Is this permitted on a UK tourist visa?

Voyager2002

tightauldgit said:

tomp2494 said:

Her main point of coming here is tourism, but she will have to do some work on her laptop for a Filipino company. It has nothing to do with the UK.
I wouldn't call that a business trip. 

Provided she is simply doing work on her laptop for her employer at home and this has nothing to do with her trip to the UK then I don't see how it would be classed as business/working in the UK. There's also the obvious point of how the hell anyone would know what she is doing if she is answering emails or writing reports on her personal laptop in her AirBNB.

If she was coming here to say visit tourist sites and then write reports on them for her employer that would be a business trip though.   

That was my first thought, but when she applies for a visa she will need a letter from her employer confirming that she is allowed to be away from her job for the duration of her holiday. If the employer instead says that she will be working remotely for some or all of the time away then of course the visa officer will know.

tomp2494

Voyager2002 said:

tightauldgit said:

tomp2494 said:

Her main point of coming here is tourism, but she will have to do some work on her laptop for a Filipino company. It has nothing to do with the UK.
I wouldn't call that a business trip. 

Provided she is simply doing work on her laptop for her employer at home and this has nothing to do with her trip to the UK then I don't see how it would be classed as business/working in the UK. There's also the obvious point of how the hell anyone would know what she is doing if she is answering emails or writing reports on her personal laptop in her AirBNB.

If she was coming here to say visit tourist sites and then write reports on them for her employer that would be a business trip though.   

That was my first thought, but when she applies for a visa she will need a letter from her employer confirming that she is allowed to be away from her job for the duration of her holiday. If the employer instead says that she will be working remotely for some or all of the time away then of course the visa officer will know.

She already has the visa and visited in December 2022. 
It's a question of getting through the border controls in Phillipines and London 

Voyager2002

tomp2494 said:

Voyager2002 said:

tightauldgit said:

tomp2494 said:

Her main point of coming here is tourism, but she will have to do some work on her laptop for a Filipino company. It has nothing to do with the UK.
I wouldn't call that a business trip. 

Provided she is simply doing work on her laptop for her employer at home and this has nothing to do with her trip to the UK then I don't see how it would be classed as business/working in the UK. There's also the obvious point of how the hell anyone would know what she is doing if she is answering emails or writing reports on her personal laptop in her AirBNB.

If she was coming here to say visit tourist sites and then write reports on them for her employer that would be a business trip though.   

That was my first thought, but when she applies for a visa she will need a letter from her employer confirming that she is allowed to be away from her job for the duration of her holiday. If the employer instead says that she will be working remotely for some or all of the time away then of course the visa officer will know.

She already has the visa and visited in December 2022. 
It's a question of getting through the border controls in Phillipines and London 

When she is passing the controls she should forget about any plans for remote working and simply concentrate on enjoying her holiday. 

tomp2494

Voyager2002 said:

tomp2494 said:

Voyager2002 said:

tightauldgit said:

tomp2494 said:

Her main point of coming here is tourism, but she will have to do some work on her laptop for a Filipino company. It has nothing to do with the UK.
I wouldn't call that a business trip. 

Provided she is simply doing work on her laptop for her employer at home and this has nothing to do with her trip to the UK then I don't see how it would be classed as business/working in the UK. There's also the obvious point of how the hell anyone would know what she is doing if she is answering emails or writing reports on her personal laptop in her AirBNB.

If she was coming here to say visit tourist sites and then write reports on them for her employer that would be a business trip though.   

That was my first thought, but when she applies for a visa she will need a letter from her employer confirming that she is allowed to be away from her job for the duration of her holiday. If the employer instead says that she will be working remotely for some or all of the time away then of course the visa officer will know.

She already has the visa and visited in December 2022. 
It's a question of getting through the border controls in Phillipines and London 

When she is passing the controls she should forget about any plans for remote working and simply concentrate on enjoying her holiday. 

will a 30 day holiday not raise any suspicions though? 

Voyager2002

tomp2494 said:

Voyager2002 said:

tomp2494 said:

Voyager2002 said:

tightauldgit said:

tomp2494 said:

Her main point of coming here is tourism, but she will have to do some work on her laptop for a Filipino company. It has nothing to do with the UK.
I wouldn't call that a business trip. 

