In the last two years the UK government have done a complete overhaul on their visa system adding some amazing new visas.
1. VISITOR VISA (Up to 6 months) If you are going to visit the UK and don't plan on working, now most countries don't require a visa. You have one of these built in your passport. That you only have six months to stay on this visa, and if you overstay that six months stay that's a criminal offence and you will be deported and you will be banned re-entry. An incredibly important part of the Visitor Visa is that you are not allowed to be on this visa to visit the UK and work at all for any company in the UK, paid or not paid, same as self-employed work also not allowed.
2. STUDENT VISA (Last the length of your course + 6 months, up to five years) This one requires that you have a certificate of sponsorship from your licensed student sponsor, University, you also must prove that you have enough money to last your duration of your course including rent and what not or at least have some loans important if you are from US for instance. There are a few qualifications to get this visa that also apply to most visas. First, of which being the English language comprehension, you have to be able to prove that you can speak, can write. To prove this, as long as you are from an English-speaking country, America, Canada, Australia or if you have already got a degree at an English speaking institution in English you've got it, otherwise you have to take an English test. This visa costs £ 363 to apply for, which is good, and you have to pay the NHS'S healthcare surcharge to pay for any accidents that happen that you can be treated for, that's about £ 600 a year, depending on how long your course is now. You are able to make a bit of spare cash but with some strict limitations, even you are able to work for any company you want, work 20h a week maximum during term time and 40h a week, so under this visa you are not allowed to be self-employed.
3. GRADUATE VISA (Up to 2 years) You can extend your Student Visa now for two years. That cost £ 715. In order to qualify you must be a student on the Student Visa and you just have to have a letter from your University. You can work at any UK company you want, even be self-employed. After your two years are up on the Graduate Visa you can switch to one of the other visas and hopefully extend to get that ILR status one day.
4. THE SKILLED WORKER VISA (Up to 5 years) For this one you're allowed to work for any UK company as long as they are on the official UK Home office's list of approved sponsors, it is in your best interest just apply for jobs from companies that already are sponsors. Your job does have to be on the list of approved roles so, for instance, even if you are working for a giant company (Google etc.) and you can't just accept a job as masseuse if it is not on the list of approved jobs. Also, you must be earning the minimum salary for this job: The minimum salary for the type of work you'll be doing is whichever is the highest out of the following 3 options:
- £ 25,600 per year
- £ 10.10 per hour
- the 'going rate' for the type of work you will be doing
There's actually a new visa introduced last year called "Scale-up visa" that gives you the right to work in the UK for a company that can sponsor you (just like the Skilled worker visa). However, the best thing about this visa is you are only "tied" to your initial sponsorship for 6 months, so after 6 months you can leave your current employer to find a new job without needing a new visa sponsorship. I wish they implement this new visa as a revision to the Skilled worker visa instead of creating a new visa category.
5. HEALTH CARE VISA (Up to 5 years) If you are a qualified nurse, doctor or care worker. This is the only one where you don't have to pay the NHS surcharge.
6.GLOBAL TALENT VISA (Up to 3 years) (It was the Tier one Exceptional Talent Visa) If you are incredibly talented in your field, this one is the best visa you can get in the UK. It is also the most difficult to get. For this one you can get two letters from previous CEO's of companies you've worked for saying that you were the best in the same field as well your writing how you will change the UK Market and letter from the head of the entire Tech industry from Tech Nation UK and after all of that wait for approval. That visa cost £ 623( in 2 parts). If your job is more in engineering or in more in the Arts, well you'd apply to a different group for instance the Royal Society or the British Academy of engineering, either or those will accept as long as you can prove you've the best in your field and there's another way of getting it as well by having a relevant award that pretty much honors, you as being the best that is also an easy way in to get an easy recommendation besides the flex of being able to tell people that you're a Global Talent exceptionally talented in your field. The main peak of the Global Talent Visa is your fastest route to get ILR, composed to every other immigrant, out there once you are on this visa you only need three years of working under it in order to get the ILR status. You can work at any job you want for those 3 years, when you get this visa. Transition to ILR status you must prove you have been working at the field you told them and working in for at least 12 months of the recent 18 months.
7. HIGH POTENTIAL INDIVIDUAL (HPI) VISA (2-3years depending on degree) (Previously called Exceptional Promise) If you graduated from a prestigious University, you can actually just get this visa and work the easy job you want in the UK. You can bring your partner, your dependents, you can even establish a company and be self-employed with this visa.
8. OVERSEAS DOMESTIC WORKER VISA (Up to 6 months) This one is for the incredibly upper class of societe who bring with him/her chauffeur, personal chef, nanny, etc. This visa is for all of them, after six months they have to leave the country.
