As someone close to immigration my whole life, I’ll always tell anyone who cares to listen ‘If you wish to remain a good friend of the UK, avoid staying in the country after your visa expires”.
There are many things the UK can forgive you for, but you see visa violations?
Forget it!
The country takes its visa regulations seriously, and, offenders face the music in a loud tone.
After getting your UK visa – whether it’s a student visa, work visa or tourist visa – anyone, you’ll see its expiration date.
Read also: What happens if you get a visa and don’t use it?
This is the date the country expects that you won’t stay beyond unless you obtain another type of visa or get approval to stay longer.
Except for these conditions, you’re expected to be out of the UK before your visa expires.
In an event where you stay after your visa expires without any form of authorization, expect to witness the following.
What happens if you stay in the UK after your visa expires?
If you stay in the UK after your visa expires, you’re now an overstayer and are living in the country illegally. You no longer have permission to work, study, access public services, or do business in the UK.
When you’re caught by the authorities, you’ll be asked to leave the country immediately and if you don’t, you’ll be removed from the country – deported.
Aside from this, you’ll also be banned from re-entering the UK for a period ranging from 3 to 10 years.
Read also: What happens if you overstay your visa?
During the ban, you won’t be granted a visa to the UK or allowed to do business with the country.
What are the immediate consequences of staying in the UK after your visa expires?
The moment your visa expires, you have:
- No legal right to stay: When your visa expires, you’ll be out of status and therefore, will lose your legal right to stay in the UK.
This means you’re no longer a welcomed visitor. Whatever you do in the country after this period is considered illegal.
- You risk detention and deportation: While you stay illegally, the authorities will be on the lookout for you.
They may not come knocking on your door immediately but you’ll be caught, detained (in an immigration removal centre) and eventually deported back home.
Deportation is always the end product of staying in the UK when your visa has expired.
- You can be fined: Sometimes, you won’t be lucky enough to be sent home directly when caught, you can be asked to pay a civil penalty.
Additionally, if you try to leave the country voluntarily, you can still be fined at the airport or border.
- Future visa restrictions: This is another certain end product of staying in the UK when your visa has expired.
After resolving your issues, best believe the UK won’t grant you visa anytime soon.
You’ll be banned – bans can last for up to 10 years – depending on how long you overstayed and whether you left voluntarily or were deported.
- It will ruin your immigration record: Overstaying your visa in the UK creates a negative immigration record that will affect you in the future.
I’ll be frank with you, one of the worst mistakes you’ll make if you still want to remain a friend of the UK immigration is staying in the country when your visa has expired.
Read also: How does immigration know if you overstay your visa?
Its not a great idea.
The consequences are severe and I’ll advise you to avoid it.
How will staying in the UK after your visa expires affect your daily life?
Now that you’re an illegal resident of the UK, here’s what to expect daily:
- Limited access to services: As someone who is out of status, your access to public services like healthcare, education, and housing will be restricted.
For instance, you’ll be charged for any medical treatments you receive through the National Health Service (NHS) as you’re no longer considered a legal resident.
The funny thing is; you wouldn’t even want to go near any hospital or health centres to avoid being caught.
- Challenges getting a job: Good luck getting a job as an illegal resident of the UK. You’re no longer allowed to work legally in the UK once your visa expires.
How will employers know that you’re an illegal resident? I’ll tell you. Employers in the UK are required to check the immigration status of their foreign employees – you won’t be an exception.
During the check, if they find out your visa has expired, your employment will be terminated and you’ll be lucky not to get arrested.
- You can’t rent a home: Just like employers, Landlords in the UK check the immigration status of their tenants.
If they find out that you no longer have the right to stay in the UK, they’ll refuse to renew your rental agreement or even ask you to leave.
- Banking won’t be easy either: If your visa expires, banks can freeze or close your accounts.
You’ll find it hard to open a new account – which will be a big problem.
- Social and emotional strain: I have to be frank with you, staying after your visa has expired is stressful. You’ll suffer immense stress, both mentally and emotionally.
Living with the fear of being caught, deported, or unable to return to the UK will take a toll on your well-being.
You have to hide all the time and run from police and other law enforcement agents.
You’ll isolate yourself and find it difficult to reach out for help.
What are your legal options if you stay in the UK after your visa expires?
There are still options for you to legally remedy your situation depending on how long you have stayed since your visa expired
Here’s what you can do:
- Apply for an extension or new visa: Your chances here are slim but this is still an option you can explore.
If you haven’t stayed for long, you can apply for a visa extension or switch to a different visa category.
This would have worked easily if you did it before your visa expired but, since it’s still an option, you can give it a try.
You’ll need a valid reason for the delay, like a medical emergency.
- Apply for leave to remain: If you’ve been in the UK for a long time or have strong ties to the country, you can be eligible to apply for discretionary leave to remain.
I must tell you that this only works in exceptional circumstances.
- Voluntary departure: If you realize that you’ve overstayed and don’t have a legal basis to remain, leaving voluntarily is a great idea.
It does not forgive your offence but it makes you look like a remorseful offender.
When you leave voluntarily, you can avoid some of the harsher penalties, like lengthy bans on re-entering the country.
If you find yourself in this situation and don’t know what to do, contact an immigration lawyer or adviser.
Read also: What happens if I don’t use my Schengen visa?
An immigration lawyer can help find a legal way to walk things out.
What to do if you’ve overstayed your UK visa
Here’s what you can do if your visa has expired and you’re still in the UK:
- Don’t ignore the situation: The worst thing you can do is ignore that your visa has expired. The longer you overstay, the worse the consequences can be.
Take action as soon as possible.
- Contact the UK Home Office: You can contact the UK Home Office to discuss your situation.
While this will be hard, it’s better to be proactive rather than wait for them to find you – because, they’ll find you.
- Apply for another visa: This won’t be easy, but if the option is still available to you, go for it.
- Leave voluntarily: If staying in the UK isn’t an option, leave voluntarily.
Don’t wait to get caught.
How long can I stay in the UK after my Tier 2 visa expires?
After your Tier 2 visa expires, you are not allowed to stay in the UK legally. However, you have a grace period of 28 days in some situations.
Within the grace period, you can remain in the country and make arrangements to leave or apply for a new visa.
Read also: What happens when you get deported back to your country?
But, you cannot work, study, or access public services, and if you overstay beyond this period, you’ll be removed from the country by the authorities.
I don’t play with visa rules and I go the extra to ensure I keep my visa terms while in any country.
To avoid missing your visa expiration date – and staying beyond it, you can set a reminder on your phone – it will alert you a day or two before your visa expires.
For visas longer than 6 months, you can set it to remind you weeks before it expires.
I do this a lot.
Read also: How do I anonymously report someone to immigration in Australia?
If you can avoid being in the UK after your visa expires, do it, you can’t risk an entry ban or other consequences in front of you.
If you’re currently in the UK and your visa is about to expire—or has already expired—kindly leave the country or extend your visa.
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