Using a transit visa to stay in the uk

[Felicia1234]

Can you use a transit visa to stay in the UK? An friend
has successfully helped an asylum seeker stay here, and they made a visit back an adjoining country to meet family and got married. The wife is now here on a transit visa and can apparently stay for several years. The husband is on benefits because of health problems. I'm just curious about whether it's legal. I'm aware that it sounds nosy, but I don't want my friend to get mixed up in something illegal.

As I understand it a transit visa allows you to change planes in this country, not to even exit the airport. Are you sure it's a transit visa and not something else? Transit means to stay in motion i.e. passing through, not stop!

If they’ve married someone solely to get them a visa isn’t it a sham, and therefore they’ve already done something illegal?

That’s not even touching the transit visa..

Apparently it was a marriage arranged by the families. So - when is an arranged marriage a sham marriage?

A transit visa is not as restricted as juneau thinks. You can exit the airport on a transit visa. It is for situations where, for example, you are arriving at one airport and leaving from another. But no, you cannot use a transit visa to stay in the UK. It sounds like she may have a long term transit visa but have misunderstood how it works. These visas are designed for people who will pass through the UK frequently and can be valid for several years. However, that does not mean the holder can stay in the UK for several years. They can visit as often as they want while the visa is valid but no visit can be longer than 48 hours. If she has stayed longer than that she is in the country illegally.

Yes prh it looks like you're right. This is from the gov.uk webwite:

1. Overview

You may need a visa to pass through the UK in transit. To apply for a transit visa you must be: in transit to another country with enough funds and the intention to travel on able to prove you can enter that country able to show that the only purpose of your visit to the UK is transit You should check if you need a visa before you apply.

Not leaving the airport
Apply for a Direct Airside Transit visa (DATV) if you’ll be changing flights in the UK and won’t be going through UK border control.

DATVs last for up to 24 hours.
You can’t apply for this visa if you need to go through immigration (‘cross the border’), eg to check in your luggage on to a connecting flight - apply for a Visitor in Transit visa instead.

Leaving the airport
Apply for a Visitor in Transit visa if you’ll be going through UK border control but leaving the UK within 48 hours.
You can also apply for a long-term Visitor in Transit visa if you can prove you need to frequently pass through the UK over a longer period.