Types of UK Visas

UK Family Visas allow family members of British citizens and persons with settled status to join them in the UK. To qualify for a family visa, the applicant must provide proof of relationship with a British or UK-settled relative and that they can support them. They must also have a basic understanding of English.

Family visas have several categories. They include:

• Spouse or Partner visa – For spouses and civil partners of British citizens and those settled in the UK. Spouse visa is granted for 30 months and can be extended until you become eligible for ILR.
• Fiancé visa – For those engaged to British citizens and permanent residents coming to the UK to marry or enter into a civil partnership with their partners. Fiance visa is valid for 6 months. After marrying, you can apply to extend your visa as a spouse/partner.
• Unmarried Partner visa – For those in a long-term romantic relationship with a British citizen or settled person, but are unmarried or in a civil partnership. However, they must prove that their relationship is ongoing and similar to a marriage.
• Child visa – For children below 18 years coming to join their British or UK settled parent(s).
• Dependant visa – For spouses, partners, and children of foreign nationals already in the UK on an appropriate work visa can apply for dependant visa.
• Adult Dependant Relative visa – For those coming to join a relative who will provide long-term care for them in the UK.

UK study visas allow overseas nationals to attend a school, college, or university in the UK. There are three types of UK study visas. The type you’ll need depends on your age and study type. They include:

• Short-term Study visa – for international students enrolled in an English Language course in the UK that’s longer than 6 months but less than 11 months.
• Student visa – for people 16 years and over who have been offered admission into an approved UK higher education institution for long term study.
• Child Student visa – for children aged 4 to 17 coming to study at a UK independent school can apply for child student visa.

There are several long-term Work visas available for skilled non-UK nationals who want to work in the UK. The specific visa type you’ll need depends on your occupation and intended duration of stay.

Most work visas require employer sponsorship. You must have a verified job offer from a UK employer with a valid sponsorship licence. Your employer will give you a certificate of sponsorship, which you’ll use for your visa application.

The following work visas fall under this category:

• Skilled Worker visa – for skilled professionals coming to work in an eligible occupation for a sponsoring UK employer. It also allows you to work in UK waters. The visa can be issued for up to five years, after which you may be eligible for indefinite leave to remain (ILR).
• Health and Care Worker visa – for doctors, nurses, healthcare professionals,  and adult social care workers coming to the UK to work with the NHS, an NHS supplier, or in adult social care. The visa is usually valid for five years and is a path to settlement.
• Scale-Up visa – for foreign nationals coming to work in an eligible occupation for a fast-growing UK enterprise (also called a scale-up business). It is flexible and allows you to switch jobs after 6 months in the UK. The visa is valid for 2 years, after which you can apply for 3-year extensions and eventually settle in the UK.
• International Sportsperson visa – for internationally established elite sportspersons and coaches. The visa can be valid for up to 3 years, and you can extend as long as you remain eligible.
• Minister of Religion (T2) visa – for people employed by a faith community in the UK as a member of a religious order, minister, or missionary. The visa can be valid for up to 3 years and 1 month, after which you can apply to extend it.
• Representative of an Overseas Business visa – for employees of overseas newspapers, news agencies, and broadcasting organisations on a long-term posting to the UK. The visa is issued for an initial 3 years. You can extend it for another 2 years, after which you can apply to settle in the UK.
• Global Business Mobility visa – for overseas businesses who want to send employees to the UK to establish a new branch or work in various capacities in an existing branch. You cannot settle in the UK permanently with this visa. The Global Mobility route is split into five categories:

• Senior or Specialist Worker – for senior managers or staff employed in specialist roles. It can last for up to 5 years.
• Graduate Trainee – for employees undertaking a trainee programme for specialist or managerial roles. It can last for up to 12 months.
• Secondment Worker – for employees being sent to the UK to work on a specific project with a partner company. You can stay in the UK for up to two years on this visa.
• UK Expansion Worker – for senior managers or specialist employees coming to establish a branch of an overseas company in the UK. It allows work in the UK for up to two years.
• Service Supplier – for overseas workers providing a service to a UK business under a valid international trade agreement. It can last up to 12 months.

Long-term work visas that do not require employer sponsorship include:

• Graduate visa – for graduates of UK higher institutions who want to stay and pursue a career in the UK. You can only apply for this visa immediately after completing your course in the UK. The visa is valid for two years or three years if you have a Ph.D.
• Youth Mobility Scheme visa – for young persons aged 18 – 30 or 18 -35, depending on your nationality, who want to work in the UK for up to two years. You can extend it for an additional year if you’re from Australia, Canada, or New Zealand. The visa does not lead to permanent residency.
• Global Talent visa – for globally recognised leaders or potential leaders in digital technology, academia, research, or art and culture. The visa is valid for 5 years with unlimited extension opportunities. It is a path to UK settlement and citizenship.

Temporary work visas allow overseas nationals to live and work in the UK for a short duration, after which they must leave the country. These visas often require sponsorship and provide no direct path to settlement.

UK temporary work visas include:

• Charity Worker visa – for those coming to do voluntary, unpaid work for an approved charity organisation in the UK. It can be valid for up to 12 months.
• Creative Worker visa – for those coming to work in the creative industry as an actor, singer, film crew member, or dancer. This visa can last for up to 12 months.
• Religious Worker visa – for temporal religious work in a religious order or a non-pastoral role. It can last up to 24 months.
• Seasonal Worker visa – for people coming to do seasonal work as fruit, flower, or vegetable pickers or poultry workers. It can be valid for up to six months.
• Government Authorised Exchange visa – for a short time work experience, training, research, fellowship, or an Overseas Government Language Programme through an approved government-authorised exchange programme.
• International Agreement visa – for foreign workers coming to the UK to do contract work covered by an international agreement or treaty, including working for an international organisation or an Overseas Government.

