Can You Work on a UK Visitor Visa? Myths & Facts

 You can visit the United Kingdom as a standard visitor for study, business, tourism, and other permitted activities for 6 months. There have been a lot of changes to the Immigration Rules made by the UK Government in the last year, including changes to Visitor visa rules. However, you are still not allowed to do unpaid or paid work for a UK company or claim public funds. The Home Office has provided a list of permitted events or paid engagements that you can do while staying in the UK on a visitor visa. The UK visitor visa requirements are many and one of them is not working in the UK. If the Home Office finds you working for a local company, strict actions will be taken against you. You must intend to leave the United Kingdom at the end of your visit and you must have sufficient funds to support yourself. You can consider 3 weeks as standard UK Visit Visa processing times. Make sure to read the permitted activities before you undertake any activity during your stay in the UK as a standard visitor. 

Increased Clarity on Remote Working Activities as a UK Standard Visitor

Under both the previous rules and the present rules, the default position is that a Visitor cannot work while in the UK without that work being one of those activities expressly allowed in the Visitor appendices. Under the previously existing rules, the permitted "General Business Activities" enabled visitors to do a number of things:

(a) attend meetings, seminars, conferences, interviews; and 

(b) give a short series of talks, one-offs, and speeches, however, given these are not commercially organized events and will not profit the organizer; and

(c) sign contracts and deals after negotiating; 

(d) attend trade fairs meant for only promotional work, provided the Visitor is not involved in direct selling; and 

(e) carry out site inspections and visits; and 

(f) gather information for his or her overseas employment; and 

(g) briefings on the necessities of a UK-based customer, given that the work done for the customer is performed outside of the UK. 

There was no mention of remote working as a permitted activity or otherwise by any of the previous Visitor appendices. In contradiction with the overriding "no work" rule, this further hinted that Visitors could not use remote working while in the UK. However, the latest change in the rules included adding to the list of permitted "General Business Activities" the opportunity for Visitors to:

(h) undertake activities pertaining to their overseas employment remotely from within the United Kingdom, as long as this is not the primary reason for their visit.

This is supported by the relevant Home Office policy document, which also confirms that Visitors can carry out remote work about their overseas employment, including answering phone calls, replying to emails, or attending remote meetings. The primary purpose of your UK visit must be a different permitted activity, be it tourism, attending conferences, signing deals, visiting friends and family, or whatever else is on the list of permitted activities in the Visitor appendices.

If you are remotely doing the job for your employer while in the UK, the Home office will check whether you are trying to enter the UK just to do so. The Home Office will consider any factors relevant to the length of your proposed stay, and consider whether that length of stay is financially feasible only using ongoing remote work. Therefore, if "substantially" the viability of your visit relates to covering your expenditure through remote work, the guidance goes on to state that that must be deemed "primary".Further, the rules do not permit visitors to remain in the UK for long periods by making frequent or consecutive visits, even if remote work is being carried out in the UK. The guidance elaborates that an applicant intending to remain for an extended time in the UK and will carry out some remote work during the stay on average will receive special attention so that it would be evident that the applicant was genuinely working abroad and was not looking for added income in the United Kingdom. 

Is it Illegal to Work on a UK Visitor Visa?

A visitor visa allows you to visit the UK for a limited period, essentially for leisure activities; taking up work in the UK on this visa is not allowed. You have the right to undertake some incidental work for your overseas employer, provided it is not local work. If caught, the Home Office may deport you to your homeland and may require you to produce further documentation the next time you want to enter the United Kingdom or be given a multi-year entry restriction. With a UK visitor visa, you are barred from receiving any form of payment from a UK company or from working as a self-employed person.

Although this doesn't prevent you from doing casual homework or unplanned remote work, it strongly prohibits everything else, like full-time remote work. Studying, performing, and seeking permanent residency are forbidden.Working for a local employer on a tourist visa is completely illegal in the UK. If the Home Office finds anyone working for a UK-based local employer on such a visa will face visa revocation, deportation, and perhaps graver ramifications, such as an entry ban or charges of immigration fraud. This would make the prospect of visiting the UK even harder in the future.

Conclusion 

You can participate in short-term training or perform remote work unless it becomes your primary reason for visiting the UK. If you want to undertake unpaid or paid work in the UK, it would be best to opt for a work visa. Hiring immigration lawyers in the UK would ensure you meet all the visa requirements and save you from non-compliance. Make sure to refrain from illegal activities as it will ruin your chances of future visa applications as well.