Help with max stay of 6months for a visitor!

I'm am currently here as a visitor to the UK and am aware that I can only stay a maximum of 6months within a 12month period. Firstly, I am wanting to stay the maximum time of six months and I don't want to overstay so that is why I am making sure I have this right.

Basically, I am here already in the UK and I am planning on going to Spain from the for two weeks and then return back to the UK. My question is: do these two weeks away count towards my 6months visit to the UK, or will I be able to gain two weeks back since I was out of the country?

In other words, I arrived here in the UK on July.4th 2010 and my maximum stay of 6months would have me leave on Jan.3rd 2011. But since I'm going to Spain for two weeks...does that mean I can now leave the UK on Jan.17th 2011 instead???

If you are not on any sort of visa then you are entitled to stay for 6 months at a time. This means you can arrive in the UK, stay for six months, leave and then return and essentially your six month clock will start again. I'm not sure if your 6-month clock starts again everytime you leave and re-enter wihtin a six-month period.

Remember though, you aren't entitled to work if you are going to the UK on a regular visitors visa, you should maybe look into the working holiday makers visa that allows you to stay for 2 years and do some work.

When I lived in the UK I went from a holiday maker to a settlement to a resident visa, it took almost 6 years but it was a great time and I never had to worry about leaving.

Lozza

Note that the Working Holidaymaker visa was abolished in 2008. It has been replaced by the Youth Mobility Scheme.

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