Provided she is simply doing work on her laptop for her employer at home and this has nothing to do with her trip to the UK then I don't see how it would be classed as business/working in the UK. There's also the obvious point of how the hell anyone would know what she is doing if she is answering emails or writing reports on her personal laptop in her AirBNB.

If she was coming here to say visit tourist sites and then write reports on them for her employer that would be a business trip though.   

That was my first thought, but when she applies for a visa she will need a letter from her employer confirming that she is allowed to be away from her job for the duration of her holiday. If the employer instead says that she will be working remotely for some or all of the time away then of course the visa officer will know.

She already has the visa and visited in December 2022. 
It's a question of getting through the border controls in Phillipines and London 

When she is passing the controls she should forget about any plans for remote working and simply concentrate on enjoying her holiday. 

will a 30 day holiday not raise any suspicions though? 

I doubt it.

CKhalvashi

Voyager2002 said:

tomp2494 said:

Voyager2002 said:

tomp2494 said:

Voyager2002 said:

tightauldgit said:

tomp2494 said:

Her main point of coming here is tourism, but she will have to do some work on her laptop for a Filipino company. It has nothing to do with the UK.
I wouldn't call that a business trip. 

Provided she is simply doing work on her laptop for her employer at home and this has nothing to do with her trip to the UK then I don't see how it would be classed as business/working in the UK. There's also the obvious point of how the hell anyone would know what she is doing if she is answering emails or writing reports on her personal laptop in her AirBNB.

If she was coming here to say visit tourist sites and then write reports on them for her employer that would be a business trip though.   

That was my first thought, but when she applies for a visa she will need a letter from her employer confirming that she is allowed to be away from her job for the duration of her holiday. If the employer instead says that she will be working remotely for some or all of the time away then of course the visa officer will know.

She already has the visa and visited in December 2022. 
It's a question of getting through the border controls in Phillipines and London 

When she is passing the controls she should forget about any plans for remote working and simply concentrate on enjoying her holiday. 

will a 30 day holiday not raise any suspicions though? 

I doubt it.

I also doubt it.

There's a lot to see and do in the UK, especially if coming long haul. I have a friend with a Russian passport (who isn't Russian) who I honestly thought would likely be rejected on their first attempt due to funds for a stay of about 3 weeks and wasn't. He could explain clearly what he wanted to do, what this would cost and how it would be paid when applying for the visa, and wasn't asked to explain any further on entry but could have clearly if required. He came back for New Year (now living in his country of ethnic origin) having a clean history already with UK on a previous visit.

As long as there are no medical-related appointments in the UK, I think that everything will be fine and fully within the rules due to full time regular employment overseas.

TELLIT01

A 30 day holiday isn't likely to raise suspicion.  A laptop accompanied by a large quantity of work related documentation is likely have alarm bells ringing.  They really should ensure that they have a letter from the employer saying they will be working remotely for the business for x hours or days during their holiday. 

tomp2494

TELLIT01 said:

A 30 day holiday isn't likely to raise suspicion.  A laptop accompanied by a large quantity of work related documentation is likely have alarm bells ringing.  They really should ensure that they have a letter from the employer saying they will be working remotely for the business for x hours or days during their holiday. 

thank you. She'll have a laptop, it's her employers but not identifiable. She's going to get a letter saying she has permission to do remote working. 
So I think she'll be fine. 

Thank you for all your replies 

phatbear

it wont be an issue the same way as people can come to the UK for business meetings as long as they are being paid outside of the UK then it WILL BE fine 

jimi_man

Hi

The rules about remote working are this:

Remote working Visitors are permitted to undertake activities relating to their employment overseas remotely whilst they are in the UK, such as responding to emails or answering phone calls. However, you should check that the applicant’s main purpose for coming to the UK is to undertake a permitted activity, rather than specifically to work remotely from the UK. Where the applicant indicates that they intend to spend a large proportion of their time in the UK and will be doing some remote working, you should ensure that they are genuinely employed overseas and are not seeking to work in the UK. You must be satisfied that the applicant will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits. See guidance on frequent and successive visits.

So, you need to check with your friend whether what they are doing fits in with these rules.