our guide to adviser costs.
Next Steps
Related guides:
Questions and answers
How much does a UK Visitor visa cost from Pakistan?
A Standard Visitor visa for a stay of up to 6 months costs £135. Long-term visitor visas, which allow repeat visits of up to 6 months each, cost £506 for 2 years, £903 for 5 years and £1,128 for 10 years. The Home Office does not publish a refusal rate by nationality, so this guide sets out what the rules require rather than any chance of success.
Do Pakistani visitors need a TB test?
Pakistan is on the GOV.UK tuberculosis testing list. The test is needed if you are coming to the UK for 6 months or more, so an ordinary visit of up to 6 months does not trigger it. An 11-month Short-Term Study visa does. The certificate lasts 6 months from the date of the chest x-ray.
How long does a UK Visitor Visa take from Pakistan?
The published service standard for a visit visa applied for outside the UK is 3 weeks, counted from the biometrics appointment rather than from payment. The priority service, where it is offered, costs £500 and GOV.UK says the decision usually comes within 5 working days.
What financial evidence should Pakistani applicants provide?
GOV.UK sets no minimum balance and no required number of months, and publishes no document checklist for visitors. Paragraph V 4.2(e) of Appendix V asks for sufficient funds to cover all reasonable costs of the visit, including the journey home, held in a financial institution permitted under FIN 2.1 of Appendix Finance. Applicants commonly send several months of bank statements, an employment letter, and property or business documents, and explain any large deposit.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.