The Innovator Founder visa is for foreign nationals who want to set up a new business in the UK. You can apply for the Innovator Founder route if:

• You want to set up a new innovative business in the UK that’s different from any existing business in the UK market.
• Your business or business idea has received endorsement from an approved endorsing body.
• You have evidence that your enterprise will create jobs in the UK and is scalable.

The Innovator Founder visa lasts for three years at a time with the option for unlimited renewals. You may be eligible for ILR after three years of holding the visa.

Depending on your nationality, you may need a visitor visa to enter the UK for a short stay of six months or less. There are several types of visit visas, depending on your purpose for visiting the UK. They Include:

• Standard Visitor visa – allows you to visit the UK for up to six months for tourism, business, visit with family, medical treatment, or to take a short course, etc.
• Marriage Visitor visa – for those who want to marry or give notice of marriage or civil partnership in the UK but do not intend to settle in the UK permanently.
• Business Visitor visa – for those visiting for business-related purposes, including attending a conference, seminar, training, or interview, or signing a business deal/contract.
• Permitted Paid Engagement visa – for professionals invited by a UK-based organisation for a pre-arranged event or other paid engagement. You must be an expert in your field to qualify for this visa.
• Parent of a Child Student visa – For parents accompanying their children aged between 4 and 11 attending an independent school in the UK.

Transit Visas

Depending on your nationality, you may need a transit visa to pass through the UK to another country. You don’t need a transit visa if you are a UK resident, have an ETA, or a visitor visa.

There are two types of transit visas:

• Direct Airside Transit visa – For those who’ll be changing flights in the UK without going through border control.
• Visitor in Transit visa – For those travelling through the UK and will be going through UK border control but will leave the UK within 48 hours.

When applying for a UK visa, you must pay the appropriate fees for your visa type. The visa fee differs for the different types of visas. Here’s an overview of the UK visa fees:

• Skilled Worker visa – For applications made outside the UK, it will cost £819 for up to 3 years, £1,618 for more than 3 years. For applications made inside the UK, it will cost £943 for up to 3 years and £1,865 for over 3 years.
• Health and Care Worker visa – For applications made outside of the UK, the fee is £324 for less than 3 years, £628 for more than 3 years. For applications made inside the UK, the visa application fee is £324 for up to 3 years and £628 for more than 3 years.
• Global Talent Visa – £766 if you don’t have your approval letter, and £205 if you already have an approval letter.
• Youth Mobility Scheme – £340
• Graduate visa – £937
• Temporary Work visas – £340
• Student visas – For applications made outside the UK, it will cost £558 and £558 for applications made in the UK.
• Short-term Study visa – £228
• Family visas – £2,064
• Adult Dependant Relative visa – £452
• Visitor visa – £135 for 6 months, £506 for 2 years, £903 for up to 5 years, and £1,128 for up to 10 years.
• Direct Airside Transit visa – £41.50
• Visitor in Transit visa – £74.50
• Innovator Founder visa – £1,357
• Senior or Specialist Worker visa   – £819 for up to 3 years, £1,618 for more than 3 years
• Representative of an Overseas Business visa – £943

If you’re applying for a family, work, or study visa, you must also pay an Immigration Health Surcharge for every year of your stay. The charge depends on your type of visa and duration of stay.

You’ll have to pay:

• £776 per year for applicants under the age of 18, students, and Youth Mobility Scheme visa holders
• £1035 per year for all other visa types

Health and Care Worker visa holders do not have to pay the Immigration Healthcare Surcharge. They and their dependants can use the NHS for free.

An Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) allows EU/EEA nationals and citizens of Australia, Canada, the USA, and other previously visa-exempt countries to travel to the UK for up to 6 months.

If you’re travelling in a group, each person must obtain an ETA, including babies and children. You can apply for an ETA via the UK ETA App or online on the Gov.uk website. The application costs £30. This fee is non-refundable, whether you’re issued an ETA or not.

You’ll usually get a response on your ETA application via email within 24 hours. An ETA is valid for two years or whenever your current passport expires, whichever happens first. You can make multiple trips to the UK with an ETA.

A UK eVisa is a digital record of your immigration status and the conditions of your stay in the UK. The eVisa is part of the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) system for replacing physical documents with online records. So far, it has replaced the biometric residence permit (BRP) and Biometric Resident Cards (BRC). It is set to completely replace passport endorsements, such as wet ink stamps and vignette stickers in passports granting entry clearance.

To access your eVisa, you must create an account with UKVI. You should already have one if you’ve previously applied for a visa or settlement on the UKVI website or used the “UK Immigration: ID Check” app. You create an eVisa account if you’ve been granted permission to stay in the UK for more than 6 months or have an ILR.

Your passport will be linked to your UKVI account, and you must notify them if you get a new passport. You can share your immigration status with your employer, landlord, or other third party by generating a share code to give them time-limited access to your immigration information.

You can apply to settle in the UK (indefinite leave to remain) after holding certain UK long-term visas for a specified period. The UK visas that lead to settlement include:

• Family visas
• Skilled Worker visa
• Health and Care Worker visa
• Scale-up Worker visa
• Global Talent visa
• Representative of an Overseas Business visa
• International Sportsperson visa
• Minister of Religion (T2) visa
• Innovator Founder visa

If you hold one of these visas, you may be eligible for ILR after prolonged residence in the UK. However, you must meet other eligibility criteria, such as the financial and adequate accommodation requirements. You cannot settle in the UK through temporary work or visit visas.