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I have applied for a UK visa to take the medical PLAB2 exam in London. My first application was refused due to some financial issues which I perfectly fixed and explained in the second application.

I got approved for the visa in the second attempt.

However, when I went to collect my passport I found out that the visa is only of 2 weeks duration and the entry date is just one week before my exam.

This is extremely rare and most people from my region gets a 6 months visa.

The PLAB2 exam depends mainly on communication skills and practice with other colleagues at the practice centers in the UK.

Thus , I booked a course just before the exam like many of my fellow. However, the officer responded that this course is not accredited by any educational board and hence he shortened my visa.

The thing is I still need to enter on an earlier date to practice and acclimatize to being in another country and still I am the only one from my region who got a 1 week visa.

I contacted uk.gov for a complaint and they told me they have the right to shorten the visa and I should reapply.

One week before my exam is not enough for practice.

So my questions are: Is there any legal way to change my visa other than reapplication? If I reapply for a longer visa , do they have the authority to cancel my existing visa ? And if they refused my application for a longer stay , will this be counted as a second visa refusal which could affect my future visa applications ?

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    You can only reapply, and IMHO, doing so puts you at serious risk of a refusal. You were given two weeks for an exam which is sat over 2-3 days. The only reason for PLAB2 is to be allowed practice medicine in the UK and, if that is your plan for the future, I would suggest you not winge but accept the visa terms you were granted. – Giorgio Feb 6 at 20:06
  • I suspect the short answers to your questions are No, Yes, and Yes. ECOs do have the right to curtail the default length of a Standard Visitor visa. – Traveller Feb 6 at 20:32
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Preamble: You’re not entitled to a UK Visitor visa, nobody is.

Now to answer your questions:

Is there any legal way to change my visa other than reapplication?

No

If I reapply for a longer visa , do they have the authority to cancel my existing visa ?

Yes

And if they refused my application for a longer stay , will this be counted as a second visa refusal which could affect my future visa applications ?

Definitely.

Consider yourself lucky you were approved after the earlier refusal. My advice is don’t push your luck

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