UK Tourist Visa for Zimbabwean in SA

Welcome to the forum

If I understand you correctly you are in a bit of trouble. Firstly you have overstayed your visa, this in its self will surely give you a fine. Sorry, I can't tell you how much.

Normally you have to apply for a visa to the UK from your home country. But going back to overstaying this could cause you heaps of problems even if you do make it back and applying from your home country.

Can I ask how long you overstayed? Was it days, weeks, months or years?

SimCityAT
Expat Team

Applying for a tourist visa shouldn't be a problem; there is a process to go through that is open to all.  However, what will be a problem (and is probably what the stories you refer to link back to), is that from what you have said, you have no independent means of support and because you will not be allowed to work on a tourist visa, they will view you as a potential burden on the state and on that basis, they can deny you a visa.  It has nothing to do with being a Zimbabwean, you get no special status, they treat everybody the same way.

You need to be able to convince the immigration authorities that you are going to return to Zimbabwe when your visa expires; you need things like a letter from your employer that you have a job to return to; bank statements proving you have the means to support yourself; return flight tickets etc.

The fact that you have been an overstayer in South Africa will not help your cause.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thanks you both for your help!

The friend that I am visiting has offered to take me on as a nanny part-time, if that would make the visa process easier. I think there is a visa for domestic workers? Do you guys know anything about this?

That wasn't my original reason to go, but we thought it might be more likely that my visa would be approved. Thoughts?

The information regarding a domestic worker visa is explained on the UK Gov website; this link will take you there.

You have a snowball's chance in hell of being given a visa, not least of which because you have overstayed your visa in another country. If you'll do it on SA, you have no respect for immigration laws, and will do it in the UK.

So now the friend who you will be staying with is prepared to illegally employ you? On a scale of 0-10, where 10 is a dead very you'll get a visa, you are a 1 at best.