New UKBA visa requirements

The UKBA recently expanded the list of applicable countries to tuberculosis (TB) screening as required for visa application purposes.

Visa applicants intending to come to the UK for over six months from countries where pre-entry screening is available will be required to present a certificate from a designated screening provider confirming that screening has been conducted and that the applicant has been diagnosed as free from active pulmonary tuberculosis. Where tuberculosis is detected, the applicant will be required to undertake treatment and further screening before any visa application can be made.

This depends on where the application is made, not the applicant's nationality and does not apply to visitors including student visitors who apply to come for six months or less. These changes affect visa applications outside the UK that are submitted on or after 31 December 2013.

The updated list of countries includes Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.