Short term visits to the United Kingdom granted on entry by an Immigration Officer.
For visa free 3rd country nationals, with the exception of the Republic of Ireland, the amount of time a visitor can spend in the United Kingdom.
It is up to the discretion of the Immigration Officer to grant a leave to enter.
Six months is the default amount of time.
When leaving the UK, the leave to enter is canceled. Upon a later reentry a new leave to enter will be issued.
An existing leave to enter is not effected by a stay in the Republic of Ireland. (CTA rules: Exemptions from deemed leave on the basis of specific status)
Special rules apply when entering the CTA (Common Travel Area) through the Republic of Ireland and travelling on to the United Kingdom
- deemed leave of 6 months for the UK is automaticly granted
When, during a further visit to Republic of Ireland (without leaving the CTA), the 6 months deemed leave has expired, a further automatic deemed leave of 2 months will be granted when returning to the UK.
The general (unofficial) rule, to avoid giving the impression of a prolonged stay, is that you should only return to the UK after spending the same amount of time outside of the UK as the time spent on your previous visit (which may be less than the granted leave to enter).
