UK Visas

A Skilled Worker visa allows you to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer. This visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa.

To qualify for a Skilled Worker visa, you must:

You must be able to speak, read, write and understand English. You’ll usually need to prove your knowledge of English when you apply.

Your visa can last for up to 5 years before you need to extend it. You’ll need to apply to extend or update your visa when it expires or if you change jobs or employer. You can apply to extend your visa as many times as you like as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements. After 5 years, you may be able to apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’). This gives you the right to live, work and study here for as long as you like, and apply for benefits if you’re eligible.

Apply for this visa if you’re being transferred by your employer to a role in the UK. This visa has replaced the Tier 2 (Intra-company Transfer) Long-term Staff visa.

You’ll need to have worked for your employer overseas for more than 12 months, unless they’re going to pay you £73,900 a year or more to work in the UK.

To qualify for a Skilled Worker visa, you must:

You can stay in the UK for whichever is shorter of the time given on your certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days OR 5 years OR the length of time that takes you to the maximum total stay allowed.

The maximum total stay allowed is 5 years in any 6 year period if you’re paid less than £73,900 a year OR 9 years in any 10 year period if you’re paid more than £73,900 a year.

You can extend your visa or apply for another one up to the maximum total stay. If you have already been in the UK with an Intra-company visa before your application, that time will be included in your total stay. You cannot apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’).

You can apply as a representative of an overseas business if you’re either:

To be eligible for this visa you must have enough money to support yourself without help from public funds and meet the English requirement.

To apply as a sole representative you must:

You may also be eligible if the business has a legal entity in the UK that does not employ staff or do any business.

If your employer has been working to establish a UK branch or subsidiary, but it is not yet set up, you can replace a previous sole representative.

The visa lets you stay in the UK for an initial period of 3 years. You may be able to extend your visa for another 2 years. After you’ve been in the UK for 5 years, you can apply for permission to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’).

If you’re an early-stage high potential entrepreneur who is starting a business in the UK for the first time, consider the Start-up visa.

You can apply for a Start-up visa if:

You must also meet the English language requirement, be at least 18 years old and be able to prove that you have enough personal savings to support yourself while you’re in the UK.

You must be endorsed by an authorised body that is either a UK higher education institution OR a business organisation with a history of supporting UK entrepreneurs.

You cannot apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’).

If you’re a more experienced entrepreneur with an innovative, viable, scalable business idea and have access to at least £50,000, try the Innovator visa route.

You can apply for an Innovator visa if:

You must also meet the English language requirement, be at least 18 years old and be able to prove that you have enough personal savings to support yourself while you’re in the UK.

You must have at least £50,000 in investment funds to apply for an Innovator visa if you want to set up a new business. You’ll need to prove where you got your funding from.

You do not need any investment funds if either your business is already established and has been endorsed for an earlier visa OR you’ve changed your business and already agreed it with your endorsing body.

You can apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) if you’ve lived in the UK for 3 years and meet the other eligibility requirements.

The Global Talent visa (previously called the Exceptional Talent visa) is for people with the required talent level and is also one of the self-employed routes.

You can apply for a Global Talent visa to work in the UK if you’re a leader or potential leader in one of the following fields: academia/research OR arts and culture OR digital technology

You can only apply for a Global Talent visa once you have successfully applied for an endorsement to prove that you are a leader or potential leader. You must also be at least 18 years old.

You can live and work in the UK for up to 5 years at a time. There’s no limit to how long you can stay in the UK in total, but you will need to renew (‘extend’) your visa when it expires. Each extension can last from 1 to 5 years. You may be able to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) so you can settle in the UK after 3 or 5 years, depending on the endorsement path you are applying for.

You can apply for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa if you want to invest £2,000,000 or more in the UK.

You must have at least £2,000,000 investment funds and be 18 or over to apply for a Tier 1 (Investor) visa.

You must:

Your funds must be held in one or more regulated financial institutions and free to spend (‘disposable’) in the UK. Your money can be in the UK or overseas when you apply.

You can come to the UK with a Tier 1 (Investor) visa for a maximum of 3 years and 4 months. You can apply to extend this visa for another 2 years.

You can apply to settle permanently in the UK (also known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’) after 5 years if you invest £2 million OR after 3 years if you invest £5 million OR after 2 years if you invest £10 million.