Simultaneous Paid Engagement visa and 5-year visitor visa

[tulips4u]

Hello all,

I'm posting this on behalf of a friend. Any help would be much appreciated as it is a unique and confusing situation.

My friend is resident in India and already has a 5-year multiple entry visitor visa valid until Dec 2018. He is a University lecturer there and has been invited to do a 2-week workshop at a UK University. According to the UKBA he should apply for Permitted Paid Engagement visa as he will get paid (about £700 total).

His queries are:
1.Will his existing 5-year visitor visa get cancelled if he applies for the 'Paid engagement' visa of 2 weeks and is successful (in all likelihood he would be)?
2. He does not want the 5-year visa cancelled as he still has over 2 years on it. and visits the UK regularly on holiday. Therefore, what's the best option for him?

Please could anyone advise.
Many thanks in advance.

[secret.simon]

Look at Immigration Rules for Visitors: Appendix 4 Permitted Paid Engagements and see if he qualifies for any of those. If he does, he does not need another visa.

I think he may qualify as (b) as he has been invited by a UK university.

(b) An expert may give lectures in their subject area, if they have been invited by a UK Higher Education Institution; or a UK based research or arts organisation provided this does not amount to filling a teaching position for the host organisation.

[tulips4u]

Hi,

Thanks very much for the reply. I went through the PPE section which clarifies that he can get paid - many thanks. He fully qualifies under App.4.

However, I cannot find anywhere saying that he can come for a paid engagement on his existing visitor visa (in his case 5-year which is strictly for holidays etc) without applying for a PPE visa.

His worry is that his current 5-year will get cancelled when he is successful with a 1-month PPE?

Could you kindly provide a link to this stipulation please?

Many thanks once again.

[The Station Agent]

My opinion is that technically he needs another visa because the current visa is not PPE, it's a general visitor. He should be sure to request along with his new visa app, that his old visa remains uncancelled. I don't think it's normal practice to cancel a visa due to issuance of a different category of visa.

We have band members who have a long-term visitor visa, and the issuance of a short-term work visa for a tour has not cancelled their existing visa.

[cs95tdg]

According to the latest guidance below, it does not appear to be possible to hold two forms of entry-clearance at the same time. So based on this I suspect that his existing visa would be cancelled if the new is granted.

https://www.freemovement.org.uk/new-ent ... ave-ecb22/
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... eave-ecb22

[The Station Agent]

Ha! That is typical Home Office! Absolutely crazy.

In that case the original poster had better ask the High Comm or consulate whether they can undertake a PPE on their current visitor visa. If not then I suspect they're likely to cancel the engagement rather than get a 1-month visa which cancels a 5-year one.