Documents a sponsor needs to send to apply for a UK visa

Question

We've been invited by a friend to visit the UK for 2 weeks. Our visas, return air fare, accommodation (we will stay at a house he owns) and all other expenses (food, travel within the UK, tickets to attractions etc.) will be borne by our friend, who's a UK citizen. We're Indian nationals and will have to attend an interview in Bangalore as part of the process.

Apart from a letter of invitation, what other documents will our sponsor need to provide? By documents I mean government IDs, bank statements, proof of ownership of his house etc.

Also, do these documents have to be sent directly to the High Commission by our sponsor, or do we submit these to the officer during the interview for the visa in Bangalore?

P.S We = Me and my mother (who's 70+). Both of us hold Indian passports.

Answer 1

Both you AND your sponsor should include everything that you, the applicant, must include, including evidence of property ownership and permission to lodge guests, as appropriate or required.

The documents, all of them, should be presented in your bundle at the time that you submit them, and the UK Visas & Immigration supporting documents guide lists what is required.

As you prepare your application, it may be helpful for you to review the content regarding sponsorship, contained within the comprehensive overview of UK visa refusal on V 4.2 a + c (and sometimes 'e').

As noted, it can be risky to rely solely on documents provided by a sponsor. A 'friend' offering complete support for two people for a two-week visit raises questions, and considerably raises the bar for the applicant. Sponsorship does not relieve the applicant of providing substantial proof of their ability to qualify for a visa. Indeed, having, or needing, a sponsor has been shown to increase the burden on the applicant to demonstrate that they qualify, independently.