9. SENIOR OR SPECIALIST WORKER VISA (Global Business Mobility, up to 5 years) This one is for someone who works for a big international company and there is just a transfer to the UK. To qualify for this visa you must:
- be an existing employee of an organization that's been approved by Home Office as a sponsor,
- have a 'certificate of sponsorship' from your employer with information about the work you will do in the UK,
- do a job that's on the list of eligible occupations
- be paid at least £ 42.400 per year.
10. SEASONAL WORKER VISA (Up to 6 months) To get this visa costs £ 259, and you have to leave the country in 6 months. There is no minimum salary and this one does not daisy chain it's no way to get your ILR.
11. CREATIVE WORKER VISA (Up to 1 year) If you are a creative person, you work in film, music and dance industry you can get this one. You are allowed to study on this visa, and can do a second job in the same creative field.
12. PROFESSIONAL SPORTSPERSON VISA (Up to 3 years) You can apply for an International Sportsperson visa if you meet the eligibility requirements and your sport's governing body endorses your application, confirming:
- you're an elite sportsperson or qualified coach,
- you're internationally established,
- your employment will develop your sport in the UK at the highest level.
This visa replaced the Sportsperson(T2) visa and the sporting part of the Temporary Worker-Creative and Sporting Visa (T5)
You can extend this visa up to five years which gives you ILR status.
13. BRITISH NATIONAL OVERSEAS VISA (Up to 5 years) If you are British national overseas and you live out of the UK.
14. THE UK ANCESTRY VISA You can get this one as long as you can prove that one of your grandparents was a UK citizen living in the UK, and that allows you to live in the UK for up to five years, and after that five-year period ends you can apply for ILR.
There are actually two stipulations: You must have at least one grandparent (living or dead) who was born in the UK, AND you must be a Commonwealth (or British overseas territory) citizen. This is a tricky little stipulation that unfortunately excludes US citizens, for instance.
15. FAMILY VISA (Up to 5 years) When you cannot get a family visa: In same circumstances you cannot apply for or switch to a family visa.
Your family members a work visa or student visa:
You cannot apply for a family visa if your family member is in the UK temporarily or a work visa or student visa.
You can apply to stay with them as a dependent instead.
You have a visitor visa or a visa for 6 months or less
You'll usually need to leave the UK to apply for a family visa if either:
- you have permission to be in the UK as a visitor,
- your visa is for 6 months or less
You cannot switch from visitor to family visa, that being said that you have to prove you have been living together and married for at least 2 years and the marriage or civil partnership must be recognized within the UK and you must be able to prove all of this beyond and shadow of doubt whether that be from tenancy agreements shared bank statements and that sort of thing. On the official UK government website it says:
Other evidence you can provide includes:
- a one off bill like vet's fees or home repair costs
- letter confirming you and your partner are on the voting register for the same address
- student finance paperwork confirming that you live at the same address
-Things like greeting cards, travel tickets, receipts, photographs and text or social media messages are not considered strong evidence of your relationship and are unlikely to help your application.
But you will be still able to apply
If you do not meet these requirements you may still be able to apply for visa extend your permission to stay if:
- you have a child in the auk who is a British or Irish citizen or has lived in the UK for 7 years and it would be unreasonable for them to leave the UK,
- there would be very significant difficulties for you and your partner that could not be overcome if you lived together as a couple outside the UK,
- if would breach your human rights (only for family visa) to step you coming to the UK a make you leave.
INDEFINITE LEAVE TO REMAIN (ILR) To get this one you must have been working in the UK for at least 5 years unless you've on the Global Talent Visa, than that means you'll have to be working for 3 years or collectively have been living in the UK legally for at least 10 years. Also you must be making at least £ 25,600 a year. For this one you have to take a British citizenship test and cost £ 2404. With this one you can work for any company you want, you've got all of the benefits of citizenship without the Voting Rights.
BRITISH CITIZENSHIP (For life) To get this one:
- have the ILR for 12 months
- make sure you've not traveled a huge amount in the last 12 months or last five years
- be a good character
As long as you haven't traveled more than 450 days in the last five years or 90 days in the last year, you can get it.
You have to write an incredibly detailed list of every time you've entered and exited the UK. The Government says: You must
- be over 18
- prove you were in the UK exactly 5 years before the Home Office receives your application
- prove your knowledge of English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic
- have passed the life in the UK test
- intend to continue living in the UK
- be of good character
You also need a letter from two referees one of which has to be of a professional British person so for instance, a solicitor or an accountant. For this one the fee is £1330.
Dual citizenship is permitted in the UK.
